Dance Thesis Proposal
I need organized ideas and clear thoughts – rewrite my dance thesis project proposal to fit my departments expectations as attached.
Abstract of the dance thesis project include:
* Purpose of the work –
(Who do I want the piece to impacts & why) – African American experiences.
*Cast –
I want to work with African American dancers because black voices need to be heard and acknowledged with a piece like this. This piece is meant to encourage black voices to be heard and not silenced.
* Musical Ideas/ choices for the work-
Black artists only preferred – possibly drums…instruments that embody power.
(how do they fit into the theme of power, faith, and protest) & (why?)
*Costumes –
What the costumes might look like for dancers (just some ideas)…
*Set – Due to COVID the piece might look like a digital dance film…depending on my cast haven’t figured out those logistics.
• Description of research methods & why –
(watching films of Selma, different riots and protest to understand the importance of fighting for your rights and beliefs…why black lives matter? – the importance) – (researching powerful images of black lives matter) – (researching speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King & Malcolm X…key figures in the civil rights movement)
• Ideas for dance Movement/Choreographic research –
The historical form of dance (researching Horton and contemporary black dance techniques and artist to be inspired from)..dance artist include – Alvin Ailey, Bill T. Jones, Kyle Abraham…
Other forms of research and investigation: Personhood – my dancer experiences as black African Americans in the dance field.
• Plans for developing the work in the fall with dancers and production managers.
• Focus on the integration of the different components of the thesis project
• Explanation of Video documentation of the protest and social justice movements happening currently…..(Say Their Names – #BLM projects…the many deaths that are happening due to police brutality…..) and explication of how the choreographic concepts are influencing my research with the civil rights movements.
My thesis project is below:
HOW CAN PHYSICAL MOVEMENT INSPIRE A SOCIAL JUSTICE MOVEMENT?
PURPOSE
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech “The Other America” becomes the embodiment of faith and protest; my research situates itself within the meta-textual location of moving bodies alongside and within his speech.
Specifically, the importance of the Civil Rights Movement was that it gave African Americans hope for equality to all Americans, no matter their race, creed, or gender. Speeches from this era not only served as a vehicle for social change, but also for self-assertiveness and healing. My thesis will explore the idea of bodies uniting in protest through faith. The mission is to educate, elevate, entertain enlighten, and empower through dance.
