Matching Items (78)
Description
This thesis project explores the intricacies of dance technique through the study of one’s dance lineage, creative methodologies, and movement tendencies. This research reveals the layers that technique encompasses through the focused embodiment and analytical view of the choreographer's approach. The cast of six dancers offer their unique perspectives on technique through the embodiment process of this work. The cast has strong cultural and diverse dance backgrounds including Afro-Latin, ballet, Bharatanatyam, contemporary modern dance, hip-hop, and Irish dance. “Under The Blacklight” was the culmination of both a dance film and explorative event in which the audience had the opportunity to directly engage within various types of technique. This work stemmed from the desire to understand the notion behind dance technique development. The purpose of this investigation is to understand how to formulate a structure that serves as a basis of dance technique design. Therefore, this research is primarily focused on the process of cultivating a technique. With this intention, the work is concentrated on elucidating the foundation on a contemporary modern dance technique. While this research is centered on this specific genre of dance, it is essential to note that many similar elements are present in the techniques of other dance disciplines.
ContributorsQuiros Contreras, Nathalie (Author) / Fitzgerald, Mary (Thesis advisor) / Thompson, Keith (Committee member) / Ray, Donna (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
Global occurrences from the past and present such as colonization and globalization play a part in current realities. With the advent of such events, a false belief seems to have been created that in order to be modern, relatable to the present trend and global, it is mandatory to be Westernized and/or Americanized. This document focuses on the issues behind some Indians’ perception of their own culture(s), its traditions and values and how that perception might impact their everyday life. It aims to create an awareness that such a false belief seems to exist and wants to encourage the youth of India to develop their own preferred ways of connecting with their culture and its traditions. It requests and encourages every individual to question and inquire into traditions, practices, rituals, stories, songs, etc.Since India has diverse philosophies, practices, values and principles and approaches to life to offer, and coming from South India, my first two steps to be a part of this futuristic movement involve 1) studying initial works under Saiva Siddhantham - a philosophy that is unpopular, about 800 years old and believes in godliness as an energy-oriented existence, experience and way of life rather than a worship of form-based mythological characters solitarily, and 2) decoding and analyzing/interpreting characters and stories from mythologies, to understand if and how they might relate to the contemporary world. Bharatanatyam and oral storytelling have been used as artforms to represent issues, and shine an interpretative rather than mystical perspective on historical mythologies. The question “What is True to you at this Moment?” is also sought after as a way of honoring multiple ways of living and epistemologies.
ContributorsRamachandran, Siva Pooja (Author) / Jackson, Naomi (Thesis advisor) / Lerman, Elizabeth (Committee member) / Sandoval, Mathew (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
Aging is a universal process that every being encounters on their journey of life. The effect of dance as a form of improvement of physical and well-being on the aging body brings upon the question of the impact of somatic-based movement, specifically gestural movement on the perceptions of aging within older and younger adults through a bi-cultural lens of the United States and India. This was investigated using a series of creative partnership workshops that included listening, drawing, and culminating movement activities, followed by a group discussion about the creative process. There were four different participant groups: a group of college students taking an Aging in American Culture collegiate class, a Somatic Practices collegiate dance class, a group of older adults at the Tempe Multigenerational Center, and a group of older adults in Bangalore, India. Inter-generational and cross-cultural observations were discussed, and it was seen that the workshops were able to foster feelings of community and camaraderie among participants depending on the group’s relationship to dance-making. From the research, a dance performance was developed and performed specifically with women of color in ASU’s Dance program with the choreographic process discussed in detail, along with key takeaways about facilitating a multi-dimensional experience for the dancers and choreographer. Future directions for the work include working with intergenerational populations and researching community effects on gendered aging experiences across cultures in the dance world.
ContributorsDabeer, Shreya (Author) / Fitzgerald, Mary (Thesis director) / Standley, Eileen (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Music, Dance and Theatre (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor)
Created2022-05
ContributorsPopham, Deborah (Performer) / Cheng, Anny (Performer) / Gardner, Joshua (Performer) / Britt, Melissa (Performer) / Chavarria, Kimberly (Performer) / Massiah, Monique (Performer) / Williams, Lashonda (Choreographer) / ASU Library. Music Library (Publisher)
Created2008-04-03
ContributorsSmith, J. B., 1957- (Director) / Mancuso, Simone (Director) / Fitzgerald, Mary (Director) / Contemporary Percussion Ensemble (Performer) / ASU Dance (Performer)
Created2015-12-02
Description
What are the embodied educational experiences among students who were forced to migrate from war areas in Ukraine and study at Ukrainian displaced universities? Building on somatic literature and process philosophy, I developed embodied method of data collection and body-echo analysis to explore the complexities, entanglements and relationality of education and embodied experiences in the context of forced migration in Ukraine. The goal of this dissertation was to learn about students’ experiences of forced migration through an essentially embodied learning processes that integrate mental and physical capacities. I believe that students learn through sensing their way through forced migration, accumulating layers of kinesthetic information hidden in their bodies. More specifically, the students in this study moved either with Displaced Universities from the war areas in Ukraine or independently in several waves or enrolled at the Displaced Universities to receive their education in mainland Ukraine at relocated Displaced Universities. The key insights include 1) uniqueness of embodied experience(s) of forced migration for each student; 2) invisible or virtual university spaces created by forced migration in Ukraine; 3) displaced universities created a virtual relational space in Ukraine where university is people not building; 4) somatic practice allowed an entry point into the safe space of talking about forced migration; 5) unique reactions of students to the somatic movement; 6) sense of belonging to space and people; 7) students’ insights very often remain unfinished thoughts and students at times lack the language to talk about their experiences; 8) students educational trajectories should be viewed as unique experiences even when factors are the same or similar; 9) war is a continuous background of the experience even if students move to a safe place in a different country; 10) humor and care have a visible supportive and healing effects in the context of uncertainty. For this reason, I bring embodied experiences of students from Ukrainian Displaced Universities into education, and I expand the limits of cognitive thinking, and focus more into embodied learning through sensing and relating to one-self and others in the context of forced migration.
ContributorsVitrukh, Mariia (Author) / Koro, Mirka (Thesis advisor) / Dinn-You Liou, Daniel (Committee member) / Fitzgerald, Mary (Committee member) / Sereda, Viktoria (Committee member) / Blue Swadener, Beth (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
The study of broad therapeutic advantages of dance is a growing field of interdisciplinary study. Yet, direct health benefits of dance from a molecular standpoint are still largely unknown. Literature review of dance performance displays in birds as well as other creatures and use of creative tools to analyze the diverse, lifelong experiences of dancers helped shed some light on the subject. Although dance experience exposes harms tied to the social constraints of how the form is experiences buried under joyful takeaways of dance, research supports overall health benefits from moderate amounts of dance maintained in perfect equilibrium.
ContributorsWilliams, Caroline (Author) / Fitzgerald, Mary (Thesis director) / Moore, Marianne (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of Music, Dance and Theatre (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
First, this study is intended to comprehend what is perceived to be “good” dancing from two perspectives: the dancers and the dance choreographer/teacher. Second, the goal of this research is to achieve their perceived idea of “good” dancing using the categories of dance aesthetics, movement efficiency, and performance quality as a direction. A phenomenological research approach was applied to understand the terminologies: movement aesthetics, movement efficiency, and performance quality and whether they are essential and contribute to defining what is considered to be “good” dancing. The research was conducted over the course of ten weeks, which included workshops/rehearsals, discussions, and journals and concluded with the showcase of the choreographies in the dance concert performance. This study revealed that there were many similarities in the participants and the researcher’s perception of what “good” dancing is. Through the application of the various somatic methodologies and frameworks, they learned how to perform in their own best way in the different movement styles so that it is beautiful to look at, easy on their bodies, and safe for their bodies. All of the participants were able to achieve a better understanding of their own bodies. Besides gaining individual heightened awareness and understanding of their bodies, they also gained a better understanding on how to work as a collective to achieve the aesthetics of the group from the perspective of the entire dance piece.
ContributorsChoong, Jemima (Author) / Fitzgerald, Mary (Thesis advisor) / Conder, Carley (Committee member) / Bowditch, Rachel (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
In an attempt to summarize two years worth of work in one hundred and fiftywords... This reflection oriented document categorizes my project, “category FIVE”, into chapters of development and actualization. Accounting for the collaborative nature of the project, I advise that this specific document is only half of what the entire work saw through the eyes of Isabella Lepp. Beginning with background information, moving into making the work, and ending with production and reflection of the work, this document follows a mostly chronological timeline in telling the process of making, “category FIVE”, an immersive dance experience. Enjoy.
ContributorsLepp, Isabella Victoria (Author) / Jackson, Naomi (Thesis advisor) / Lerman, Liz (Committee member) / Ortel, Sven (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024
Description
Don't Hold Your Breath is an evening-length performance created and performed by Sarah "Saza" Kent and EPIK Dance Company that consisted of street and concert dance combined with hip hop theatre, spoken text and live singing. What began as a one-woman show about the choreographer's life, turned in to an ensemble piece that included the stories of many people, including ten community members who were interviewed on their views of life and death after being affected by a diagnosis. The show follows Kat, a young woman tiptoeing the line between her party girl past and the thought of finally growing up and settling down. Typically confident and self-assured, she is now grappling with the idea of life and death. Kat finds herself in an MRI machine that could ultimately determine her fate. As the machine examines her body, she begins to examine her life, causing her to confront some of life's most existential questions. Has she spent her time wisely? Would she do anything differently if given a second chance? When it comes down to it, and all distractions are stripped away, what is truly important? Her thoughts take her to memories of her past and visions for her future as she faces the reality that life is finite and tomorrow is not promised. This document is an account of the show's process and serves as a place of explanation, analysis, and reflection, while also questioning its significance on a personal level all the way to its place in the field.
ContributorsKent, Sarah Kay (Author) / Fitzgerald, Mary (Thesis advisor) / Hinds, Rickerby (Committee member) / Britt, Melissa (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018