Black Brazilian female dancer-choreographer-educators : creating alternative axes of action in the African diaspora

This dissertation examines the potential of black women dancer-choreographer-educators to re-imagine their artistic, cultural, and sociopolitical identities in the African diaspora. By introducing the concept of alternative axes of action as spatial longitudinal oblique lines established slightly outside of a mainstream vertical axis where bodily balance and motion - and sociopolitical actions - are often assumed to be performed, I argue that black women in the African diaspora have continuously faced systemic "pushes" off of this mainstream vertical "center-line" which expose them to what M. Jacqui Alexander calls the "nodes of instability." I contend that by playing with this instability in corporeal and sociopolitical dimensions, black women are developing the ability to find balance in motion and creating alternatives for their actions. By looking at Rosangela Silvestre's and Edileusa Santos's choreographies, methodologies, and participation in the history of dance - with especial emphasis on their travel and exchange between Brazil and the U.S. - I identify alternative movement languages, ways of performing Brazil, and ways of continuing to forge a black dance diaspora.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Theatre

Grantor

The University of Texas at Austin

Year dc:date.issued

2019

Author dc:creator

• Oliveira, Agatha Silvia Nogueira e

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Jones, Omi Osun Joni L., 1955

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Rossen, Rebecca
• Gutierrez, Laura
• Anderson, Charles
• Afolabi, Omoniyi

• Black Brazilian women
• Dance
• African diaspora

Language dc:language.iso

en

Identifier URI

http://dx.doi.org/10.26153/tsw/12572

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repositories.lib.utexas.edu:2152/85621