Disciplines
Dance
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Stepping Back in Time: Dance in 45 Plays for 45 Presidents
Dances that are specific to their time period, like the minuet, which appears in the play 45 Plays for 45 Presidents, need to be supported with extensive research to ensure that their authenticity is preserved in performance. The play, as a whole, is constructed of forty-five mini plays, one for each of the presidents in America’s history. A few of the plays were musicals, ballets, or just plain dance breaks. Being that the production was done in 2019, and the dances were set in centuries prior, how does one make modern day choreography authentic to a show’s time period? While working on Kennesaw State’s 2019 production as the choreographer, I gathered an ample amount of research surrounding dance during the different time periods performed. Using my research, observation, and choreography, this paper will evaluate the eleventh play (the minuet dance) and the twenty-second play (nineteenth/ twentieth century dance styles) to inspect the cultural performance and movements during those different times, and how I implemented those aspects into my choreography.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
COTA - Theatre and Performance Studies
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Thomas Fish
Included in
Stepping Back in Time: Dance in 45 Plays for 45 Presidents
Stepping Back in Time: Dance in 45 Plays for 45 Presidents
Dances that are specific to their time period, like the minuet, which appears in the play 45 Plays for 45 Presidents, need to be supported with extensive research to ensure that their authenticity is preserved in performance. The play, as a whole, is constructed of forty-five mini plays, one for each of the presidents in America’s history. A few of the plays were musicals, ballets, or just plain dance breaks. Being that the production was done in 2019, and the dances were set in centuries prior, how does one make modern day choreography authentic to a show’s time period? While working on Kennesaw State’s 2019 production as the choreographer, I gathered an ample amount of research surrounding dance during the different time periods performed. Using my research, observation, and choreography, this paper will evaluate the eleventh play (the minuet dance) and the twenty-second play (nineteenth/ twentieth century dance styles) to inspect the cultural performance and movements during those different times, and how I implemented those aspects into my choreography.