This thesis investigates the process of transformation of Claude Monet’s Water Lilies (Nymphéas) from paintings to dance. It is a thesis in two parts, consisting of a written analysis of the Water Lilies, which supports the creation of a one-act ballet that took place on May 12 and 13, 2016, at the University of California, Irvine’s Experimental Media Performance Lab (xMPL).

The written document of this thesis examines three groups of Water Lilies (Les Nymphéas, series de paysages d’eau, the Studies, and the Grand Decorations of the Musée de l’Orangerie). It investigates these paintings and their supporting literature, focusing on how Monet employed abstraction in each group of paintings and how it served to create a complex viewing experience. The written document also includes an account of the creative process in translating this research into movement.

The creative emphasis of this thesis is a one-act ballet that consists of three parts (Impression I: The Real and The Reflected, Impression II: An Artist’s Process, and Impression III: Les Nymphéas). Taking inspiration from the research on the Water Lilies, the dance attempts to pay homage to the artist and his painting series, as well as express the creative voice of the dance artist.