Date of Submission
Spring 2012
Academic Program
Division of the Arts; Dance
Project Advisor 1
Leah Cox
Abstract/Artist's Statement
Artist Statement:
My choreographic work is stimulated by a mental image that comes to me through research and observation of dance and other art forms. Once I have an image in my head then I realize the image by doing picture research. My image inspires a concept and characters that fit into the piece. I always plant my original image somewhere in the ending product of my dance.
I choreograph by casting my dancers as characters. I use these characters to explore the essential relationships between people and the essential struggles we face as individuals. Creating personality based dances enables me to abstractly investigate theatrical situations. Sometimes I start rehearsal by having my dancers read a play out loud, as an easier way for them to grasp their character. Then I use text from the play to prompt movement phrases.
Dance is an important outlet for me because I have been studying and exploring the art form since I was five years old. I believe that dance can express and convey any concept, realistic or abstract. A simple choreographic choice can make people think of many different things and can speak for itself. I choreograph to give the audience a chance to experience something different then their everyday lives and to allow them to engage their imagination.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Morter, Zia A., "Part I: Choreography "Helen" and "Family Photo" Part II: Movement and Story: An Exploration Through the Discourse of Dance" (2012). Senior Projects Spring 2012. 271.
https://digitalcommons.bard.edu/senproj_s2012/271
This work is protected by a Creative Commons license. Any use not permitted under that license is prohibited.
