Date of Award
Spring 5-1-2020
Degree Name
Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)
Restricted/Unrestricted
Unrestricted
Abstract
My Bachelor of Fine Arts thesis statement, Hysteria, Fear, and/or Delight, establishes the forms and concepts of my art practice as it stands as of May, 2020: performance-based and interdisciplinary. My practice implies narrative while acknowledging the audience. Physical language, in both dance and gesture, can be a means of communication or subversion. Pieces exist as ephemeral, often private, performances and then separately in archival forms ranging from video, to photography, to installation. The body of the statement details my thesis project, a remaking of Giselle, a 19th century Romantic-era ballet, into a performance series and video trilogy. The works walk the viewer down a non-linear path that is reminiscent of the original ballet, but my reinterpretations, new framework, and integration of external stories all distort the narrative. I use the romantic story to first perpetuate the original themes present in the story and later to subtly exploit them. I tread closely to those whom I admire such as Ana Mendieta, Pina Bausch, and Z Behl who all work near or within the greater realms of dance, theater, and performance. I acknowledge ways to interact with and subvert the spectator who may choose to experience delight in watching.
Mentor/Primary Advisor
Lisa Bulawsky
Recommended Citation
Ferrari-Wong, Alessandra, "Hysteria, Fear, and/or Delight" (2020). Bachelor of Fine Arts Senior Papers. 75.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/bfa/75
Included in
Dance Commons, Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Fine Arts Commons, Interdisciplinary Arts and Media Commons