When considering the Latina dancer in the United States it is easy to conjure images of a fruit crowned Carmen Miranda shimming in front of the camera, videos of Jennifer Lopez swinging her hips in dark and crowded clubs, sultry salsa dancers rocking and twisting on their bedazzled stilettos, or Jalisco girls who swirl the hemlines of their rainbow colored skirts as they parade down the street. These depictions of the Latina dancer are duly noted for creating a means of visibility for an otherwise invisible demographic. However, they also function to reinforce stereotypical ideas of the Latina moving body which limit Latina agency by positioning dancing Latinas within a set of prescribed representational practices. My study bridges Latina/o studies with dance studies in order to ask how Latina women are utilizing modern and contemporary dance styles to upset and redefine notions of the dancing Latina. I focus on the choreography of four women in particular; Michelle Manzanales, Maray Gutierrez, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and Nancy Turano who each presented work in association with Luna Negra Dance Theatre’s Latina Choreographers Project. Through my study I place the project’s mission into dialog with the corpus of choreography commissioned during its three-year lifespan (2006-2009). My close analysis serves to elucidate the stories that the choreographers chose to tell. For some, the deconstruction of icons provided the most compelling exercise in the process of excavating beneath quintessential Latino facades. For others, the strong recollections of home and the feeling of not being able to assert a defined location characterized their investigations of cultural identity. The Latina Choreographers Project, I contend, sets a historical precedent by pursuing and presenting the work of Latina choreographers in a field that has traditional excluded the Latina voice. I argue that by engaging four choreographers with extraordinarily diverse relationships to Latinidad and presenting them to an American audience, the Latina Choreographer Project presents an invaluable opportunity for intercultural and cross-cultural dialog that aims to relay the complexity and nuances of a contemporary Latina experience. / text

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this thesis I attempted to analyse the four adaptations I created between 2004 and 2010. The first two products (texts and productions) were created in 2004 and 2005, while I was a student at the Stellenbosch University Drama Department. The third adaptation (text only) was created in 2007, while I was a freelance stage manager. In 2010, I collaborated with a choreographer for the first time to adapt a Shakespeare text into a dance theatre production. The process of adapting a text always starts with an interpretive reading. Extracting information and meaning from a text can also be referred to as ‘decoding’. In the process of creating the adaptation new meaning is written, or ‘encoded’, into the product that must in turn be decoded by the reader or audience member. A term for this decoding and encoding process that is often encountered in the field of video editing (an aspect of my current profession) is a ‘codec’. In video editing a codec is responsible for the decoding of a computer file into a video program that a viewer/audience can engage with, as well as the encoding of a video program into a file. Since I function as the ‘codec’ in these adaptation scenarios, I thought it appropriate to label my approach to the adaptation process, the ‘Conradie codec’. The aim of this reflexive study is to analyse my four adaptations, the processes as well as the products, in order to determine if such a codec truly exists. Research done in adaptation studies was presented in an attempt to define adaptation as both process and product – Linda Hutcheon’s A Theory of Adaptation was particularly useful. This created a framework for the study of each of the four adaptations in chronological order, according to the year in which they were created. The study also draws very generally on the principles of semiotics, especially with respect to the notion of coding. Firstly, the 2004 adaptation of Luigi Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an Author into Twintig akteurs op soek na ‘n [beter] Regisseur was analysed. This was followed by onsindroom (sic), an adaptation of August Strindberg’s A Dream Play. The third adaptation was iForest, which was created in 2007. This was an adaptation of (primarily) Eugene Ionesco’s The Killer. Lastly, the adaptation of Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida into When in Love… was studied. It was concluded that, while the ‘Conradie codec’ does exist and was applied in the creation of the four adaptations, its efficiency was limited – predominantly by time constraints. In all four the cases analysed the rehearsal process started when a complete draft of the adapted text was not yet finished. This put enormous pressure on the rehearsal process. While this is accepted when creating a workshop style production, more time is needed to develop the adaptation in order for it to be cohesive. By going through the process of analysing these four adaptations, the Conradie codec has been adapted (or updated) to version 2.0. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In hierdie tesis het ek gepoog om my vier verwerkings tot op hede te analiseer. Die eerste twee produkte (tekste en produksies) was in 2004 en 2005 geskep terwyl ek ‘n student was. Die derde verwerking (slegs die teks) was in 2007 geskep terwyl ek ‘n vryskut verhoogbestuurder was. In 2010, het ek vir die eerste keer saam met ‘n choregraaf gewerk om ‘n Shakespeare teks te verwerk na ‘n dansteaterproduksie. Die verwerkingsproses van ‘n teks begin altyd met die lees van die teks op ‘n interpreterende wyse. Hierdie proses, om betekenis uit ‘n teks te ontgin, kan ook ‘dekodering’ genoem word. Tydens die verwerkingsproses word nuwe betekenis in die produk ingeskryf, of ‘geënkodeer’. Die leser of gehoorlid moet weer op hul beurt die nuwe produk dekodeer. Hierdie dekodering en enkodering word in videoredigering (‘n aspek van my huidige beroep) ‘n ‘codec’ genoem. In videoredigering is ‘n ‘codec’ verantwoordelik vir die dekodering vanaf ‘n rekenaarlêer na ‘n videoprogram wat deur iemand gekyk kan word, sowel as die enkodering vanaf ‘n videoprogram na ‘n leêr. Aangesien ek tydens die verwerkingsproses as die ‘codec’ funksioneer, het ek dit goed gedink om met die term die ‘Conradie codec’ vorendag te kom. Die doel van hierdie refleksiewe studie was om my vier verwerkings, die prosesse sowel as die produkte, te analiseer en sodoende te bepaal of so ‘n ‘codec’ wel bestaan. Navorsing op die gebied van verwerkings was voorgelê in ‘n poging om die konsep van verwerking as beide proses en produk te definieer – Linda Hutcheon se A Theory of Adaptation was ‘n nuttige bron gewees. Dit het gehelp om ‘n raamwerk vir die bestudering van elk van die vier verwerkings te skep – wat dan uitgevoer was in chronologiese volgorde. Die studie maak ook gebruik van die beginsels van semiotiek, in ‘n baie algemene wyse, veral ten opsigte van die begrip van kodering. Eerstens was die 2004 verwerking van Luigi Pirandello se Six Characters in search of an Author na Twintig akteurs op soek na ‘n [beter] Regisseur ontleed. Dit was gevolg deur onsindroom, ‘n verwerking van A Dream Play deur August Strindberg. iForest wat in 2007 geskep is, was ‘n verwerking van (hoofsaaklik) The Killer deur Eugene Ionesco. Laastens was die verwerking van Shakespeare se Troilus and Cressida na When in love… bestudeer. Die gevolgtrekking was dat daar iets soos die ‘Conradie codec’ bestaan en dat dit wel toegepas was in die skepping van die vier verwerkings. Die effektiwiteit daarvan was wel beperk – hoofsaaklik as gevolg van tydsbeperkings. In al vier die gevalle het die repetisieproses reeds begin voordat ‘n volledige weergawe van die teks voltooi was, wat enorme druk op die repetisieproses geplaas het. Terwyl dit aanvaarbaar is in die konteks van ‘n werkswinkelproduksie word meer tyd benodig vir die verwerking van ‘n teks om samehangend te wees. Deur die vier verwerkings te bestudeer, was die Conradie ‘codec’ self in die proses verwerk (of bygewerk) tot weergawe 2.0.

This thesis explores how we understand and articulate the idea of ‘absorption’ as a necessary aspect of an ‘optimal’ ‘mode of being/doing’ for the performer. By drawing upon pertinent aspects of the fields of phenomenology, consciousness studies, cognitive neuroscience and play theory coupled with Csikszentmihalyi’s notion of ‘flow’, the study develops a lexicon of terminology with which to articulate and understand the nature of ‘absorption’ for the performer in the context of ‘dance theatre’. By developing a focused articulation of the actual nature of ‘absorption’ for the performer in performance, seen as necessary to an ‘optimal’ ‘mode of being/doing’, the study intends to contribute to the language of discourse in this area of performance studies, and, importantly become a useful resource for the enquiring performer and practitioner. Consequently, in developing an understanding of ‘absorption’ for the performer, in order to edge closer to articulating an ‘optimal’ ‘mode of being/doing’ for the performer, the work and actions of the performer remain the focus of the study. The study is anchored in practice through examination of the work of three companies working within the genealogy of ‘dance theatre’. This multi-company approach gives a chronological and genealogical overview of ‘dance theatre’ practices useful in understanding ‘absorption’ for the performer, whilst also facilitating examination of individual points of practice within that overview. The companies profiled are: Pina Bausch, DV8 and Vincent Dance Theatre (VDT). The examination of work by Bausch and DV8 draws upon and reframes extant documentation of performance currently in the public domain. Examination of VDT’s work draws on original footage and interviews undertaken by the researcher during fieldwork.

Diss.--Mainz--Johannes Gutenberg-Univ., 2005. / Bibliogr. p. 213-229.

Thesis (M.F.A.)--State University of New York College at Brockport, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 155-157). Also available online (PDF file) by a subscription to the set or by purchasing the individual file.

Thesis (M.F.A.)--State University of New York College at Brockport, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 155-157).

Since the middle of the twentieth century, American dance artists have presented complicated images of American identity to world audiences, as dance companies traveled abroad under the auspices of the US State Department. This dissertation uses oral history interviews, archival research, and performance analysis to investigate how dancers navigated their status as official American ambassadors in the Cold War and the years following the 2001 terrorist attacks in the US. Dance companies worked and performed in international sites, enacting messages of American democratic superiority, while individual dancers re-interpreted the contours of American identity through personal encounters with local artists and arts practices. The dancers’ memories of government-sponsored tours re-insert the American artist into American diplomatic history, prompting a reconsideration of dancers not just as diplomatic tools working to persuade global audiences, but as creative thinkers re-imagining what it means to be American. This dissertation begins in the late 1950s, as the State Department began discussing appropriate dance companies to send to the Soviet Union, as part of the performing arts initiatives that began in 1954 under the direction of President Dwight Eisenhower. The dissertation concludes by examining more recent dance in diplomacy programs initiated in 2003, coinciding with the US invasion of Iraq. My analysis considers New York City Ballet’s 1962 tour of the Soviet Union, where the company performed programs that included George Balanchine’s Serenade (1934), Agon (1957), and Western Symphony (1954), and Jerome Robbins’ Interplay (1945) during the heightened global anxieties of the Cuban Missile Crisis. My analysis of Ailey’s 1967 tour of nine African countries focuses primarily on Revelations (1960), which closed every program on the tour. Moving into the twenty-first century, I analyze A Slipping Glimpse (2007), a collaboration between Margaret Jenkins Dance Company and Tansuree Shankar Dance Company, which began as a US State Department-sponsored 2003 residency in Kolkata. To explore each tour, I consider government goals documented in archived minutes from artist selection panels; dancers’ memories of the tours, which I collected in personal interviews conducted between 2007 and 2009; and performance analysis of the pieces that traveled on each tour. / text

<p>The essay is an effort to examine and define three examples of liminal dance performances through an aesthetic, hermeneutic and semiotic analysis. The examples are three dance or liminal performances, made by three different choreographers and performed at “Moderna Dansteatern” and “Dansens Hus” in Stockholm during September and October 2005. In the effort to determine the liminal and cross-over in the performances, the analysis focus on aspects such as: the character of the work, choreography, the use of scenery, stage light, requisites, conception of place and interior room, the use of costume and mask, the use of different media as text, pictures, film, and music or not using any these, and the interaction with the audience. The analysis depends on a historical background and the use of literature in the subject. The result of the analysis is that these cross-over performances are very different in character of these aspects and aesthetic form. The definition of dance and performance is, in itself, liminal and difficult to determine.</p>

The essay is an effort to examine and define three examples of liminal dance performances through an aesthetic, hermeneutic and semiotic analysis. The examples are three dance or liminal performances, made by three different choreographers and performed at “Moderna Dansteatern” and “Dansens Hus” in Stockholm during September and October 2005. In the effort to determine the liminal and cross-over in the performances, the analysis focus on aspects such as: the character of the work, choreography, the use of scenery, stage light, requisites, conception of place and interior room, the use of costume and mask, the use of different media as text, pictures, film, and music or not using any these, and the interaction with the audience. The analysis depends on a historical background and the use of literature in the subject. The result of the analysis is that these cross-over performances are very different in character of these aspects and aesthetic form. The definition of dance and performance is, in itself, liminal and difficult to determine.

This thesis examines two examples of martial dance theatre: Mika HAKA performed by Torotoro (New Zealand), and The Sound of Silence performed by Samudra (India). Both productions were created for international touring, and this thesis looks at their performance at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (UK). The companies’ choreography integrates native and foreign dance with their hereditary martial arts. These disciplines involve practitioners in displays of prowess that are also entertaining spectacles. They have an expressive dimension that makes them contiguous with dance – a potential that Torotoro and Samudra exploit. The companies address their audiences with combative and inviting movements: Torotoro juxtapose wero and haka (Māori martial rites) with breakdance; Samudra combine kaḷarippayaṭṭu (Kerala’s martial art) with bharatanāṭyam (South Indian classical dance). Their productions interweave local movement practices with performance arts in global circulation, and are often presented before predominantly white, Western audiences. What is created are performances that are generically unstable – the product of cultural interactions in which contradictory agendas converge. In its largest scope, martial dance theatre might include military parades and tattoos, ritual enactments of combat, and folk and classical dance theatre. These performances propagate images of idealised men that create statements of national and cultural identity. They, and the martial disciplines they theatricalise, are also implicated in the performative construction of gender, ethnicity and race. Torotoro and Samudra’s performances, influenced by queer and feminist agendas, offer insights into martial dance theatre’s masculinist potential, and its contribution to the intercultural negotiation of identities. Prominent European theatre practitioners have sought to employ the martial arts to develop Western performers. If these culturally specific disciplines are expressive and performative disciplines, then what are the implications and complications of this transcultural project?