Queer B/being: Examining Embodied Liberation through House Dance Technique Restricted; Files Only

Abstract

Queer B/being is an interdisciplinary thesis project with a focus on Black queer being through house dance technique. This intersectional research exposes the embodied liberational practices of Afro-diasporic dance in the context of Western oppression through a Black queer lens. Research questions include what can unrestricted possibilities of being feel like and how does house dance provide an approach for arriving at this state of being? Through an intensive study of house dance and an analysis of house history and culture via Black queer theories, this project identifies four elements of house dance technique: rhythm, footwork, groove, and freestyling. These elements, are discovered to be essential to transcending perverse and subordinate narratives of Black bodies.

Table of Contents

I. INSPIRATIONS ....................................................................................................................... 1              

II. METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................................. 11

Casting.................................................................................................................................... 15

III. PROCESS ............................................................................................................................ 20                              

Lighting, Soundscape, and Movement Generation........................................................................ 23 

IV. CONCLUSION...................................................................................................................... 25

Audience Feedback................................................................................................................... 25

Dancer Feedback....................................................................................................................... 27

Outcome.................................................................................................................................. 28                          

V. APPENDICES ....................................................................................................................... 30

Appendix A: Group Rehearsal Schedule ..................................................................................... 30

Appendix B: Select Rehearsal Notes .......................................................................................... 31           

Appendix C: Concert Poster ...................................................................................................... 32                     

Appendix D: Concert Program .................................................................................................. 33 

Appendix E: Concert Photos ..................................................................................................... 35 

Bibliography ........................................................................................................................... 38

About this Honors Thesis

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School	Emory College
Department	Dance and Movement Studies
Degree	B.A.
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Gender Studies Dance Performing Arts
Keyword	House Black Dance Queer
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Julio Medina, Emory University
Committee Members	Mara Mandradjieff, Emory University Alix Chapman, Emory University

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