Date of Award

2013

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Humanities

First Advisor

Miles, Stephen

Keywords

Dance, Performance, Trauma

Area of Concentration

Humanities

Abstract

This document serves as the written element of my senior project. It encompasses personal narrative, analysis of rape culture, my perspective on dance therapy, and details the process of creating a dance. It is the background and basis for my focal point, a dance performance entitled Rebirth: A Journey of Healing through Dance. The performance utilized the medium of dance to explore the process of overcoming sexual trauma. The performance was created over the course of six weeks during which I met with a group of five women to rehearse and practice structured improvisational movement. Through these rehearsals I aimed to facilitate the dancers' experience of varying stages of emotion and its raw translation to movement. Going through this process of embodying different affects has therapeutic benefits, an outcome which I was seeking in the creation of this dance. The aim of the material that I used for the dance was to speak, through movement, to the experience of anyone in the audience who has undergone pain and healing. It is a tribute to the transformative process that is grief, anger, and forgiveness. Ultimately, it is a celebration of healing, of reclaiming the body, and integrating the self. The video of the performance is available for viewing online at the following web address: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXuKVtZQf0M.

Rights

This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida Libraries, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.

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