A Framework For Framing is an evolutionary outcome of the innovative continuum and creative energy of Hip Hop culture and street dance. Framing is a unique Tracing technique developed and codified by Vo Vera, a Bboy and experimental street dancer. Framing uses the hands as tools to interact with lines and points in space. An 11-rule framework identifies, defines, and distinguishes the vocabulary, technique, and theory from other techniques and movement practices. An intrinsic aspect of the technique is the act of constantly and subjectively changing the grid every time the hands Frame, which Vo Vera defines as Gridlining. Similar to the frameworks of Threading and Connects, Framing movement vocabulary may serve to add onto the Bounce, Rock, and Groove, and to add as layer over one’s own movement, such as over Top Rocks and Footwork. This thesis documents the process of Framing technique’s development, kinesthetically, somatically, pedagogically, theoretically, and methodologically. It explores the lineages, communities and practices that influenced and expanded the development of the technique, including Vogue, Hip Hop, Breaking, Trace Waving, Threading, and Connects. It also documents the roles that Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) and Forsythe Technique had in expanding the conceptualization process of development. As a qualitative research study, Framing was used in various instructional and performative settings as the staple vocabulary. The developments of the research were analyzed through the traditional street dance lens, and through the lens of LMA. Developments included over 100 Framing moves––or movement patterns that were generated in alignment with the rules, to provide an indubitable proof of concept that not everything in dance has been done, and that the expressionist, transformational spirit of Hip Hop continues to thrive. Keywords: Breaking, Break Dance, Connects, Dance Technique, Dance Theory, Experimental Dance, Forsythe Technique, Framing, Freestyle Dance, Hip Hop, Improvisation, Laban Movement Analysis, Language Movement Synthesis, Movement Analysis, Somatics, Street Dance, Threading, Trace Vogue, Waving.

Dear reader, I hope you will read this entire dissertation. If you are reluctant because of its length, I invite you to contact me for a conversation instead. Over the past eight years I have been a part of three unfolding histories: colonialism, sustainability science, and the Atlas of Creative Tools (the Atlas). In this dissertation I describe how I am a part of these histories. I advocate for partnering them so that the Atlas is used by people in the field of sustainability science to advance cognitive justice in their work. This advocacy is supported by research conducted using a mixed-methods approach. I combine qualitative methods used to study each of the three histories with the experiential knowledge I gained from being a part of them. Throughout the dissertation I move back and forth between academic research and experiential knowledge. Each informs the other. This back-and-forth movement is itself a method to interrogate the assumptions of dissertation writing. My purposes for doing so are two-fold. I want to honor the dissertation as a form of knowledge production that can promote cognitive justice while also pointing out how it hinders it. Additionally, the back-and-forth interrogation method involves using creative tools from the Atlas in the text itself. This demonstrates how the Atlas can be used to promote cognitive justice while producing knowledge in sustainability science. I structure this dissertation to aid you in four ways. First, I provide a view of sustainability science as a contested space that people can and do use to advance cognitive justice. Second, I write about my research and analysis of the Atlas so that my descriptions can be used right away by other practitioners who are working with the Atlas. Third, my methods for interrogating the dissertation itself are meant to be used, modified, and built on by others. Finally, I hope that the connections I make between the Atlas and sustainability science are helpful for your work, and that they inspire you to try the Atlas and see how you can use it to promote cognitive justice in your own contexts.

Perceptions and interpretations of life experiences and actions vary across individuals. When these differences are linked to colors, they become more apparent and discernable. Colors have the ability to convey a range of emotions, evoke diverse feelings, and conjure up different images for different people. For dancers, these colors and emotions can impact the execution of a movement, resulting in variations in quality and texture, despite performing the same choreography. Notably, the same color can hold opposite meanings in different cultural contexts. Consequently, the objective of this project is to employ dance performance as a means to communicate these disparate cultural perspectives.

This thesis is an exploration into somatic movement methods to help ease chronic pain. The study follows my personal experience as a researcher and a dancer with fibromyalgia and other chronic pain conditions. I carry forward a body-centered autoethnographic frame, as the prevailing ethos of this work revolves around considering bodily experience as an authority in personal well-being. My research follows the spirit of the Intuitive Inquiry research methodology developed by Dr. Rosemarie Anderson and evolved as I progressed through my own research and organizing processes. This thesis document is organized according to eight physical cycles of intuitive inquiry that emerged from my movement and research processes. The cycles address my conditions of chronic pain and disability, my history with dance competition in the United States, my experience with conceptualizations of the body, and the successes I experience with somatic practices, particularly Tensegrity as it applies to the body. My intuitive physical cycles conclude with a proposal for methods of movement and inner-body communication that promote ease in the body and sustainable movement.

For my MFA project, I aimed to explore the differences between Chinese and Western dance cultures and investigate strategies for integrating them. This thesis reflects on the process of creating my original dance work, "Water, Disappearing in Water," and how it informed my understanding of choreography and creation. Through a combination of theoretical knowledge and practical experimentation, I have gained new insights and techniques for choreography. My work, which draws on Tai Chi, calligraphy, somatics, and modern dance, exemplifies the potential of cross-cultural collaborations to inspire new forms of artistic expression. Under the umbrella of integrating Eastern and Western cultures, my goal was to extract elements of Chinese traditional culture to make modern dance more open and inclusive, while also exploring new possibilities for incorporating traditional culture. The first chapter investigates the construction of the narrative text of dance works by examining the pre-choreography and creation stages. It also examines the transition from narrative text to feasible dance work structure, which poses a significant challenge in the practice process. The second chapter delves into the possibility of integrating Eastern and Western cultures in dance from a theoretical and practical perspective. Using the first and second parts of the work as examples, I analyze the "force" of modern dance, the "shape" of Tai Chi movements, and the relationship between emotion and the lines of Chinese calligraphy. The third chapter centers on exploring the significance of imagery expression in somatic choreography. The fourth and final chapter of this thesis sets a new goal of combining dance and multimedia technology to challenge the limitations of traditional dance performance. Overall, this thesis showcases how my original dance work combines theory and practice to explore new possibilities in future dance works.

The paper is researching the subject of texture in dancing, and exploring the definition, causes, stories, and description of texture in different dance styles through daily training, choreography and improvisation. It’s also probing if different dance styles can integrate and connect naturally together without conflict. Also, the project is related to live music and recorded music, seeking more about the relationship between dance texture and music. The final 20 minutes piece contains video projection technology and live dance performance (improvisation and choreography), which went along with my creative idea and framework of my research on the various textures. The goal of my project is to understand and figure out the definition of the texture in dancing, to find out the reasons for the forming and appearance behind each dancer's distinctive texture with unique characteristics and qualities, to make attempts to find a way to analyze and describe the texture of their movements, and to know and explore what factors do influence the texture of their display. At the same time, I was exploring how to naturally connect the sound of the violin with the dance styles and textures, and how to interpret the violinist’s creating process through dance performances. In the process, each dancer is like a materialization of the violinist’s emotions and expressions. Using the appropriate combination of music and dance movements to express the violinist’s inner mental and emotional changes in the creative process.

This MFA project in dance involved a dance concert that fused together different socio-cultural dance forms. Goals of the project included engaging the audience members in ways that are meaningful and express cultural identity, looking at similar and contrasting values or norms between different dance styles, and seeing how that might be expressed in a Western concert theatrical space or be adapted to that space. The research explored the themes of fusion, emotional states, and engagement through collaborative processes of choreography. A series of dance sections were developed based on different cultural movement styles that were ultimately woven together into a live performance.

This dissertation examines practices of belonging in contemporary Italy as a fluid process. I examine the Chinatalian experience in Rome, Italy. I am interested in the ways that a Chinatalian phenomenology creates a discursive space for myriad practices of being both Chinese and Italian. “Chinatalianess” is an elastic process and a way of life unique to the individual and the historic and geopolitical context of the moment; it is not definable by nationality, biological characteristics, or even shared cultural practices. “Chinatalian choreographies” are sets of literal and symbolic bodily operations that resist exclusion and generate material and symbolic support for Chinatalians. I would argue that “Chinatalian choreographies” also create the potential for a more just Italy. I analyze actual choreographed events —for example, a happy hour in Rome and a dance performance by a Sicilian dance company — and autobiographical texts written by Chinatalians. My theoretical and practical approach is interdisciplinary and intersectional; I use critical ethnography as a primary method, which builds on theories and practices in critical dance studies, feminist geographies, and postcolonial Italian studies to engage the ways that Chinatalians in Rome are contributing to new forms of “Italian” culture. The recent resurgence of anti-Chinese sentiment during the COVID-19 pandemic lends urgency to this project which asks: What are the lived conditions of Chinatalians in contemporary Italy? Who is allowed to contribute to “Italian” culture? This thesis demonstrates that the notion of Italianess and Chinatalianess, are cultural fictions. Not only is Chinatalian identity and culture an invention but its performance is situated in the specific historical and geopolitical context in question. Rome provides the backdrop to this project, and it is against and alongside this history and contemporary context that my argument for a more just Italy emerges.

Obsessions are like itches on your body you can’t get rid of. Constantly thinkingabout the itch, constantly satisfying the need for the time being, but never being fully satisfied to move on and let it go. Obsessive behaviors and obsessive thought patterns are everywhere a person goes, even though it mostly goes unnoticed by those around them. Having an obsession is a very common thing in most people; Adults, teens, and children. The interest in this topic came from my own experiences with obsession. In this dissertation, the research shows the effects of specific obsessions within adults, teens, and children. Looking to understand the behavior and thought patterns of these specific obsession will smoothly transfer the finding back to the authors own personal and professional development. In doing so, this will create harmony between the project, research, and the authors upcoming endeavors.

First, this study is intended to comprehend what is perceived to be “good” dancing from two perspectives: the dancers and the dance choreographer/teacher. Second, the goal of this research is to achieve their perceived idea of “good” dancing using the categories of dance aesthetics, movement efficiency, and performance quality as a direction. A phenomenological research approach was applied to understand the terminologies: movement aesthetics, movement efficiency, and performance quality and whether they are essential and contribute to defining what is considered to be “good” dancing. The research was conducted over the course of ten weeks, which included workshops/rehearsals, discussions, and journals and concluded with the showcase of the choreographies in the dance concert performance. This study revealed that there were many similarities in the participants and the researcher’s perception of what “good” dancing is. Through the application of the various somatic methodologies and frameworks, they learned how to perform in their own best way in the different movement styles so that it is beautiful to look at, easy on their bodies, and safe for their bodies. All of the participants were able to achieve a better understanding of their own bodies. Besides gaining individual heightened awareness and understanding of their bodies, they also gained a better understanding on how to work as a collective to achieve the aesthetics of the group from the perspective of the entire dance piece.