Here Be Monsters: Embodied Practices of Connection and Transformation in Choreographic Process

Abstract

Here Be Monsters: Embodied Practices of Connection and Transformation in Choreographic Process encompasses the 30-minute dance this far, all rivers as well as this paper. This research is a choreographic investigation that weaves together voice and water studies to inform movement and improvisational practice. This paper explicates the artistic process and articulates the methodologies that gird the work, with the aim of deepening the embodied sensorium, strengthening connection, and channeling empathy as an active necessity in choreography and performance. The work of Nina Sun Eidsheim, Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, Cecilia Chen, and Susan Foster is foundational to this research. Integrating theory and practice, this work privileges embodied experience, collaborative relationships, and the transformative capabilities of choreographic process and performance.