Research

The ongoing collaborative ethnographic study of the Milwaukee Area

This research is a continuation of Professor Simone Ferro’s ethnographic study of various districts in Milwaukee exploring the interdisciplinary forces of community studies and dance. Each year, undergraduate researchers venture to different misrepresented locations in Milwaukee and perform case studies by engaging with the diverse population. Research was concentrated in the Washington Park and Sherman Park neighborhoods and was attained through analytical and experiential means. The first method involved analyzing scholarly texts ranging from social issues regarding minority oppression, site-specific performance, and community engagement through movement. The experiential approach entailed direct engagement through interview conduction and communication with residents as well as site-specific modern dance performances. Discussions concerning ethical principles determined that entering a foreign community with the intention of disturbing it with movement required developing a comprehensive understanding of the society to approach the community in an educated and respectful manner. Improvisations have been and still are performed in various locations around the neighborhoods including homes of people in the community, Amaranth Café, evicted properties, and along the streets of Milwaukee. Inspiration for movement was influenced by the physical environment and was later transcribed along with the participant’s internal (as felt in their body) and external (perception of interactions) experience. The information acquired from our field research was then utilized to guide movement generation that manifested in full length concert performances as well as future improvisations. While this project is still a work in progress, the current assessment of these findings conclude that despite the negative portrayals of certain regions of Milwaukee in the media, it doesn’t define those individuals. By providing them with a voice and relaying their stories through movement, we are working to transforms perceptions. Our engagement with community members allows us to bring dance and arts to the community, working to alter its connotation as an elitist art.

Field Work- Tricklebee Café

Beginning fall of 2017, researchers and dancers explored local pay-what-you-can restaurant Tricklebee Café. October of 2018, researchers began coming to the space every other Saturday to intervene with modern dance improvisations, offering their art to the community. Movement was inspired by various things and evolved as the processes continued.

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Investigations of Milwaukee

Milwaukee is a diverse and beautiful city. Due to the influence of the media many do not see it as such. Through collaborative efforts we aim to transform how it is perceived and engage with community members to assist by bringing them our craft or skill as a means of providing what they need to thrive.

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Sources

It was important for us as researchers to gain a foundational background of knowledge so when approaching topics of social justice we can do so free of ignorance. We read a plethora of scholarly information from diverse sources allowing us to enter communities with a deeper level of empathy. Below is a list of books, articles, dissertations, etc. that were all influential in informing how we approached our research.

  [ 1]  Sen, Arijit. "Faculty and Staff." Helen Bader School of Social Welfare. 2019. 22 Feb. 2019  

https://uwm.edu/sarup/faculty-staff/sen-arijit/

[ 2]  Sen, Arijit. "The field School." The Field School. 22 Feb. 2019 http://thefieldschool.weebly.com/

[ 3]  "Principles and Best Practices." Oral History Association. Oct. 2009. 22 Feb. 2019

https://www.oralhistory.org/about/principles-and-practices-revised-2009/

[ 4]  Moore, Darnell L. "Urban Spaces and the Mattering of Black Lives  – The Nature of Cities." The Nature of

Cities. 22 Oct. 2015. 22 Feb. 2019 https://www.thenatureofcities.com/2015/10/23/urban-spaces-and-the-mattering-of-black-lives/

[ 5]  Kwon, Miwon. "Sitings of Public Art: Integration Versus Intervention." One place after another: Site-specific

art and locational identity. Cambridge, MA: MIT P, 2004. 56-9

[ 6] Ferro, Simone. Simone Ferro. 2012. 22 Feb. 2019 http://www.simoneferro.com/