Creative Arts Therapies Theses

Date of Award

8-2010

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Art in Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling (MA)

Department

Creative Arts Therapies

First Advisor

Young, Jessica

Second Advisor

Hervey, Lenore

Third Advisor

Imus, Susan

Keywords

tango (dance)

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis project was to gain an in-depth understanding of the various dimensions of relationship experienced by Argentine tango dancers. The project’s underlying aim was to serve as a springboard for developing future applications of relationally oriented tango work for singles, couples, and groups as a form of dance/movement therapy. The participants consisted of three male tango “leaders” and three female “followers” of various experience levels. The research was conducted by video recording the participants dancing tango with one another and then interviewing them separately, using a customized video for each as a prompt to foster discussion of the participants’ somatic and psychological experiences of the dance relationships. The data was collected, analyzed, and examined through phenomenological research methods. Artistic inquiry was used to express the lived experience of the participants by presenting the findings in part through a multimedia performance piece that contained portions of the video and audio data and represented the research process and results through dance performance.

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