Embodying the Black/African-American experience through collaborative improvised music and dance/movement

Martin, Tatyana

Martin, T. (2021). Embodying the Black/African-American experience through collaborative improvised music and dance/movement: implications for the practice of music therapy.

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Title	Embodying the Black/African-American experience through collaborative improvised music and dance/movement
Abstract	This thesis is the dissemination of the findings of an arts-based research study exploring the collaborative improvised music and improvised dance/movement on the experience of being embodied as Black. The overall aim was to explore the interpersonal and intrapersonal experiences of one Black/African American musician and one Black/African American dancer engaging in a collaborative creative process focusing on the experience of being embodied as Black. This study grew out of my own experiences when engaging in collaborative improvised music and collaborative dance exploring my racial identity. Participants were chosen through convenience sampling. Data was collected through video recording the collaborative improvised music and dance/movement collaborative experience, written responses to questions about the experience, and through a group discussion. Participants were asked to write down their feelings, thoughts, sensations, imagery, memories, perceptions of cultural aesthetics, interpersonal dynamics, intrapersonal dynamics, and any transpersonal experiences immediately after the experience. Cultural dynamics were explored individually and relationally. Questions posed were centered around connection/disconnection, shifts in power, being in the moment, perceived interpretations of what contributed to the overall collaborative engagement, and perceptions of cultural aesthetics. A poem was created from the themes and subthemes collected from the data. Member checking was utilized for the accuracy of the representation of the participants’ collaborative experience. To authentically represent the essence of the participants’ narratives through music and dance, a multimedia arts reflection of their expressions of being Black in the United States was cultivated. Themes of 1) resilience, 2) resistance, 3) Black aesthetics, 4) spirituality 5) connection, 6) trauma, 7) subjugation/oppression, and 8) Black power emerged in the data and are discussed in the context of individual and collaborative Black experiences. Implications for the practice of music therapy will be addressed.
Date	2021

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Title: Embodying the Black/African-American experience through collaborative improvised music and dance/movement
Sub-Title: implications for the practice of music therapy
Author: Martin, Tatyana
Abstract: This thesis is the dissemination of the findings of an arts-based research study exploring the collaborative improvised music and improvised dance/movement on the experience of being embodied as Black. The overall aim was to explore the interpersonal and intrapersonal experiences of one Black/African American musician and one Black/African American dancer engaging in a collaborative creative process focusing on the experience of being embodied as Black. This study grew out of my own experiences when engaging in collaborative improvised music and collaborative dance exploring my racial identity. Participants were chosen through convenience sampling. Data was collected through video recording the collaborative improvised music and dance/movement collaborative experience, written responses to questions about the experience, and through a group discussion. Participants were asked to write down their feelings, thoughts, sensations, imagery, memories, perceptions of cultural aesthetics, interpersonal dynamics, intrapersonal dynamics, and any transpersonal experiences immediately after the experience. Cultural dynamics were explored individually and relationally. Questions posed were centered around connection/disconnection, shifts in power, being in the moment, perceived interpretations of what contributed to the overall collaborative engagement, and perceptions of cultural aesthetics. A poem was created from the themes and subthemes collected from the data. Member checking was utilized for the accuracy of the representation of the participants’ collaborative experience. To authentically represent the essence of the participants’ narratives through music and dance, a multimedia arts reflection of their expressions of being Black in the United States was cultivated. Themes of 1) resilience, 2) resistance, 3) Black aesthetics, 4) spirituality 5) connection, 6) trauma, 7) subjugation/oppression, and 8) Black power emerged in the data and are discussed in the context of individual and collaborative Black experiences. Implications for the practice of music therapy will be addressed.
Advisor: Hadley, Susan
Committee Members: Norris, Marisol
Thomas, Natasha
Webb, Adenike
Date Issued: 2021
Degree Granting Institution: Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
College of Liberal Arts
Music
Degree Name: Master of Music Therapy (MMT)
Degree Level: Masters Degree
Degree Discipline: Music Therapy
Genre: Dissertation/Thesis
Topics: Music therapy -- United States
Music therapists -- Practice -- United States
African Americans -- Music
Improvisation (Music) -- United States
Improvisation in dance -- United States
Copyright Statement: The copyright to this item is owned by the author and falls under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)