Dr Geraldine Morris

 

Job Title: Senior Lecturer Qualifications: BA, MA, PhD Telephone: +44 (0)20 8392 3245 Email Address: geraldine.morris@roehampton.ac.uk

introduction

Dancer with The Royal Ballet 1963-1971
BA degree(Honours) in Humanities Open University
MA degree University of Surrey
PhD University of Surrey at Roehampton

Profile

I danced with The Royal Ballet from 1963 to 1971 during which time I worked with some of the foremost choreographers in ballet in the 20th century. These include Frederick Ashton, Bronislava Nijinska and Antony Tudor. Subsequently I entered higher education and achieved a PhD in 2000. In 2004, I completed an AHRB research project with Stephanie Jordan in 2004, which involved making a video/DVD on the choreography of Frederick Ashton to Stravinsky music. Two substantial articles also resulted from the project and these have been published in international dance journals. I have also written a substantial article on ballet competitions, involving field work and this has appeared in Research in Dance Education in Spring 2008. A further article on Ashton and the neo-romantic artists of the 1940s has been published in Dance Research Spring 2009

Hours

I have been on a 0.3 contract for the Dance department and this has now been increased to 0.6 for the Spring term and subsequently will settle at 0.5.

Teaching

I teach on both the BA and Ma courses mainly in the areas of history, analysis and philosophical/theoretical issues, though from time to time, I also teach some practical repertory sessions. I am currently tutoring dissertations for both the BA and MA and also have two PhD students.

Subject Area

My specific expertise is in ballet though I also deal with other dance genres. In particular, I am a specialist in choreographic analysis and on the relationship between technique and style. Issues of identity and authenticity are also areas that I am particularly interested in. In the book that I am currently writing on Ashton and style, these two areas are discussed in some detail in the first chapter.

Publications

Research Projects Undertaken

In conjunction with Stephanie Jordan, I have completed a research project on Ashton and Stravinsky. The project is funded by the AHRB and ran from July 2003-July 2005. We have completed a research video/DVD and I have also published two substantial articles (8000 words approximately) on Ashton's Persephone and on two different versions of Baiser de la fee and have started work on a book on Ashton's choreographic style. In Spring 2008 Research in Dance Education (RIDE) published an article on the ballet competition. This deals with the ballet competition, in particular the Prix de Lausanne, and inquires whether judgements are purely the result of aesthetic prejudices or can they be regarded as artistic decisions. I have used the work of Graham McFee and David Best to support my arguments. In 2009 an article on Ashton's war time ballets and his collaboration with the neo-romantic painters of the 1940s. The article draws on hitherto unpublished material and on Foucault's notion of discourse.

Membership of professional bodies

Member of the officers panel of Dance Research
Member of the board of Research in Dance Education

Examining Experience

I examine both BA and MA dissertations, essays and practical work and I have also marked both MA and PhD organisations for external universities.

External esaminer for the Royal Academy of Dance on the Professional Dancers Teaching Course during 2005 and 2006

Undergraduate courses taught at Roehampton:

Dance Studies

Postgraduate courses taught at Roehampton:

Ballet Studies
Dance

Other courses taught at Roehampton: