This research examines how race and gender shaped tap dance performance during Hollywood’s Golden Age through the careers of Eleanor Powell and Jeni Le Gon. The thesis reveals how MGM appropriated Black performance traditions while suppressing Black performers themselves, demonstrating that dance and performance are deeply political cultural practices.

This research examines dismemberment in early modern drama to explore how cultural systems shape human responses to violence. By analysing plays such as Titus Andronicus, the project argues that fear and disgust are historically conditioned rather than purely instinctive, revealing how societies teach audiences to interpret violent imagery across different historical periods

This talk explores African pianism, a fusion of African musical traditions and Western classical piano. Tracing its origins and development, it highlights its cultural significance and growing presence in the United States. The research argues that institutional contexts shape its reception and advocates for its inclusion to diversify and enrich classical music.