I am a dancer, choreographer, educator and activist. I have been working as Professor Duane Cyrus’ research assistant for The Resistance Project. I am also working on my proficiency in the Theater of Movement choreographic process. I am exploring and analyzing intersectionality along with black feminist theories, to critically understand the historical context for resistance by Black women in 1960’s America. The Resistance Project is focused on bringing awareness to women of the African and African-American diaspora through multi-disciplinary facets and engaging with the community.
As a research assistant for the Resistance Project I have been solely focused on Black liberation activist Ana Julia Cooper’s history, ideology and theories. I originally started investigating and researching Cooper as a way to raise awareness of black activists prior to the 1960’s Civil Rights era. My research includes investigating texts, experimenting with movement ideas and using other disciplines to express my research. My work in progress, As a Black Woman, analyzes Ana Julia Cooper’s “A Voice from the South By a Black Woman of the South”. I used a number of Theatre of Movement methods derived by Duane Cyrus to generate movement. Last fall I submitted my research to the Thomas Undergraduate Research and Creativity Expo at UNCG where my fellow research assistant and I received second place in the School of Dance.