Academic

For my master’s thesis in the spring of 2016, I conducted choreographic research in the area of dance and technology with a focus on environment design. I chose this topic to formally research because I had trouble finding accessible literature that was focused on integrating multimedia into live dance in a complementary way. Based on Richard Schechner’s “Environmental Theater” axioms, the design philosophies of the Bauhaus Movement, and the multimedia work of Troika Ranch, my research goal was to develop choreographic methods for multimedia dance performances. From the research I gathered, I created initial strategies that allow choreographers to create meaningful and intentional work that is not overshadowed by multimedia. It is my hope that choreographers that interact with the strategies, find them easy to implement and customize for their own choreographic needs.

Currently, I am evolving this research by exploring the application and expansion of these strategies for dance film. My goal is to provide choreographers a more accessible entry point into dance filmmaking.

Choreographic

Through my experiences and research in my master’s thesis, I was exposed to the choreographic methods of William Forsythe and Pina Bausch. Their methods are distinctive because they create an environment conducive to collaborative choreography.

As an artist that primarily choreographs in an educational setting, I find their methods adaptable and beneficial to a student population. In my last four works at the University of South Carolina, I utilized these methods during the movement building process to engage the students in critical thinking and artistic commitment. With each work I choreograph, I approach them as informal studies, looking for opportunities to build new strategies to engage with my students in meaningful and educational ways.

Pedagogy

While teaching can be considered my most informal interaction with research, I find it to be the most consistent. Each semester, I encounter a group of students with varied abilities and backgrounds. I look for ways each day to communicate essential ideas of the courses I’m teaching through multiple methods. It is my hope that utilizing differing methods increases understanding and engagement with the material. At times, my students comment on how it feels like a laboratory; for me, this is the greatest compliment.

More importantly, however, I actively engage with research that reviews best practices in movement. I consistently look to dance science, physical training, and ballet curriculums to develop exercises and progressions that emphasizes healthy training both physically and mentally. It is both my personal and professional belief that I can equally emphasize healthy training and technical accuracy within the art form.