Waters to Waters: Between Yu and Flow
Reflecting the intersecting dual tracks in pedagogy and choreography that have shaped Courtney’s MFA research, the final outward facing project unfolds in two parts.
The first program, a live-streamed proscenium performance featuring ten undergraduate dancers and interactive projections by Mingyong Cheng (MFA EDA ‘21), was dedicated to the exploration and cultivation of engaged artistic flow/yu states in the studio and onstage. Courtney and the students investigated various facilitators, inhibitors and characteristics of flow/yu, including intention, curiosity, bliss, distraction, collective engagement, joy, peace and suspension of time. The title, “Waters to Waters: Between Yu and Flow,” reflects the combination of eastern and western practices that informed the final work.
In the second program, a live-streamed Artists in Conversation presentation through Duke Arts, Courtney presented progressive pedagogical advances that have the potential to reduce self- and other-objectification in the dance classroom. Segments of choreography inspired by these pedagogical tools were woven throughout the presentation as Courtney shared how interdisciplinary research in pedagogy and choreographic inquiry worked in tandem to uncover unexpected revelations.
Presented by the Duke Dance Program and Courtney Liu in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in Dance in the Graduate School at Duke University.