Stolen Minds
College
College of Visual and Performing Arts
Department
Theatre & Dance
Faculty Mentor
Kelly Ozust, M.F.A.
Abstract
Stolen Minds was a choreography project inspired by the disease of schizophrenia. In a documentary following schizophrenic patients, one patient stated, "It's like a walking nightmare." These words drew me to the desire to create an environment on stage much like one might experience with schizophrenia. To create movement, I drew from two main ideas most schizophrenic patients experience each day: seeing shadows as people who may or may not be real, and seeing objects around them (hallucinations). My main focus was on the confusion one may have, wondering if they are experiencing reality or not. Although from the outside, one dealing with schizophrenia may seem out of place or unattached to the world around them, what they are experiencing is very real to them. Many of the patients describe this experience as feeling like their minds and lives have been stolen from them. I drew from the visual aids the documentary provided and also researched what is happening in the brain of someone having to live like this. My goal as an artist in the piece was to create an environment that, to the best of my knowledge, is closely related to what one may feel and experience when walking through a normal day with schizophrenia.
Previously Presented/Performed?
Senior Choreography Showcase, Winthrop University, December 2017; American College Dance Association Conference, Southeast Region, March 2018
Start Date
20-4-2018 2:08 PM
Stolen Minds
Stolen Minds was a choreography project inspired by the disease of schizophrenia. In a documentary following schizophrenic patients, one patient stated, "It's like a walking nightmare." These words drew me to the desire to create an environment on stage much like one might experience with schizophrenia. To create movement, I drew from two main ideas most schizophrenic patients experience each day: seeing shadows as people who may or may not be real, and seeing objects around them (hallucinations). My main focus was on the confusion one may have, wondering if they are experiencing reality or not. Although from the outside, one dealing with schizophrenia may seem out of place or unattached to the world around them, what they are experiencing is very real to them. Many of the patients describe this experience as feeling like their minds and lives have been stolen from them. I drew from the visual aids the documentary provided and also researched what is happening in the brain of someone having to live like this. My goal as an artist in the piece was to create an environment that, to the best of my knowledge, is closely related to what one may feel and experience when walking through a normal day with schizophrenia.
