- 學位論文
"敢"動迷思：創作自己的舞步
moving myth : Choreographing One's Own Adventure
並列摘要
Through the analysis and contextualization of three of the author’s choreographic works, this written thesis demonstrates that choreography can serve a wide range of functions. Using the work of seminal choreographer Anna Halprin as the umbrella model, each of the three pieces and its creative process is set, described, and analyzed within a specific framework pertaining to one branch of Halprin’s work. The first, Movement as Construct: Body as Story, looks at the ways in which modern and postmodern choreographers have attempted to deconstruct choreographic conventions and performative uses of the body. In addition to the work of Anna Halprin, this chapter references the influence of Merce Cunningham and the Judson Church. Second, Movement as Metaphor: Body as Portal discusses the implications of viewing the body as an object, the ramifications of the Cartesian and male gaze. Anna Halprin’s educative, therapeutic, and ritual uses of the body are compared to those of Taiwanese dance pioneers Lin Si Duan and Lin Lee-chen; their explorations are cited as alternatives. Third, Movement as Action: Body as Collective presents the possibility of using dance as a way to build community. Models consulted are innovators Liz Lerman, Deborah Hay and Anna Halprin. As a self-reflexive work, the author also looks at influences including personal background, education, and goals as well as the significance of her dance lineage. This is traced back to the application of John Dewey’s ideas by Margaret H’Doubler in the first ever university-level Dance program. These were somatic principles seen in the author’s own education at Wesleyan University and employed by H’Doubler’s student Anna Halprin. This thesis presents the hypothesis and argument that dance is an art form that has varied functions and that these functions can be utilized by a contemporary choreographer. Artistic range and creativity can and perhaps should be contextualized beyond the confines of conventional performance, and artistic intention and efficacy are equally important considerations to the creation and evaluation of new work. If choreographers reclaim the whole range of functions that physical movement and the body can access, aesthetic criteria can be shifted to view choreography not merely as art product but as an interconnected way of life, a creative process with larger social and spiritual significance.