<p> If &ldquo;we&rdquo; are not a &ldquo;We,&rdquo; then what are &lsquo;&rdquo;we&rdquo;? I posit that by encouraging diverse-population students in an introductory acting class for non-majors to examine and reveal their histories and identities in a manifesto-driven project, I can build a &ldquo;We&rdquo; in the classroom; not a dissipated notion of a Universal We, but a strong sense of community where both differences and commonalities are respected. By exploring self-identity through the Manifesto experience, students will have a closer connection to humanity and thus the task of acting. By cultivating community, students will be united and engaged in each other&rsquo;s efforts and well-being with a sense of compassion, kindness and trust that is evident, not disaffected or casual. New sensibilities will develop that can extend beyond the classroom. </p><p> The overarching pedagogical conversation in my CSULB graduate acting program has involved the imperative to &ldquo;see&rdquo; the students who are in front of us. The inspiration to develop this project based report around my work in the Theatre 113 &ndash; Introduction to Acting for Non-Majors classroom arrived following a graduate cohort Writing for the Theater Profession assembly taught by artist and scholar Dr. Jaye Austin Williams. Jaye brought my cohort&rsquo;s attention to the notion of a &ldquo;Universal We.&rdquo; We considered the idea of a utopian collective conscious where all of humanity is born with the same innate knowledge and expectation for success; however, the concept of a &ldquo;Universal We&rdquo; is easily refuted and dissipates when one contemplates the timeline of all evolution, including the rise and fall of cultures and civilizations, hierarchies, atrocities, vassalage, enslavement and colonialisms. This conversation unsettled me as I sat in front of my next Theatre 113 class with fifty students and contemplated, &ldquo;If &lsquo;we&rsquo; are not a &lsquo;We,&rsquo; then what are &lsquo;we&rsquo;?&rdquo; This inquiry inspired me to make zero assumptions regarding students and their backgrounds and to seek a path to better understand whom these learners represent as individuals and as a collective - for their knowledge and for mine. I assessed how would I connect and engage these pupils, and to what end? I decided to use a manifesto-driven project that asks students to inspect their self-identity in a presentation to the class, and also proposed that they examine their personal experience and relationship to privilege and pain. I hoped through this practice to create a profound semblance of community. I decided to use this semester to tackle this proposition head-on and invite the conversation into the classroom as we explored humanity, art and self-identity. Why is this important? Why is there an imperative to &ldquo;know&rdquo; our self and each other? </p><p> In this paper I will explore the proposal I offered to students to embark on this manifesto journey, document the process and observations of the students&rsquo; efforts, and examine the outcome through evaluation of students&rsquo; responses to a reflection questionnaire regarding the experience.</p><p>

<p> This thesis analyzes Mark Morris' choreography for pedagogical purposes. It explores Morris' technique and style by investigating one of his most acclaimed works: <i>L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato</i>. Because this evening length piece offers a large selection of sections, a total of thirty-two, it provides many possibilities to investigate Morris' musicality, creative process, and style. The musical aspect of Morris' work is examined by focusing on how he often molds the dance to the musical score involving specific rhythms, canons and counterpoints. Analysis of his creative process investigates his use of individual and group work, with the implementation of complex choreographic systems. These contain intricate spatial and movement patterns and can reflect the musical structure of a specific composition or are created directly by Morris. Finally, the analysis of his style explores some of his characteristic forms utilized in <i>L'Allegro</i> with particular attention to detailed shapes and gestures, in addition to torso and foot work. For a greater insight, this thesis also includes interviews with Mark Morris, and some of his former company members who were part of the original production. These are Tina Fehlandt, June Omura, and Megan Williams. A second part of the thesis explores the pedagogical potential of <i>L&rsquo;Allegro</i>&rsquo;s material. The investigation is first conducted through the lens of Laban Movement Analysis (LMA), and then through the lens of LMA adaptations for younger student populations, as utilized in the dance education field, by the New York City based Dance Education Laboratory and Seattle based dance educator Anne Green Gilbert.</p><p>

<p> The rate of playing-related neuromusculoskeletal disorders (PRNDs) in advanced pianists remains consistently high worldwide, often limiting or ending study and playing careers. Injured pianists&mdash;desperate for solutions&mdash;seek out allegedly scientifically-informed approaches to developing injury-preventive technique but none of these approaches have been seriously investigated. This mixed-methods study investigated one interdisciplinary, non-traditional approach (the &ldquo;Method&rdquo;) that had received considerable anecdotal support but had not been studied systematically to ascertain its efficacy in recovering from and preventing recurrence of PRNDs, as well as its effects on technique, musicality, and extra-musical factors. Participants included undergraduate and graduate students, independent piano teachers, college teachers, and professional pianists and organists who had studied the Method for at least two academic semesters between 1990 and 2015. An anonymous survey was administered to 103 pianists and organists aged 22 to 82, with 74 (<i>N</i>=74) pianists responding (71.8%), and 26 pianists and organists were interviewed in-depth. Survey and interview results established that participants perceived the Method as significantly helpful in facilitating recovery from PRNDs. Significance of relationships among codes included correlations of .70 between the code &ldquo;it works&rdquo; and &ldquo;playing without injury,&rdquo; and .66 between &ldquo;it works&rdquo; and &ldquo;playing again.&rdquo; Interviewees also perceived the Method as helpful in preventing recurrence of PRNDs, as shown by the high correlation between the codes &ldquo;will help prevent injuries&rdquo; and &ldquo;learned a lot from studying the Method&rdquo; (.67). A one-sample t-test performed on the survey data also showed a positive perception (p &lt; .001) of the Method in helping recovery from and prevention of recurrence of PRNDs. Additionally, both the survey and interview participants reported improvement of technique and musicality with many also reporting enhancement of their extra-musical lives. A one-sample t-test on the survey data showed these improvements to be significant at a 5% level or better. Research also yielded data on psychological, emotional, and professional challenges to learning the Method, as well as reactions to specific aspects of the Method. It is hoped that the data might serve as a baseline and become a useful model for the investigation of other approaches for teaching injury-preventive piano technique.</p>