Kiara Braswell is a current 4th year dance major at Drexel University after completing 3 years in The University of the Arts School of Dance program before its closing. She uses dance as a vehicle to explore her faith through praise and worship. Kiara was born in Dayton, Ohio and spent the majority of her life in Georgia. Her family has now settled in Crestview Florida where she intends to begin building on her career. Her goal is to one day direct a dance company with a foundation built on the exploration of faith through dance. To begin a movement rooted in the exploration of faith through movement, creating a space for people—regardless of their religious background—to engage in these conversations.

For her senior thesis project Kiara has been developing a film titled “Dance-ship-ology,”  which is a combination of the words Dance and worshipology. The film consists of interviews and dance performances to begin a conversation about praise dance. The goal of this film is to study worship through dance and express how it has impacted the people around her. Through this film she aims to make this topic more accessible for people who were not raised in religious settings or spiritual spaces that welcomed dance. Kiara’s goal is not to teach people what praise dance is, instead she wants to open up the conversation to find out all that it can be.

Kiara will present her senior thesis film during the Drexel Dance Senior Class Showcase on April 12th at 5pm and 7pm in the 418 Main Building Dance Studio. Kiara’s project will also be presented in full at the Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships on May 15th.