Document Type

Open Access Honors Thesis

Publication Date

Spring 2011

Department

English - Creative Writing

Abstract

Through a collection of imagistic poems, themes of humanity, dance, and their surreal intersection are explored. While dance is a wordless art, a creation through fleeting images of the body, I use words to recreate and preserve the evanescent nature of dance. My poetry focuses on ballerinas, flight, and the body, and how transformation takes place both in ballet and in the world. The interconnectedness of all things is expressed through leaping language, with yearning to connect and to halt time. What I explore in this manuscript is what makes ballet a special art form. The similarity of dancers to birds and other creatures of flight such as dragonflies and fireflies is considered through fantastical imaginings. The ultimate goal is to wed the diverse disciplines of poetry and dance, and closer unite the variety of human expressions and experiences. By looking at the spiritual nature of dance and the mysterious and physical side, I hope to reveal truths about human existence. On the canvas of the mind words paint a kaleidoscopic collage, much as bodies do on stage. Much as a dancer’s practiced silhouette enchants, so too does the right word in poetry. Both in a simple and ancient way moderate the age of machine.

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