Music and Dance Theses and Dissertations

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A Collaborative, Site-Specific Dance Performance for Alton Baker Park in Eugene, Oregon: Focus on Community Building for Participating Artists Through the Concepts of Space and Time
(University of Oregon, 2011-06) Ernst, Erinn Kelley Thompson, 1980-
The focus of this study was a free site-specific dance and music performance for the general public in Alton Baker Park (Eugene, Oregon), designed to enhance public engagement with the park and with dance. Collaborative processes with participating dancers, composers, and musicians fostered community building between the artists. Informing literature covers the impact of site-specific dance performances on communities, choreographic methodology, the history of site-specific artwork, the impact on, and consideration of, the audience in site-specific projects, and collaboration in the arts. Consideration of the surrounding community and the inherent political nature of site-specific work directly influenced every decision throughout the process. Themes emerged from the focus on building community, engaging the patrons with the site, and investigating process. Themes include the Culminating Performance, Common Values, Collaboration, Audience, Process, Journaling and Research, and a Final Summary. Reflection on the process reveals insights and suggestions for future endeavors.