M.F.A. - Dance

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10125/2031

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SURYA (THE SUN): THE SOURCE OF LIGHT
(University of Hawai'i at Manoa, 2024) Bhagawatula, Kavya; Kao, Pei-Ling; Dance
This document illustrates the procedure of creating, choreographing, producing, andperforming Surya (The Sun): The Source of Light. This Bharatanatyam dance production was performed as a part of the BFA/MFA Spring 2024 Concert, Resonance, from March 6th through the 10th at UHM. This production not only explores Indian classical traditions and culture, but also ancient scriptures that are significant to the story creation of the piece about the Hindu sun deity. The dance is expressive and rhythmic, bringing a strong energy to the stage. This thesis performance and documentation was in partial completion for the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Dance at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
HELP! I'm Being Censored
(University of Hawai'i at Manoa, 2024) Morales, Amber Antoniette; Miller, Kara Jhalak; Dance
This manuscript documents and illustrates the research process of creating, HELP! I’m BeingCensored, which was featured at University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, in the Dance Building Studio. This Production was presented as a choreographic thesis in completion of the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Dance (Plan A - Performance & Choreography) Degree requirements.
ʻŌHIʻA LEHUA
(University of Hawai'i at Manoa, 2022) Chung, Holly M.; Miller, Kara L.; Dance
ABSTRACTFor my MFA Dance (Performance and Choreography) Thesis, I created, directed, and choreographed a work of performance art entitled ʻŌhiʻa Lehua. In this live stage production, I tell a story that takes place in twenty-first century Hawaiʻi, incorporating hula, oli, mele, contemporary dance, music, and video and still image projections. This story centers on a forest on Hawaiʻi Island, whose healthy ʻohiʻa lehua trees become infected with Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (ROD). Two birds of the forest, ʻApapane and ʻIʻiwi, become concerned when their beloved ʻōhiʻa lehua trees are suddenly and mysteriously dying. They seek out the goddesses Hiʻiaka and Pele and ask them to help to save the trees. Pele decides to send a huge lava flow to cover the infected forest and to cleanse the surrounding land. After Pele’s newly formed lava hardens, ʻōhiʻa lehua seedlings are the first new life to take root and grow, demonstrating their resilience.ʻŌhiʻa Lehua premiered at the Earle Ernst Lab Theatre at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, as part of the Spring Footholds 2022 student concert, entitled Co- Motion. Performances took place on March 26th at 7:30 pm and March 27th at 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm. This document about my dance choreography and performance thesis begins with excerpts from my Thesis Proposal. The main body of this paper includes descriptions, observations, and analysis of the rehearsal process, the collaborative process with other artists, and the culminating performances. At the end of my paper, I include biographical information about myself, including my personal narrative, a description of my dance lineage, and a summary of my graduate studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
The Bee, Skout
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2023) Fennelly, Matthew; Kao, Pei-Ling; Dance
Little Mantis is getting ready for bed and asks Grand Mantis to tell her a bedtime story. Grand Mantis tells Little Mantis about the brave little bee named Skout who saved Little Mantis’ parents from the prison web. The hive of bees of Rainbow Colony, located by Rainbow Falls on the Big Island of Hawai’i, wants to honor their Queen by presenting her with a lei of her favorite flowers before Swarming Day. The Queen is getting weaker so time is of the essence. Life for the bees amidst the insects of the rainforest and the creatures of the sea is full of surprises as the characters learn about friendship, family, and survival. Skout, the most favored bee in the hive, is determined to finish the lei for Queen Leilani. She ventures out of the hive to the other side of Rainbow Falls to find a plumeria flower but is blown way off course by a gust of wind. Skout singes her wing after falling too close to the lava. Maui senses Skout is in distress and suggests that she seek help from Lono, the turtle by Big Rock. Skout takes Maui’s advice, but while waiting for the turtle to return with the flower, Skout is caught by Keawe, the spider. Keawe’s assistant, the mosquito, brings Skout back to the prison web. However, Skout’s broken wing allows her to wiggle her way free. Then Skout frees all the other insects who were held captive, including Mama Mantis and Papa Mantis who are then able to finish their date and conceive Little Mantis, the character to whom this frame tale is being told. With the help of Maui conveniently transforming into a bird, Skout and the other insects are able to fly back to the hive just in time for the guava jam to celebrate and honor Queen Leilani’s transcendence across the rainbow bridge. The future queen then emerges from the larvae laid by Queen Leilani and battles the other princesses to their end until she crowns herself the victorious Queen Bee of Rainbow Colony.
The Simple Things
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2023) Carrio Mendez, Jean Carlo; Kao, Pei-Ling; Dance
The work The Simple Things is a self-reflective exploration and research on how men are viewed in society, especially men who are in the LGBTQ+ community and with its allies. The creation of this dance will center on the struggles that identifying males go through in their lives, as well as the femininity and the masculinity in men.
Paradox
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2023) Cota, Alaina Jane; Fisher, Elizabeth; Bhatawadekar, Sai; Dance
Paradox is a 15 minute contemporary dance choreographic live performance that explores mutually opposed and inconsistent forces that are logically unacceptable and self-contradictory. Paradox featured seven dancers, designed lighting, specially edited pre-recorded music, one soloist and one demi-soloist. Paradox is the exploration of how the inside of the brain functions while suffering from bipolar disorder type 2. Six dancers move and function as the inside of the brain, signifying the neurons, synapses, as well as electrical and chemical signals under invasion of bipolar disorder type 2. One dancer represents the person with this dysfunctional brain and one dancer signifies the entity of bipolar disorder type 2. From the start to finish of Paradox, the viewers witness an interpretation of one manic depressive episode. The choreography was presented as part of the Merge dance concert on April 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th 2023, at the Earle Ernst Lab Theatre, at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa.
135 Flights of Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2023) Morrow, Hannah; Kao, Pei-Ling; Dance
Taking mathematical formulas used during NASA's space shuttle program, 10 out of the 135 missions were translated into choreography. Also by utilizing projections and blacklight, the visual beauty of outer space was captured.
Kupala Night
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2023) Zablocki, Allan; Schiffner, Amy L.; Dance
This paper illustrates and documents the process of creating, choreographing, producing, and performing Kupala Night, a dance theatre production that was performed March 8th and 9th, 2023. Kupala Night, with the use of eleven dancers, explores Ukrainian traditions during the summer Solstice festival of Ivana Kupala Night and asks the question of what would people do to change their fate? This thesis performance was in partial completion for the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Dance at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
Can’t Take My Feel Good
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2022) Gendron, Cherie Danielle; Bhatawadekar, Sai; Dance
MFA in Dance Thesis choreography Can’t Take My Feel Good is part of a larger project rooted in community-building and joy-making. This thesis dance was made into a dance film and performed live at a street dance jam titled “Fresh Kicks” held at Aloha Dance Sport in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. Producing “Fresh Kicks” was the culmination of nine months of practice as research. The research encompasses the generating of joy, pleasure, and resistance through participation in the street dance community on Oʻahu and within the physical movement and social aspects of Hip Hop and House dance. As street dance jams already employ joy-making strategies and forms of resistance, producing a jam at which the thesis choreography would be performed ultimately contributed to a larger community effort. Although the original thesis proposal offers a choreographic approach with sections that represent the concepts of resistance, pleasure, and joy, the final thesis choreography operationalizes them more complexly. The five sections of the dance, Systems, Dreaming, Feelin It Out, Find That Thing, and Found Us are centered on what is generated by the dancing in itself: the physical action and social interaction. Rather than representing resistance, the dancing in Systems and Dreaming actively resists through freestyle and intentional observation. The movement in Feelin It Out is generated through the seeking of pleasure. Find That Thing solidifies the collective on the foundation of the resistance built and pleasure felt. The freestyle and social dancing in Found Us actualize their joy-making potential. While the dance film is a documentation of this process, the performance of Can’t Take My Feel Good in conjunction with “Fresh Kicks” realized the exponential potential of the process.
Wallpaper Resistance
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2022) Guajardo, Carla Nicole; Perillo, Jeffery L.; Dance
This paper illustrates and documents the creative process of planning, choreographing, performing, and producing Wallpaper Resistance, a dance choreography performance featured in an MFA dance thesis concert on March 26th and 27th, 2022 titled “Co-Motion- Show Green.” Wallpaper Resistance explores elements of sexuality and feminism in dance performance through choreographic gesture, contemporary and jazz dance technique, and set design. The piece features seven dancers and was presented as a choreographic thesis in partial completion for the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Dance Performance and Choreography at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
Mind's Eye
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2022) Wyatt, Katelyn Melissa; Miller, Kara; Dance
Mind’s Eye is a thirty minute dance choreography and mixed media live performance that explorores the themes of feminism and imagination. The production includes a written score devised for three sections of the dance choreography, a soundtrack created by myself, and mixed media elements. The mixed media elements of the performance includes screendance projection, interactive movement technology, acting, the creation of props and art on stage, one of a kind costumes, and poetry, all to be interactive with the movement elements. The choreography was presented as part of the Spring Footholds concert on March 25th and 26th at the Earle Ernst Lab Theatre, at The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Mind’s Eye was created during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Dances Unseen
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2022) Pearse, Greta Tess; Kao, Pei-Ling; Dance
This document explores the process of making The Dances Unseen, a thesis work that dives into the ways in which mental health, feelings, and emotions affect our movement, as well as a reflection on the process.
Embodied Memories
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2021) Weingrad, Iana; Kao, Pei-Ling; Dance
This paper illustrates and documents the creative process of creating, choreographing, producing, and performing Embodied Memories, a dance film featured in an MFA dance thesis virtual concert on October 2nd and 3rd, 2021. Embodied Memories explores embodying the lives of our grandmothers through dance, and features eight dancers in a dance for camera film that was presented as a choreographic thesis in partial completion for the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Dance at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
Proximity
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2021) Allen, Amanda; Schiffner, Amy L.; Dance
This thesis seeks to explore the struggle to connect with self and others virtually and physically in light of the ongoing isolation, fatigue, and anxieties resulting from the COVID-19 Pandemic. I plan to examine the concepts of social isolation and identity dissonance in my choreography in three different stages: 1. Quarantine 2. Social Distancing 3. Approaching a "new normal". I will delve into the distortion of self, community, time, and connection that has occurred in the past year using modern and contemporary dance genres informed by non-verbal communication studies. More specifically I will focus on gestures, proximity, touch, and facial expressions and how our presentation of self and perception of others has shifted during each of the three stages. This performance aims to invoke introspection and community dialogue regarding the shared adversities of the pandemic as we transition to a "new normal".
PolypHony, Opus 42. A Dance Concert
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2020) Carter, Sophia; Fisher, Elizabeth; Dance
ABSTRACT PolypHony, Opus 42 is a concert displaying motion as the integral force of life. It is an effort to convey, through motion, community and human belonging in flux within a world that is both complex and harmonious. Aristotle of the 4th century BCE wrote, “In all things which have a plurality of parts, and which are not a total aggregate, but a whole of some sort distinct from the parts,..” He touches on the idea of identity as a whole entity being something other than just the sum of its parts. I apply this concept to community, that though we are all distinct individuals, there is a unique singular identity formed by coming together. By deriving inspiration from movement patterns in eco-systems, and abstracting patterns found in nature, such as the fibonacci sequence, I created a choreographic work to capture and highlight the relationship of interdependent and interweaving individuals creating a distinctive whole. All nine members of my cast open this four part series beginning with an a cappella body percussive section eluding to spontaneous generation. Then, supported by three Baroque orchestral pieces by Bach, Vitali, and Beethoven, the dancers develop ideas of creative ignition, growth, community, singularity, and connection through artistic kinesis. The choreographic process, the interplay between choreographer and dancers in the activity of movement creation is an integral part of my thesis work equal to the product itself. This is the documentation of that work, "Polyphony, Opus 42." which debuted in the Earle Ernst Lab at University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa on February 26th 2020. It is written in autobiographical format and arranged into three parts: the original thesis proposal, my choreographic process, and the culminating production.
A Quest For Creativity
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2020) Sebastian, Angela C.; Miller, Kara; Dance
This paper illustrates and documents the creative process of creating and performing Me, Myself, and I and Pleasant Remembrances which were featured at the Fall Footholds 2019 performance, PRISM, at the Earle Ernst Lab Theatre in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. Both pieces were presented as choreographic theses in completion of the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Dance Degree requirements.
Peering In/Overheard
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2018-05) Slaughter, Terry L.; Dance
Retrospective Memory
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2018-05) Bukarau, Amy; Dance
The Loraxian Effect
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2017-08) Maxwell, Christine E.; Dance
In fulfillment of the MFA in Dance Thesis Concert requirement, I presented The Loraxian Effect in the Spring Footholds Concert April 26-30, 2017 at University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. The full work was 21 minutes, consisting of four dance pieces and ten dancers (including myself): 32” Perspective, From What’s Left, Causal Sequence, and Fallible. Based on Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax and intertwined with a “Tim Burton-esque” twist, the intention was to maintain a real message about the affects of climate change and human impacts on forest health. Much of my research while pursuing my MFA has dealt with using dance as a platform for environmental activism and using the theories of ecocriticism to create and analyze dance work. This choreography kinetically articulates my research. I intend for future iterations of this work to be performed in schools as an environmental educational tool. However, for this initial thesis presentation, the piece was created for an adult audience in a university theatre setting.
Tír na nÓg
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2017-05) Romney, Michael; Dance

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