I am grateful for the support, advice, and enthusiasm of my dissertation adviser, Dr. Charles Eldredge, who encouraged me to fling my net wide as I considered my topic. Thank you for your careful reading, your insightful questions, and your dedication to scholarly excellence.
I wish to thank Dr. Cateforis for not only starting me off down this road but also for his invaluable help in the editing process. He and Dr. Eldredge have molded me into the scholar I am today. Dr. Michelle Heffner-Hayes served as a guiding support throughout this process. The directed reading course she developed with me in the spring of 2007 served as a foundation for the dance research I undertook during the course of this project. Her support during my oral defense was much needed and her understanding of dance scholarship strengthened this dissertation.