Way In: An MFA Thesis Concert Exploring Physical Habit, Where It Comes From, And What It Leaves Behind

Abstract

This paper details the ideas, questions, collaborations, creative process and research that went into the making of my MFA dance concert, Way In. With threads beginning in the first year of my MFA work, and continuing past the public showing of my dance thesis event, this paper tracks the forking and developing path of my creative process. My research centers around the following questions: where and from whom do physical habits come from? How are physical habits related to emotional patterns? How do we get stuck in patterns that we can't see? What kind of residue does habit leave behind? This paper also attempts to elucidate my interest in site-specific dance, text and movement, and dance lineage as a factor in creating dance habits.