Abstract
As autism becomes more accepted among the general population, the idea of representation in media comes into question, not only the quantity and spread across different media, but also the accuracy. While digital media is beginning to explore the many aspects of autism, the live performance field is lacking in autistic representation, especially in dance. This lack of representation not only keeps non-autistic individuals from being able to understand their autistic peers but can create a mindset amongst autistic individuals that they do not matter in society. In the world of dance, autistic representation is severely lacking, both regarding pieces created by autistic choreographers and pieces about autism, hence why more pieces about autism, including ones that cover the more nuanced issues related to autism, are so important. Aspects like autistic masking, gender presentation, and timing of diagnosis are only now being studied and accounted for but are nevertheless very important to accurate autistic representation. This dance project, titled 'Tools of the Trade', explores the idea of representing autism and its relationship to the non-autistic world through modern dance and stage combat to help create more awareness of these nuanced issues related to autism. The element of sword-based stage combat is added as an integral component to the dance piece in portraying the difficulties of social interactions, learning social skills, and discrimination against autistic individuals. While combining the disciplines of stage combat and modern dance is not common, it creates a visually unique movement that can carry the narrative of autistic struggles while breaking the status quo of existing representation and dance expectations.
Advisor
Skala, Naoko
Second Advisor
Baird, Emily
Department
Theatre and Dance
Recommended Citation
Rahz, Abigail, "Tools of the Trade: Exploring the Possibility of Autistic Experience Representation through Dance and Stage Combat" (2025). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 11257.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/11257
Keywords
Dance, Stage Combat, Autism, Representation, Sword
Publication Date
2025
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis
© Copyright 2025 Abigail Rahz