Writing About Dance: Representations of Strength in the Struggle for Social Justice

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how I grappled with questions about the meaning, purpose, and process of playful writing to represent a dance performance based on the oral history narrative of Sybil Jordan Hampton, the sole African American enrolled in her class at Little Rock Central High in Arkansas from 1959 to 1962. Through the presentation of six moments from the dance that I captured through photographs, I explore the possibilities of writing about dance using graphic art to invoke critical reflection and social justice-oriented action, rather than solely as a representation of the dance performance. I examine the complexities surrounding playful writing, layered representations in writing about dance that represents lived experience, and consider whether nontraditional text presented as graphic art enhances the potential for meaning making about social justice action.