In the field of dance, the postmodern artistic climate has brought about an increased interest in interdisciplinary experiments. Western contemporary dance forms in the 21st century are now exploring movement as communication and connection with audiences with the inclusion of other genres of art. This thesis addresses the use of text in dance performances across the work of three North American postmodernist choreographers, Crystal Pite, Cynthia Ling Lee, and Bill T. Jones, and provides an in depth analysis of their respective works: Betroffenheit (2015), ruddha (rude, huh?) (2007), The Breathing Show (1999). This study is important because it investigates the relationship of movement and language in the same performance space. Approached through the lens of Henri Bergson's theory of multiplicity, each of these pieces represent a myriad of possibilities for which dance and text can interact. In my research, I discovered that movement and language together provide a more complex representation of ideas. There are multiple possibilities for relationships between the two genres. These relationships are identified and analyzed in the movement descriptions and textual close readings of the three previously stated works.
展开▼
