Date of Award

Summer 2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

First Advisor

Shaunna Vella

Abstract

This thesis investigates the choreographic, somatic, and cultural significance hair holds in dance through identity and belonging. Hair is more than merely a visual or aesthetic marker, it is a lived, identity-bearing, and sensory archive of the body. To say that hair is merely just for aesthetics in lifestyles and in dance is not acknowledging its full impact. Hair functions as both a cultural and sensory archive as well as embodied resistance and a site of identity. I identify as a multi-ethnic woman, dancer, educator, and choreographer. This paper analyzes hair through the examination of four different methodologies including a phenomenological inquiry of hair in Chapter One, exploring the somatic theory and neuroscience of touch in Chapter Two, researching the cultural and historical analysis and impact of hair in dance in Chapter Three, and lastly analyzing hair as a formal dance analysis through live performance in Chapter Four. I mention my thesis production, D-Entangled, performed in LeFevre Theater at Saint Mary’s College of California in June of 2026. This performance encapsulates both my personal story and research of hair as an embodied and sensory archive and exploring themes of belonging, identity, and self-worth.