Portrait and designer-driven performance

Portrait, performed in the University Coop Presents the David Mark Cohen New Works Festival in 2007, was an example of designer-driven performance. This thesis examines the nature of "design as performance" and the collaborative process behind the creation of this new work. Elements that define a work of "design as performance" include performance elements in the design, work that has been generated by a designer, or work in which the designer becomes involved as a performer. Each member of Portrait's creative team took on unique roles throughout the collaborative process in order to create a new and challenging work of dance. Because of the team's strong collaboration, they were successful in creating a new work in which every member expressed a strong artistic voice.