Date of Award

2024

Document Type

Thesis

Publisher

Edith Cowan University

Degree Name

Bachelor of Performing Arts Honours

School

Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts

First Supervisor

Emma Fishwick

Abstract

Dance can stand as a social commentary that can improve and progress social and societal development, positively impacting society, widely held views and the world. The research examines shifting gender perceptions in feminist dance practices, delving into how the portrayal of women in contemporary dance performance reflects changes and the lack thereof in societal perceptions of women in the 21st century. Given the extreme complexity of the modern world, this project seeks to build on past research to bring relevant exploration into today’s context. Utilising a qualitative case study analysis of 2023 work Body Body Commodity by Australian choreographer Jenni Large, the thesis examines the meaning, themes and impact of this creative work in relation to broader historical and social contexts, drawing on contextual and theoretical literature on gender in dance and performance from the 19th, 20th, and 21st century, and supplemented by additional information from the choreographer. Body Body Commodity is an insightful and rich contemporary dance work with many complex, deep layers which can be better understood via thorough analysis through a variety of lenses, including analysis of production elements based on the criteria identified by scholar and critic Patrice Pavis, and analysis of choreography and the use of stereotypical nonverbal gender behaviours, as identified by anthropologist, scholar and author Judith Lynne Hanna. This research provides a timely, relevant, detailed and meaningful contribution to the dance community and discipline knowledge-base, while also addressing wider societal issues associated with gender-based biases.

DOI

10.25958/mtc2-1f30

Download

Included in

Dance Commons

Share

 
COinS