UC Irvine

This work explores the connection between the stream of consciousness writing technique and dance improvisation, examining if the two practices can reveal an understanding of the “authentic self.” Throughout the process, the dance participants experienced a variety of scores, prompts, and questions for movement improvisation and stream of consciousness writing. The dancers participated in discussions interspersed between the movement and writing prompts. As a culmination of the research, the dancers performed in a structured improvisation dance performance. The concert included international musical compositions, recorded stream of consciousness excerpts, video projection, a paper stage, and dirt. Despite initial struggles with writing down their exact thoughts and feeling confident in their movement choices, the dancers learned new aspects about their identities and emotions which in turn revealed a clearer understanding of their authentic selves.