I am investigating the intersection of choreographic methodology, improvisation, and immersive technology to create a dance that addresses ecological crisis. Through my coursework, I learned that dance is inherently political and can address social and political topics without sacrificing the integrity or the aesthetic of movement. By combining the usage of media technologies and dance, my project aims to bring attention to the natural world in a way that encourages people to rethink how they interact with the Earth. The driving question in the research is around the cultural construction of words like nature and wilderness, and what that means for the ways in which human beings see and understand themselves within the natural world. This research culminated in an installational solo, Paradise Park, in which I used artificial materials to construct a simulated outdoor park. By placing my own dancing body in the middle of this falsely expansive paradise, I hoped to encourage audiences to rethink their definitions of nature in order to inspire more balanced and sustainable choice-making.Undergraduate Research ScholarshipStudent Funding InitiativeNo embargoAcademic Major: Danc
