Year of Graduation
2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
MFA: Dance
Directing Professor
Jeffery N. Bullock
Abstract
This thesis explores the development of a personal set of heuristics, or accessible thought tools, that can be used in choreographic or creative decision-making. Through an in-depth study of the visual art of Romare Bearden paired with an evaluation of patterns of the author’s personal history, three tools or “dials” emerge: derealization, contextuality and inversion. A close study of Bearden’s work demonstrates a pattern of repurposing and distorting ideas in ways consistent with the three dials. The author found similar patterns emerge in an excavation of her personal narrative, indicative of a cyclical and prophetic re-imagining of previous life experiences. These dials serve as continuums of distortion to incite the choreographer’s mind in the generation of new ideas.
Recommended Citation
Johnson, Jalisa R., "Creativity through Thought Exercises: Developing a Personal Heuristic for Choreographic Decision-Making" (2026). Dance (MFA) Theses, Hollins University. 62.
https://digitalcommons.hollins.edu/dancetheses/62
Performance Access Statement
If you wish to see the creative piece or performance that accompanied this thesis, please complete the Request Form, and you should receive a response from the Dance Department within two weeks.
Included in
Cognitive Science Commons, Dance Commons, Epistemology Commons, Interdisciplinary Arts and Media Commons