Performing Identity; How visual mediums allow for personal growth

Identity performance is a theatrical dance in which the performer conveys emotions or stories through movement, costumes and music.

Manipulating these aspects of theater allows the audience to experience the dancers story. Identity pieces often focus on one aspect of the dancer. This differs from everyday experience because humans exhibit more then one facet of identity on a daily basis.

Ethnicity is a common identity portrayed through dance.

Meghan Abadoo’s dance thesis demonstrated the difficulty she had in coming to terms with being a black woman in modern society. The dark ethnic music played throughout the piece emphasizing Abadoo's current struggle as an extension of the slavery of the past. The entire cast was also African American, further showing her connection to her ethnicity.

The audience is also engaged in the search and portrayal of identity during a performance. 

Humans learn through visualization. Seeing culture allows one to choose the values associate with and which to discard.¹   Audience members sift through the information presented and determine what cues to follow and which to discard. Senior Demi Adamopoulous, said Abadoo’s piece resonated with her deeply, and made her think about her own identity. 

"We don’t think about being white, but seeing how much not being a white person shapes your identity and shapes your outcome of life is a big learning experience,” Adamapoulous said.

Performers also use world events to give personal identity context.

Devin Seldon, a senior, choreographed and performed an original work called Every Day in the spring student dance showcase. The work focused on the Black Lives Matter movement and his experiences as an African American youth. 

Critical thinking and research needed to take on a roll helps one to understand themselves and others on a deeper level¹.

While doing research for his piece, Devin Seldon realized just how deeply the Black Lives Matter movement resonated with him personally. He also learned how to approach others about his piece and the topic itself.      

Taking on a different identity can also mean portraying a version of self one does not usually show. 

Dance is often used a form of therapy for this reason. One is able to try out a different version of self on stage and see how that self resonates with others. LGBTQ youth at About Face Youth Theater, were encouraged to write pieces about the struggles they face in their daily lives.³ 

The written pieces were then turned into performances. The study proved that after portraying different versions of self the youth had a more positive outlook on life.³

Portraying identities he does not carry is the most difficult part of performance for Seldon.

His concern stemmed from his sensitivity to cultural appropriation. Seldon wondered if it was his place to depict a life he had not personally experienced. Though he was uncomfortable taking on a different identity at first, he did learn a lot during the study. "It challenges you in a good way and changes your outlook in a positive way" Seldon said after the performance. 

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1) Freedman, Kerry. “Curriculum Change for the 21^st Century: Visual Culture in Art Education.” Curriculum and Visual Culture 36 : 815-828. Web. 1 December 2015.

2) Hubner, John. Last Chance in Texas: The Redemption of Criminal Youth. New York: Random House, 2005. Print.
3) Halverson, E.R. (2005). InsideOut: Facilitating gay youth identity development through a performance-based youth organization. Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research, 5(1), 67-90. - See more at: http://www.artsedsearch.org/summaries/insideout-facilitating-gay-youth-identity-development-through-a-performance-based-youth-organization#sthash.UrRvhQMH.dpuf