Performed by Amore Dance Creative on Saturday, August 8th, DIS/TOR/TED WH!$P€R$ will explore Cognitive Dissonance, the mental tension that occurs when a person holds two conflicting beliefs, values, or thoughts at the same time. The choreography will examine how the mind processes contradiction, internal struggle, and eventual resolution. Rather than telling a literal story, the piece will embody the thinking process of the brain- moments of confusion, repetition, conflict, and clarity- through movement relationships between dancers. This piece will have one dancer who is being affected by this dissonance, while the rest of the group is split into two, showing the two opposing beliefs that might be affecting the individual. This work will look as if the audience is inside the soloist’s thoughts. This allows the audience to see what might be happening inside one’s own cognition.

There are a lot of resources on cognitive dissonance and its effects on mental and emotional health, as well as how it affects academic performance. Parker Kent is a Provisionally Licensed Professional Counselor, trained in cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and commitment Therapy, and trauma-focused care, specializing in anxiety and depression. Kent wrote a thesis in 2025 titled “Exploring Depression, Anxiety, Cognitive Dissonance, and Self-Efficacy in Undergraduates.” This article discusses the theory of cognitive Dissonance (Kent 1). As well as using dissonance as a motivator for behavioral change (Kent 3). In his research, Kent puts these two ideas together to see how it affects depression and anxiety using self-reported surveys. Investigating potential relationships between cognitive dissonance, self-efficacy, depression, and anxiety, looking specifically at undergraduate students. In Allison Christine Tanner’s 2025 thesis, she explored the relationship between chronic cognitive dissonance and academic performance among undergraduates. Tanner stated that entering adulthood is a time of opportunities that promote growth and self-discovery, while also creating much stress and confusion (1). This leads to high levels of chronic stress and mental health concerns affecting academic performance. Tanner believes that the theory of Cognitive Dissonance provides an architecture for understanding why emerging into adulthood can affect academic performance (1). The theory of cognitive dissonance has been revised multiple times as more research is being done (Cole 7). Jack Anthony Cole agrees that changes in thinking are driven by a motivation that comes from the feeling of psychological discomfort (9). Each one of the listed authors agrees that there is not enough research on cognitive dissonance; they believe that a piece is missing. Cognitive dissonance is hard to understand because it is an invisible psychological tension. DIS/TOR/TED WH!$P€R$ aims to put a visual on this hidden psychological discomfort; knowing that each experiences this discomfort differently, a visual representation of what might be happening in the brain is enough for one to understand and see what might be happening in their own cognition.

Contextual Research