This thesis explores the intersection of African-American heritage and creative process in concert dance choreography for contemporary black dance artists. I will examine how perceptions of blackness influence the spectrum of creative work produced by these artists. I investigate the historical engagement of 20th century black dance pioneers in concert dance, socio-political factors that influenced their work, and the notion of “Black Dance”. This research will then examine the cultural influences and work of five contemporary African-American dance artists working in the field today. Lastly, I will reflect on my own creative process and create a multidisciplinary screendance titled Intersections filmed in the Experimental Media Performance Lab at UC Irvine. In this choreographic work, I illustrate my own perception of blackness and cultural influences, and I explore where I position myself in the continuum of black voices in contemporary dance.

This thesis explores the use of immersive and haptic experiences within concert dance and how these experiences enable audiences to co-author the meaning of a work through physical participation. Immersive experiences are generated when audiences are empowered to share a performance space with performers. Haptic experiences engage with our sense of touch and are fore fronted when audiences are allowed to move around within a performance. These kinds of experiences encourage co-authorship by empowering audiences to participate in and affect the outcome of performances. They also encourage co-authorship by prioritizing interpretations based on somatic and self-referential forms of knowledge.

People of all cultures find humor in things, even though certain aspects of humor differ (The Psychology of Humor: An Integrative Approach, Martin 5). The sound of laughter is universal and seems to be innate, which is often associated with humor. Our perception of what is funny may differ, but humor is recognized when it arises. This research investigates the many definitions of humor, the philosophy and production of humor, why laughter occurs, humor theories, elements of what makes something funny, and where humor lives in dance. The foundation of humor theory is identifiable in three groups: incongruity, superiority, and relief theory. I give examples of legends that use humor, and categorize which theory group their humor exudes. I give history on vaudeville and burlesque, and the legends that have employed humor in their works such as: Josephine Baker, Charlie Chaplin, Donald O’Connor, Bob Fosse, and Mark Twain. Successful comedians, writers, choreographers, and professors interviewed, give their perceptions of humor, factors of what makes something humorous, and insight on how humor is essential to life. I take an in-depth look at professionals’ understandings of humor from: Craig Hawksley, Joe Keane, Liz Tenuto, Patrick Damon Rago, and

Patricia Sandback. I also shed light on successful artists who utilize humor in dance today, and share my creative process in developing my choreographic thesis concert Don’t Expect Much. My thesis concert is much like a vaudeville-burlesque show, moving from one varying act to the next, creating an avenue for audiences to laugh and be entertained. Satire is a major theme throughout Don’t Expect Much.