Reimagining the West

Update Item Information
Title Reimagining the West
Publication Type thesis
School or College College of Fine Arts
Department Dance, Modern
Author Stack, Jasmine
Date 2017
Description Using sensory stimuli, creative movement practices, invented creatures, and immersive performance, this dance research presents a reimagined view of the desert landscapes that have come to be known within North American cultural discourse as "The West." The research draws influence from both the author's history as a Euro-American woman growing up in the Southwestern desert, and from her experiences with various North American Indigenous groups, analyzing the differing perspectives of landscape that exist in these two cultural demographics. It examines the influence of North American settler colonialism on contemporary Western views of desert landscapes as wastelands, and the ways in which Indigenous perspectives are counteracting this effect. This written work includes reflections on Reimagining the West, an evening-length dance performance choreographed by the author that presented audiences with a reimagined perspective of desert landscape, embedded with imagery, imagination, mythology, and symbolism. The creative physical and theoretical research of this thesis offers a new understanding of desert spaces and the role of the dancing body in preserving them, arguing for its effectiveness in inspiring individuals to coexist sustainably with natural landscapes.
Type Text
Publisher University of Utah
Subject Folklore; Dance; Sustainability
Dissertation Name Master of Fine Arts
Language eng
Rights Management (c) Jasmine Stack
Format application/pdf
Format Medium application/pdf
ARK ark:/87278/s62c3dhr
Setname ir_etd
ID 1426367
Reference URL https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s62c3dhr
Back to Search Results