See A Creative Act at URCAD

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 16:22:42 -0400

Developing Technique through Professional Studies

Paige S. Khoury
Doug Hamby, Professor, Department of Dance

FA 317 | 11:10 AM

The professional world of dance is a highly competitive field. The most successful dancers are those who have had a variety of dance training, working closely under professionals in the field. My research has found that dancers grow technically and artistically through continuous exposure to dance along with teaching others. My research involved studying under a variety of dance professionals at one of the world’s most renowned dance intensives, American Dance Festival (ADF). At the six week festival, I studied technique, composition, improvisation, and anatomy through a variety of different classes. I also had the opportunity to see twelve professional dance performances that featured renowned companies. It was this research that enabled me to learn a variety of choreographic and artistic tools. These tools have greatly expanded my personal ideas about dance and performance which helped develop my Capstone project in the course DANC 475. My research has contributed to the UMBC dance community through the creation of my project. Through the development of my piece, I educated fellow UMBC dancers on new choreographic techniques, the importance of anatomical awareness and injury prevention. My expanded awareness of the movement aesthetic, thus inspired me to use paint in the final production of my capstone project entitled “Catalyst.”

This work was funded through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Office of Undergraduate Education, the UMBC Dance Department Summer Research Grant, and Student Scholarship provided by American Dance Festival.