The Shower Piece, A Study of Differing Perceptions: An Integration of Dance Movement from Stage to Screen

Abstract

My honors thesis project analyzes the choices made by choreographers when transitioning work made for the stage, adapting it for the screen as a dance film. To understand the importance of how choreography and dancers are portrayed in different settings, I reconstructed one of my pieces choreographed originally for the stage as a film. I was interested in how to maintain the same intentional impact of a set piece when transitioning it to an alternative medium, in this case, from stage to screen. I first choreographed and set my piece which contemplates the perception of individuals throughout their daily lives, entitled, “Sorry, It’s Occupied,” on participating dancers within the Middle Tennessee State University Dance Company. The piece was performed as a part of the MTSU 2023 Spring Dance Concert. After the live performance, I researched the proper way to develop dance films and began the work to reconstruct the same piece for film. This thesis project works to discover and recount the differences between the preliminary work and final impact of dance films and live performances alongside my own reflections comparing the two throughout my reconstructive undertaking of the piece from one medium to another. I specifically was interested in how to maintain the intentionality and impact of a live dance work when shifting to a different performance medium that removes the audience interplay and the immersive quality of live performances in a theatrical setting.