Travels: the creation of a modern dance

The purpose of this choreographic thesis was to combine selected methods of modern dance choreography with photography to create a multi-media work titled Travels. After examining the most current approaches to choreography, the methods of improvisation and site-specific dance were selected. The author then chose twenty photographs of landscapes to serve as the inspiration and backdrop for the movement. This thesis discusses the choreographic process used to create the work as well as the production elements that were involved.

The choreographer used photographs of deserts, bodies of water, trees, and mountains, as the motivation for improvising movement. Using the concepts of site- specific dance, the choreographer presented this movement while simultaneously projecting the landscapes onto a cyclorama. Eleven dancers from the University of Tennessee Dance Company were used. The dance was set to the music of jazz artist, Pat Metheny, and was approximately ten minutes in length. It was the choreographer's intent to create the illusion of a journey through different natural environments. Travels was performed in public presentations at the Clarence Brown Theatre on March 1, 2, & 3, 2001 and at the Southeast Region American College Dance Festival in Gainesville, Florida on March 8, 2001. At the performance in Florida, Travels was adjudicated by the internationally renowned choreographers, Sean Curran, Fernando Bujones, and Brenda Way.