Entangled Cycles: Creating Kinesthetic Empathy through Polarizing Mental States
General Material Designation
[Thesis]
First Statement of Responsibility
Cruz, Raul
Subsequent Statement of Responsibility
Johnson, Lorin
.PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION, ETC
Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.
California State University, Long Beach
Date of Publication, Distribution, etc.
2019
GENERAL NOTES
Text of Note
36 p.
DISSERTATION (THESIS) NOTE
Dissertation or thesis details and type of degree
M.F.A.
Body granting the degree
California State University, Long Beach
Text preceding or following the note
2019
SUMMARY OR ABSTRACT
Text of Note
In fulfillment of the requirements for a Master of Fine Arts degree, a dance work entitled Entangled Cycles was choreographed and performed at the Martha B. Knoebel Dance Theater located at the California State University in Long Beach. The work premiered on March 14th and March 16th, 2019. The dance is 27 minutes in length and delineates the emotional ups and downs associated with bipolar disorder. The work is comprised of four main sections. The first section introduces the symptoms of bipolar disorder through edited text and music. The second and third sections reveal feelings of depression, isolation, and anxiety through codified and gestural dance movements. The last two sections of the work portray the self-inflicted feelings of shame and guilt along with the societal stigmas placed on individuals suffering from mental health illness. Entangled Cycles looks to establish kinesthetic empathy through unconventional concert stage tactics and through a multidisciplinary medium. The goal of the work is delineated through a statement of goals, a thesis proposal that contextualizes the research, the methodologies, and the goals for the work, a choreographic self-analysis that reveals the creative process and assesses the intended goals of the work as a performance piece, and an artistic statement.