Title of Abstract

Dear Freedom,

Submitting Student(s)

Nakia Hartley

Session Title

Performance Session

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

English

Abstract

Oftentimes as choreographers and creatives, we get engulfed into our own personal story. Our own intimate experiences and circumstances are the spine of our work, and we share these experiences with our dancers in hopes that some part of our story relates to them. Dance is just another word for storytelling, so, as a choreographer I want my work to represent me, but it is just as important for the work to represent my dancers as well. My piece serves as a portal to connect the past to the present. A lot of times society talks about healing our inner child, but no one addresses healing our inner adolescence. In fact, preteens and teenagers seem to be the most judged and misunderstood age group. Through this dance it is my hope to communicate the effects of the unhealed trauma that lies within each of us from tender ages. Choreographic elements like bold and precise movements are a staple for this piece, but those fiery movements are then accompanied by graceful gestures to represent the layers of a human being. Sometimes we are tough, sometimes we are not. You can also look at the contrast of movement as a symbol to represent the mood swings and attitudes we go through at said ages. There is a lot of unison, as my dancers are moving the same way at the same time to build the sense of an army. That’s what the piece is about: being at war with the world.

Start Date

15-4-2022 12:00 PM

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COinS
 
Apr 15th, 12:00 PM

Dear Freedom,

Oftentimes as choreographers and creatives, we get engulfed into our own personal story. Our own intimate experiences and circumstances are the spine of our work, and we share these experiences with our dancers in hopes that some part of our story relates to them. Dance is just another word for storytelling, so, as a choreographer I want my work to represent me, but it is just as important for the work to represent my dancers as well. My piece serves as a portal to connect the past to the present. A lot of times society talks about healing our inner child, but no one addresses healing our inner adolescence. In fact, preteens and teenagers seem to be the most judged and misunderstood age group. Through this dance it is my hope to communicate the effects of the unhealed trauma that lies within each of us from tender ages. Choreographic elements like bold and precise movements are a staple for this piece, but those fiery movements are then accompanied by graceful gestures to represent the layers of a human being. Sometimes we are tough, sometimes we are not. You can also look at the contrast of movement as a symbol to represent the mood swings and attitudes we go through at said ages. There is a lot of unison, as my dancers are moving the same way at the same time to build the sense of an army. That’s what the piece is about: being at war with the world.