https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/81292 2026-06-20T05:47:37Z 2026-06-20T05:47:37Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/81660 2021-10-04T05:25:48Z 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: The veiled ballerina : a feminist approach towards the prevalence of patriarchy in the structures of romantic ballet Abstract: This research is carried out through a feminist perspective as it challenges the longstanding notion that the Romantic era is the quintessential historical period for women in ballet. It asks, did women really have creative or managerial control in this time? Were they empowered or is history over-glorifying their reality? Who is writing their history and how is it affecting our perception? What is the way forward? This dissertation explores how the role of women in the Romantic era of ballet was shaped by the aristocratic roots of professional ballet. These beginnings, together with the patriarchal and elitist ideologies of aristocratic society from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, carved out a female role which was largely manipulated by a cohort of male choreographers and ballet masters. In addition, this dissertation also considers how male critics and historians perpetuated the gender-specific trends and characteristics of this era. Description: B. Dance St.(Hons)(Melit.)

2021-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/81658 2021-10-04T05:24:02Z 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Looking at the political relevance of dance performance through an analysis of dance censorship Abstract: This dissertation offers an analysis of the cultural phenomenon of dance censorship from a sociological perspective, considering notions of the “new censorship scholarship”, as identified by scholars Helen Freshwater, Richard Burt, and Nicole Moore, among others. Chapter 1 is a theoretical framework, in which definitions of censorship and related terms are determined. Here the concepts of the new censorship scholarship are traced back to their origins in the theories developed by sociologists Pierre Bourdieu and Michele Foucault. These theories will assist in the analysis by providing understandings of political power, biopolitics and cultural capital. Chapter 2 is a case study on dance censorship during the military dictatorship in Argentina that took place from 1976 to 1983. This case study analyses the work and experiences of multiple dance practitioners that were active during the period of the dictatorship, including Margarita Bali, Ana Maria Stekelman, Ana Itelman, among others. The reflection in Chapter 3 seeks to reflect further on the case study and expand understanding of why analysing historical cases of dance censorship is relevant for the present and future of dance studies. The discussion in this final chapter will consider a more recent cases of dance censorship that present similarities with those considered in chapter 2. Ultimately, by discussing dance censorship, this dissertation seeks to demonstrate the political relevance of dance performances. Description: B. Dance St.(Hons)(Melit.)

2021-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/81656 2021-10-04T05:21:40Z 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: How did African American dance pioneers use their lived experiences to create their choreographies? Abstract: This thesis aims to explore the way African American dance choreographers used their lived experiences to create choreographies. The dance pioneers presented throughout this research are; Alvin Ailey, Katherine Dunham, and Kyle Abraham. The analysis chapter will provide a comparison on the way each pioneer created their choreographies through their experiences. Using the philosophical perspective of John Dewey and the phenomenological framework of Maxine Sheets-Johnstone, this study will aim to identify how the notion of experience was applied to their choreographies. Delving into these perspectives gave an insight into different factors of experience, such highlighting the difference between an experience and experiences. These perspectives also posed another factor regarding artistic sincerity, suggesting that the reason these choreographies were devised in the first place was for the presentation of true expression. Description: B. Dance St.(Hons)(Melit.)

2021-01-01T00:00:00Z