2022 Symposium for Student Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

Attending the Alvin Ailey Summer Intensive in New York City, I was able to advance my dance education and artistic leadership that I am currently receiving at Slippery Rock University. The cultural diversity offered in the Ailey curriculum is difficult to find elsewhere. The scope and range of classes offered are unparalleled, which allowed me to become a more well-rounded and diverse dancer. After two weeks, I was enamored by the Horton technique, which helped me develop my research for my Senior Capstone I project. The Horton technique is one of the more obscure American modern techniques, and there has been an increase in its demand in schools and academies worldwide in the last 10 years. After extensive research and experience, I have determined the importance of including the Horton technique within university modern dance studies, arguing that a technique that is more inclusive of dance forms from numerous cultures is most likely to benefit dance students in the twenty-first century.