Moving together: dance as an inroad to relationship and self-discovery

This thesis investigates how identity is shaped by our relationships with other people. It examines how identity "disappears" when we lose meaningful connections to the outside world. I discuss how dance, and specifically Contact Improvisation, brings us into deeper relationship with ourselves and others through its collaborative nature and unique embodied perspective. In this research, I include personal movement experiences that have illuminated my own identity as a human being and dance artist. Finally, I address how my understanding of relationship has informed and transformed my identity as a performer, choreographer, and teacher.