Choreographing Grief: A Dance Piece on Loss and Recovery
This paper presents a choreographic concept for an original dance piece titled "In a Time-Lapse Recovery Absorption," which uses movement to explore the multidimensional process of grieving. The piece draws on the biology of grief to demonstrate how loss is experienced both internally and externally, with five to seven dancers embodying different stages of grief in nonlinear order. The work emphasizes community, vulnerability, and personal expression, incorporating structured improvisation, spoken word, and raw emotional performance. The paper also addresses potential audience tensions and the challenges of using dance to shift cultural perspectives on grief.
- Introduction and Concept Overview: Concept and emotional goals of the piece
- The Biology and Principle of Connection: Bodily connection principles grounding the choreography
- Structure and Staging of the Piece: Nonlinear grief stages and personal expression
- Conflict, Tension, and Audience Reception: Anticipated challenges and audience reactions
- Working with Dancers: Improvisation and Phrase Work: Rehearsal methods and raw performance vision
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper clearly articulates an artistic vision by distinguishing between internal and external emotional expression, giving readers a concrete sense of the choreographic intent.
- It grounds the creative concept in a theoretical framework — the biology of grief and the principle of bodily connection — lending academic credibility to what is otherwise a personal artistic proposal.
- The author's reflective, first-person voice creates an authentic and accessible tone appropriate for a concept or reflection paper in a dance or performing arts course.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates how to integrate a single scholarly source to anchor a creative concept. Rather than overwhelming the work with citations, the author uses Ozovek (2018) strategically at two key moments — to support memory and emotional connection through dance, and to address audience anxiety — showing how one well-placed citation can provide theoretical grounding without overshadowing the artist's own voice.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with an overview of the concept and its emotional goals, then moves to the scientific and philosophical principle underpinning the work. It next addresses creative and structural choices — including the nonlinear treatment of grief's stages — before turning to potential challenges around audience reception. The paper closes with a practical discussion of rehearsal methods and performance vision, ending on a vivid image of the staged piece.
Introduction and Concept Overview
The concept being developed here is the process of grieving. This topic warrants deeper exploration because it is rarely discussed openly. When thinking about grief in dance form, two dimensions come to mind: the internal and external use of emotions. The internal use would involve some dancers moving through the grief process from within, while the external use would show one or two dancers dealing with grief outwardly. The external portrayal will more visibly communicate what the dancers are experiencing throughout the stages of grief. Community is another central element — the piece aims to show dancers supporting one another through the grieving process.
The working title is In a Time-Lapse Recovery Absorption. This title is meant to capture the biology of grief as expressed through movement. Dance can help people hold memory of a loss they have experienced, connect with others who share in that grief, and allow them to feel their emotions not only in their minds but in their bodies as well (Ozovek, 2018).
The Biology and Principle of Connection
A principle of connection fosters the emotional aspects of the grieving process through dancing. This principle holds that nothing works in isolation — any effect on one part of the body affects the whole. Understanding the biology behind this helps us appreciate the multidimensional human body and its interconnected systems as they relate to dance and choreography. Because the body is the dancer's instrument, every function involved in movement is essential to the performance.
Reference
Ozovek, C. M. (2018). Hiraeth. [University]. https://search.proquest.com/openview/4286a1a4c72e5a64893e72673c50e401/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750
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