Laban Movement Analysis and Dance Inequality

In this proposal, I am requesting funding to research the intersection of dance inequalities and dance theory – connecting the racism and body image issues of the dance world to potential solutions based in Laban Movement Analysis, a system of dance notation. I intend to continue my academic and bodily research, exploring the six lenses of Laban Movement Analysis in text and in the studio, to gain a deeper understanding of the application of dance theory and therapy to the educational and choreographic processes of dance. Creating inclusive movement while maintaining the authenticity of the choreographic process is a challenge presented in today’s dance community. Though dance therapy continues to move to the forefront of treatments for mental health and physical disabilities, it is rarely applied to dancers themselves. My research will implement an interdisciplinary approach to apply dance theory and therapy to the embodied experience of dancing, to be used at the collegiate education and performance level. Working with my mentor, Dr. Teresa Heiland, and the resources of the LMU Dance Program, I will create a choreographic synthesis of my work with text and embodied experience

Making Masculinity: The Performance of Gender Onstage and in the Streets

Drawing from dance historians and movement theorists, this paper analyzes the role movement plays in the construction and performance of gender. By deconstructing perceived stereotypes about masculinity, the argument breaks down the gender binary and its relation to movement. With research rooted in the works of Bill T. Jones and Joe Goode, the paper also looks at the intersection between masculinity and sexuality. Movement as a performance of gender is rooted in cultural and emotional contexts, heavily influenced by traditional gender roles and the persistence of homophobia. The fluidity of queer gender expression offers an alternative to the stereotypical display of masculinity, if only performers are allowed to push the boundaries of the gender binary

En Croix: A Choreographic Study of Translation

This thesis, entitled “En Croix,” began in Paris as a choreographic exploration of my struggle to reconcile my feminist and queer identity with my Roman Catholic upbringing. The strictness of my conservative religious background became an entry point to choreography, enabling me to create a solo with movements based on the Sign of the Cross—up, down, side, side. After returning to Los Angeles, I translated the choreography from the first solo into a second, breaking open the precise patterns and structures from solo one, and adding improvisation as a choreographic device; then, I completely abandoned the form of the two solos and generated a third solely through improvisation. While reflecting upon these dances, I began an ensemble piece for seven women. I identified the five most common movements from my three solos and presented those to my dancers as prompts, giving them the freedom to craft movement. What results is a choreographic study of translation, instigated by geography and unpacked through time and body knowledges. “En Croix” is situated in exploration and the spaces in which I have found and constructed my identity. The choreography both depends on and breaks free from the limitations I have experienced, the choices I have made, and my questions surrounding how bodies relate. Rooted in the tension between my need for individuality and my own comfort in ideologies that reinforce uniformity and sameness, this thesis renders resistance, solidarity, identification, and belonging through a choreographic process steeped in time, place, and experience