<p> In fulfillment of the requirements for a Master of Fine Arts degree, three dances were choreographed and performed at the Martha B. Knoebel Dance Theater located at the California State University, Long Beach campus. As this project report details, the pieces arose out of an interest in connecting with dance audience members on a personal level. The material presented in each work was created by excavating autobiographical memories during rehearsals. The first of these projects, <i>The Stories We Tell</i>, attempted to create layers of meaning by juxtaposing truths from the dancers' lives with the mythic story of Athena's birth. <i>Little Water</i>, presented an illustration of the joy with which a child experiences the world, specifically in terms of her relationship to water. The final project, <i> The Truth About Butterflies</i>, was a solo exploring my own personal memories, specifically focusing on father relationships, and the need for love and acceptance.</p>

<p> The exploration of ritual during rehearsals has been the foundation for this thesis and the basis for the creation of three choreographed dances entitled: <i> Arrival, Nautilus</i>, and <i>Being, Witnessed</i> performed at the Martha B. Knoebel Dance Theater on the campus of California State University, Long Beach. Each piece explored different themes yet shared a similar process, which developed the use of ritual and its relationship to the shaping of a dancer's expressivity, authenticity and agency, and the development of choreography. Each dance served as an applied practice that refined the presentation of choreographic intent and explored a variety of different collaborative relationships. This project report chronicles the analysis of these three dances, which explored the application of theoretical information and experimental practice.</p>

<p> In the process of creating <i>Like A Unicorn in Captivity</i>, I sought the answers to two primary research questions: "What happens when you realize that your idol isn't perfect?" and "What happens when you recognize her flaws in yourself?" The work began as a response to and an interpretation of the work of writer and aviator Anne Morrow Lindbergh, incorporating multimedia, spoken word, and movement in an exploration of celebrity, hero-worship, identity, relationship, ambition, creativity and duty. As we investigated these notions, the cast and I embarked on a transdisciplinary choreographic process, one that combined movement-based and theoretical research across dance, theatre, design, music, history, literature, feminism, and women's studies. This paper offers an explanation of the inspirations behind the piece, how I arrived at the notion of transdiciplinary choreography, what the practice looked and felt like in progress, and a description of the piece that resulted from the process.</p>

<p> There exists a dynamic, reflexive relationship between bodies and space as humans both respond to and mold the world around them &mdash; and vice versa. Bodies and space cannot exist without one another. Through movement, humans not only perceive and engage with the world, but also shape abstract space into the places of their lives as activities affect the characteristics of, perception of, and future interactions with a place. Conversely, the characteristics of a place (whether physical features or societal customs and expectations associated with a place), inform perceptions of and interactions with that place, influencing the behaviors of those who occupy it. Dance, thus, exists not simply as a body moving in space, but as a body in deep, nuanced interaction with space &mdash; an interaction that affects both entities. Investigating this body-space relationship as it pertains to site dance, we see more clearly how the body not only occupies space, but also activates it. </p><p> Performed outside of traditional performance settings such as theatres and studios, site dance places dance directly in lived space, with specific attention in this paper to dances staged in public spaces. These dances engage not only with the site&rsquo;s physical characteristics, but also various aspects of the site&rsquo;s history, its current import to a community, or its potential usages. By situating dance directly in the lived experience, interacting with the places of daily life, site dance possesses the ability to change how people see and experience both dance and place. Removed from the conditioned interaction with performers on a formal stage, site dance allows more inference between spectators and performers as both have the opportunity to recognize, experience, and engage with the same phenomena. And in its honest exchange between dancers and site, the intricate body-space relationship is made tangible to viewers who may see themselves reflected in the actions of the dancers. Through its untraditional, unconventional, and at times transgressive relationship with place, &mdash;and its intentional evocation of the history, memory, or function of a specific site,&mdash; site dance illuminates the powerful, dynamic relationship we have with our environment and empowers audiences to recognize their role as active agents shaping the non-static entity of space. Through its heightened phenomenological engagement and embodiment within sites for performers and audience alike, site dance affords a new perception of place at a deep experiential level. When dancers occupy, literally or figuratively, the places that humans typically do not, or cannot, physically occupy, and/or engage in behaviors that one might not anticipate in a particular setting, audiences can perceive these sites in new ways which may in turn inform their future interactions with said places. As such, site dance holds potential for affecting change and activation of community and public space which needs further attention in the current trend of creative placemaking and other programs designed to revitalize public spaces, deepen community engagement, or bring attention and/or action to a community concern.</p>

Exegesis (MHSc--Health Science) -- Auckland University of Technology, 2005. / Also held in print (116 leaves, 30 cm.) in North Shore Theses Collection (T 792.8 DEL)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of London, 1986. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1969. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1964. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Bibliography: l. [84]-88.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1973. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliography.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 149-150).