Baer, AnaNance, MichelleMacFarlane, Jessica2015-08-112015-08-112015-05MacFarlane, J. M. (2015). The ephemeral contraction: A university based international study into the twenty-first century dancer-audience symbiosis (Unpublished thesis). Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.https://hdl.handle.net/10877/5599Is dance dead? Some authors, critics, and members of the public might believe that dance in the 21st century is dying or dead, but this isn’t true. In dance, a deep connection between the dancer and the audience member remains eternal. It would be impossible for dance to die while dancers and audience members endure. In 1983, Judith Lynna Hanna’s research book, The Performer-Audience Connection, helped initiate serious studies about dancers and audiences, but acknowledged research on this connection is sparse. The dancer-audience symbiosis does, however, change with the issues that occur every year, so it’s important to keep the public aware of the disconnections and connections proposed by dance research and innovation. Specifically for this thesis, the international exchange of dance majors proved to be extremely important. Dance can find a valuable resource of constant and current innovation within university dance programs/divisions. I believe that dance must accept the latest technologies, foster the current generation of dance students in universities, and dedicating more time to the international symbiosis of dancer and audience member. With these adjustments and consistent maintenance, the public notion of the death of dance would greatly diminish.Text55 pages1 file (.pdf)endanceaudienceperforming artsinternationalhigher educationtechnologyHonors College