As a “late starter” in the field of dance, the choreographer felt very unfamiliar to the new customs of this practice. Throughout the choreographer’s time in dance academia, he was very brooding. The choreographer would tend to escape to an internal, introspective state where one was expected to be external. Yet on stage or other settings, the choreographer was more external. A question as to why does one switch between those two mindsets was raised. Furthermore, how can one express that in a dance or visual demonstration?

Many trial and error of different movement vocabulary, staging’s, and compositions were done to compare what was effective and what not while creating the presentation. Also, showings in front of peers were helpful for general feedback and seeing if what was intended was successful. Inspiration collecting from poetry, literature, and art were used. Lastly, notes, sketches, and recordings were used for documentation for personal and research purposes.

Finally, the poetic demonstration “Caged Bird”, inspired by the poem of the same title by Maya Angelou was created. The piece displays the differences of a caged and free bird, while also expressing the corresponding introspective and external states of the two.