This dissertation analyses the use of performance as a form of unlegislated, grassroots activism through the case study of Franziska Boas (1902-1988), an American dancer, teacher, choreographer, percussionist and theorist. Boas's commitment to social change and the diverse nature of her activities provide entry into some of the most radical twentieth-century ideas involving education, therapy, political affiliation, performance theory and practice, gender and race.