Untangling | Choreographic Senior Thesis

A dancer is suspended on a ballet barre the way gender seems to be suspended in time within the ballet world. Within my piece I illustrate a three-part journey with the ballet barre. Safety, hard work, and community. I wanted to challenge what it meant to have a pas de deux piece that incorporated both ballet and contemporary, where gender didn’t matter. I wrote three poems to create the movement in each section to create a sense of wholeness with the theme. When we break away from the barriers that bind us there is a sense of freedom and community within that experience when it’s done together. The second and third section of my piece touches on this through movement vocabulary and dancer partnership. 

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/6c5d96_c6c70044fcf24c60a83beb2c094fb67c/360p/mp4/file.mp4

Untangling, a choreographic work was created to shed light on the

constraints that ballet historically has on the gender binary and was presented in Pacific University’s Tom Miles Theatre at Pacific University on November 17th, 18th, and 19th. 

This piece follows the journey of an LGBTQ+ dancer navigating the ballet world. The ballet barre was a prop and symbol to challenge traditional gender-stereotyped ballet movement vocabulary. The overarching theme explores how we break away from the barriers that bind us and find community.

I wrote three poems that provided the framework for developing a three section work and as inspiration for the original music titled Quilted, composed by musician, Elias Parent.

Spotify of musician: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4aI6gZCLe90JhlN2u1NAkG?si=fcIhUDIHS-a3G6ZLsOBPNg

Photographer: Blaine Truitt Convert Dancers: Aurora Greenwood and Olivia Parent

By creating three sections, Untangling conveys how ballet can both constrain and free a dancer while illustrating the beauty of the dance community.

Section one conveyed the journey beginning with a dancer challenging ballet norms by suspending herself on the ballet barre. Section two investigated the classical pas de deux between two dancers and explored the concept by breaking down stereotypical female/male gender roles with the development of non-gender-specific choreography. Section three represented how when we change roles of gender-specific movement it can bring more people together in dance.

Overall, it is desired that Untangled can provide awareness and advocacy for more inclusiveness for diverse communities in ballet and in particular, for the LGBTQ+ community and that it becomes more accessible for all.

Photographer: Blaine Truitt Convert Dancers: Katie Gillam & Aurora Greenwood

Dedication

Untangling is dedicated to all the ballerinas and aspiring dancers that deserve for their story to be told through ballet. This piece is dedicated to all the child-selves in us who wanted to hang on the ballet barre. My hope is that it touches the hearts of those who crave community and a healing experience in dance. Lastly, this piece is dedicated to all the girls who wished to help ballerinas fly too. 

My dancers: Brittany Case, Mackenzie Denman, Tana Franklin, Katie Gillam, Jamie Jensen, Katelyn Ker, Kirsten Mendel, Sara Muller, Victoria Murry, Lauren Sams, Makazlynn Schulz, Emaleah Hursh, Marisa Mendosa, and Aurora Greenwood. Each of these dancers brought a special light to the piece and I want to especially thank Katie Gillam and Aurora Greenwood for embodying such a meaningful part of the piece.