Date of Defense

4-10-2026

Date of Graduation

5-2026

Department

Dance

First Advisor

Monique Haley

Second Advisor

Megan Slayter

Abstract

For my Graduating Presentation and Honors Thesis, I created a piece based on my two sister and me, as I found myself yearning for our moments together while growing up but recognize that we will never be that age and all together again. The idea of being apart is scary, but inevitable, and rather than dwell on the idea of it, I wanted to create a piece of reflection and growth for all three of us.

During the development of my concept, I revisited old home videos and journaled out a path of how the piece would progress. The first section was created as an introduction, establishing the girls as their character and showing the relationship between my sisters and me in our childhood. The second section represents the inevitable moving apart as we mature and pursue college. The third and final section was the closing, representing the feeling of lying in a flower field as the sisters slowly drift apart. Although we may never live down the hall from each other again, we still have our memories and each other within reach. With the concept finalized, I worked to create movement around these ideas that connected with my personal aesthetic, but also integrated my sister’s qualities, as they are also dancers.

Each piece of this work was planned to project my concept to the audience during the final presentation. The music choices were distinct in each section, but still cohesive. I also decided to incorporate voices from childhood videos to connect the music deeper to my concept. The costumes were three dresses, designed by my mom, to establish each sister as their character. Throughout my life, my sisters and I were “assigned” colors by my mom. Katie was always blue, Megan as green or purple, and me as pink, so I opted to use these colors. The lighting worked around these costumes, but also brought life to the stage, with each transition in movement and story reflected in the lights. Overall, each piece came together and created a final project that I can always return to when I miss my sisters.

Access Setting

Honors Thesis-Open Access

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