Influence of Dance
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Date
2020-05
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Publisher
The Ohio State University
Abstract
The Influence of Dance premiered in February of 2020 in the Barnett Theatre at The Ohio State University. The overall goal of the project was to design a creative process that culminated in a choreographic work geared to change perspectives about cultural identity in dance. The project was structured as a two-section dance that starts with a solo and finishes with a large group dance with seven dancers. I performed the solo section, which was followed by the group section, both performed with live accompaniment. The group section was created over a period of seven months with a cast of performers from The Ohio State University in the Department of Dance. As the piece came to a close the audience was invited to join us in performance to add to our dance community. The Influence of Dance explores Latin culture within dance and how it is seen within contemporary dance forms. This includes multigenerational community, dance improvisation, and audience participation. In terms of process, I considered the number of dancers, their openness to Latin dances, proximity to Latin culture, and interest in multigenerational dancing. The creation process included research of my Puerto Rican heritage, academic research, and cultural conversations. I built the work by taking my dancers to local cultural events, like the Caribbean Festival in Downtown Columbus, Ohio. I used this experience to offer the group a sense of culture that involves music, dance, and rhythm. Throughout this paper, I will discuss how I used these experiences to create the Influence of Dance.
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Keywords
Dance, Latin Culture, Dance Education, Choreography