Articulating Dance Improvisation: Knowledge Practices in the College Dance Studio
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2010
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| Online Access: | http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1275069682 |
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ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-osu12750696822021-08-03T05:59:31Z Articulating Dance Improvisation: Knowledge Practices in the College Dance Studio Thorndike, Ashley P. Dance dance improvisation epistemology college higher education dance studio College dancers develop knowledge through physical, cognitive, and affective processes. This dissertation explores the dancer’s knowledge through an ethnography of one cohort of college dancers as they prepare for and perform in a concert of new works. This study focuses on danced knowledge—the competencies and capacities that dancers cultivate through a system of dance practices—by specifically targeting the epistemological beliefs of college dancers engaged in improvisatory dance practices. Through an investigation of the epistemologies of this small group of college dancers engaged in improvisation-based performance and choreography, this document opens for discussion the nature of knowledge that arises at the intersection of body, mind, and art. Using ethnographic participant/observation strategies and drawing from autoethnography, institutional ethnography and narrative inquiry, I have come to understand this population’s danced knowledge as fluid, interdependent, and contextual. Rooted in the physical practices of the form—messy, sweaty, tiring, and exhilarating—their understanding of knowledge is not merely about physical skill. Instead, while physicality is central, knowledge is constructed dialogically and interdependently with dancers developing their understandings in relation to each other and mentors as well as to the system and the values of the artistic form. Herein, I argue that danced knowledge in this population: 1) arises from sensation, 2) is constructed through dialogue, 3) is mediated by fallibility, and 4) is enabled through connectivity to the discipline and to a community of dancers. This study has implications for educators in dance and beyond, suggesting that the opportunities made available by an improvisatory mindset allow students to integrate physical/sensory, cognitive/analytic, and affective/emotional modalities to develop complex epistemologies. Furthermore, specifically within dance, this study has implications for college dance curricula, namely, the integration of improvisatory practice with opportunities for students to refine and articulate their understandings in ways that are accessible to a general population. 2010-09-01 English text The Ohio State University / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1275069682 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1275069682 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws. |
| collection |
NDLTD |
| language |
English |
| sources |
NDLTD |
| topic |
Dance dance improvisation epistemology college higher education dance studio |
| spellingShingle |
Dance dance improvisation epistemology college higher education dance studio Thorndike, Ashley P. Articulating Dance Improvisation: Knowledge Practices in the College Dance Studio |
| author |
Thorndike, Ashley P. |
| author_facet |
Thorndike, Ashley P. |
| author_sort |
Thorndike, Ashley P. |
| title |
Articulating Dance Improvisation: Knowledge Practices in the College Dance Studio |
| title_short |
Articulating Dance Improvisation: Knowledge Practices in the College Dance Studio |
| title_full |
Articulating Dance Improvisation: Knowledge Practices in the College Dance Studio |
| title_fullStr |
Articulating Dance Improvisation: Knowledge Practices in the College Dance Studio |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Articulating Dance Improvisation: Knowledge Practices in the College Dance Studio |
| title_sort |
articulating dance improvisation: knowledge practices in the college dance studio |
| publisher |
The Ohio State University / OhioLINK |
| publishDate |
2010 |
| url |
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1275069682 |
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AT thorndikeashleyp articulatingdanceimprovisationknowledgepracticesinthecollegedancestudio |
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