Acknowledgments

Finishing my PhD was a collaborative endeavor. The successful completion of my thesis was made possible by the endless support, persistent guidance, and genuine encouragement of numerous individuals to whom I am deeply indebted.

First and foremost, I'd like to express my deepest gratitude to the supervisors who began this journey with me, Professor John Hyatt and Dr Ana Sánchez-Colberg. Their support throughout my research path has been invaluable, and I sincerely appreciate their insights, guidance, and belief in my potential. 

I am truly fortunate to have continued to be guided by supervisors Professor Laura González and Mark Roughley, whose expertise, patience, and insights were vital throughout this process. Their pursuit of knowledge and confidence in my capabilities motivated me to discover new concepts and achieve what I once thought was unobtainable. Just when I reached a milestone, they always found a new mountain for me to climb; the mountain may have felt like Everest, but with their help, I made it to the top and the other side.

My gratitude for ALL the dancers who participated in this study exceeds infinite measures. With a humble heart, I greatly appreciate their time, talent, and dedication to this project. Their insightful comments, critical feedback, and continuous encouragement fostered a collective wisdom that refined my work and shaped my thought process.

My passion for sharing this work with dancers, educators, and professionals has created collaborative opportunities with exceptional individuals, companies, and institutions. I am so appreciative of everyone who supported me through these projects. Firstly, I would like to extend my sincerest thanks to the accomplished professional dancer Maryann Massa for being an absolute muse and a pleasure to work with. Aimee Mitacchione, the Artistic Director and Assistant Professor of Dance at Middlesex College, and her dancers welcomed me with open arms. I look forward to seeing more of each other in our small New Jersey circle. I also want to express my appreciation to Alia Montijo, a professional dancer and studio owner from Chicago, for taking the time out of her busy schedule to work with me through Zoom and come to NYC to collaborate on a project. I am confident that it will not be our last project together! Working with the open-minded dancers of Raritan Valley College under the guidance of the Director of Dance, Loretta D. Fois, was truly a tremendous and inspiring experience.

To Charly and Eriel from mignolo dance: I want to express my admiration for them and their talented dancers. Char and El’s work is truly brilliant, and I never would have imagined that our paths would cross meaningfully. This journey has been incredible, from becoming the director of your dance company's screendance festival four months later to writing a chapter about it in a book a year later. I am excited to see what the future holds for us! 

I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked with such amazing dancers at Merseyside Dance Initiative (MDI). The MDI studio felt like home during my summer residency in Liverpool, England. Furthermore, a sincere thanks goes to Dance Professor Eric Rivera from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) for inviting me to conduct a workshop for his highly skilled students in the dance department. It was an honor to share the choreographic methods derived from my research with VCU’s student community.

It is exciting to share that I presented a workshop at the National Dance Education Organization Conference in 2022, an experience I eagerly anticipate continuing. Additionally, in the fall of 2023, my professional peers honored me with a nomination for the New Jersey Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance Teacher of the Year, an award I proudly accepted in February 2024.

I sincerely appreciate my fellow doctoral students, the Transart 2020 Cohort, for providing an intellectually stimulating environment during our first year together during Zoom meetings. Special thanks to all my Pancakes and colleagues whose camaraderie made the laborious days more bearable and the small successes sweeter.

No journey is without its share of challenges, and during those moments, my friends, both inside and outside academia, were my anchor. To Alia Simon Montijo and Angelica Burgos Rivera, thank you for the countless check-ins, pep talks, and shared laughs. Our discussions have been constructive in providing a valuable platform for exchanging ideas and thoughts. Thank you for your friendship. It was a beacon of light during the most challenging times.

My heartfelt gratitude goes to my family and husband, Steven Schultz, for their support in my pursuit of higher education. They sacrificed time without me while encouraging me to follow my dreams and creative endeavors. This achievement is as much yours as it is mine.

Amidst a seemingly endless ocean of information, this dissertation may seem like a mere speck of sand. However, I cannot express enough gratitude to all those who played a role in bringing this sand to the beach. Your contributions have been essential to this work.