Date of Award

6-2023

Degree Type

Honors College Thesis

Academic Program

Dance BFA

Department

Dance

First Advisor

Candice Salyers, Ph.D.

Advisor Department

Dance

Abstract

The choreographic project Euphoric Dysphoria emerged as a response to the choreographer’s gender dysphoria and personal observations about the way that feminine-presenting people are perceived and approached in dance spaces, particularly in comparison to masculine-presenting people. The dance originated as a choreographic exploration of extreme femininity and masculinity, and it evolved into a manifestation of performative gender and experiential gender. The choreographer was guided by her poem “Uneven Envy” when developing movement and building relationships among the dancers. She considered the contributions of Judith Butler, a scholar who writes about gender manifesting in the body due to socialization, and Laura Mulvey, a film theorist known for her conceptualization of the male gaze, along with other academics. This paper offers insight into ways of thinking about gender, embodiment, queerness, and movement that may empower dancers who have felt misplaced in their own bodies because of dance.

Included in

Dance Commons

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