Date of Award
2025
Document Type
Honors Thesis (Colby Access Only)
Department
Colby College. English Dept.
Advisor(s)
Sam Plasencia
Second Advisor
Arisa White
Abstract
This thesis identifies three key features of choreopoetry that traverse style and content: the centering of bodies, the music and meaning of repetition, and the way individual stories collectively comment on injustice and oppression. Framed by the work of Ntozake Shange, Keith Antar Mason, and Dena Igusti, this thesis showcases how each choreopoet uniquely manipulates these features to serve their artistic ends. Following an academic preface, this thesis includes the script of for gifted mixed girls who have considered hiding from choosing / the world / themselves, an original choreopoem that highlights personal anecdotes and calls on Korean and Irish historical figures to grapple with the realization of difference from others.
Keywords
choreopoem, choreopoetry, Ntozake Shange, Black feminist theory, intersectionality, performance theory
Recommended Citation
Spence, Katherine S., ""dance to keep from dyin": An Exploration of the Choreopoem" (2025). Honors Theses. Paper 1483.https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/honorstheses/1483