Influence and Adaptation: A digital exploration of Ted Shawn’s Dances of the Ages

Project Link:
https://mediathread.ccnmtl.columbia.edu/s/CUdnce3985/project/40866

Statement:  When choosing a final research topic for this course, I was determined to give an argument almost completely through visual digital media without relying on a written supplement. I have previously had trouble with written dance research, criticism, and analysis because of an underlying belief that dance often speaks for itself and should not need to be translated into written word for it to be analyzed legitimately. The ideas of movement translation and influence have always been interesting to me but, again, difficult to explore through written word. Why translate both movements into written word to compare when you can simply watch them juxtaposed side by side? This class and the technology we used made this research a possibility. Throughout the process my burgeoning thoughts about academic dance having the capability to exist without written word were validated and were inspiring to think about the digital future of dance and dance research.