About the Research

The purpose of this doctoral research project was to explore the role of dance science and somatic movement perspectives in Canadian undergraduate dance degree programs in order to better understand the contributions of these perspectives to humanizing dance teaching and learning experiences and flourishing in and through dance. The research involved three post-secondary university dance programs in Canada and four studies that addressed the following research questions:

1. What are the opportunities and challenges related to dancer wellness in my professional practice and setting?
2. What can be learned from the perspectives and experiences of dance majors in Canadian undergraduate dance programs that could inform understanding of healthy and humanizing dance teaching and learning?
3. What can be learned from experienced dance teachers about the influence and use of dance science and somatic movement perspectives in contemporary dance techniques courses?
4. How can dance science and somatic movement perspectives be integrated in a contemporary dance techniques course in innovative ways that promote embodied flourishing in and through dance?

Dance science: a scientific approach to dance that aims to enhance the physiological and psychological functioning of dancers.

• Dancer wellness/safe and healthy dance practice: protecting dancer health, optimizing dance performance, and prolonging dance participation by applying dance science concepts that support optimal physical and psychological functioning in dance contexts.

Somatics: practices and processes that increase awareness of one's lived and embodied experiences to enhance agency and overall wellness.

• ​Ecosocial somatics: understanding the individual living bodymind as connected to the sociocultural and ecological contexts in which it is situated.
• Embodiment: a complex construct and multilevel process which sees the body as subject, object, and agent embedded within a socio-material world.

Flourishing: the optimal continuing development of, and living well as, a human being.
Humanizing: a relational process of becoming and seeing others as completely human.

Methods

Qualitative inquiry guided the pursuit of the research purpose and questions through three phases.

1. The first phase involved a critical reflection and review of the dancer wellness construct.
2. The second phase involved two concurrent studies that had field work designs and used interpretive description methodology. Data was collected through class observations, questionnaires, semi-structured focus group interviews with undergraduate dancer majors and individual interviews with undergraduate contemporary dance teachers. Data analysis used methods suggested by interpretive description methodology. ​​
3. The third phase involved a study embedded within a contemporary dance techniques course for dance majors. It had a participatory action research design and used critical creativity methodology. The instructor and students from the course embarked on a collaborative research process through five cycles of data collection and analysis. Data collection methods included class observations, group discussions, individual and group creative projects, questionnaires, and reflective journals. Data was analyzed using an approach informed by reflexive thematic analysis.

Critical reflection and review: a personal reflection and literature review using a critical lens to unearth and interrogate assumptions, actions, and practices.
Interpretive description (Thorne): a constructivist methodology that uses naturalistic data collection techniques and allows for the integration of theoretical and disciplinary knowledge for the purpose of developing applied findings.
Critical creativity (Titchen & McCormack): an arts-informed participatory action research methodology that views transformation as a means and end to human flourishing through through adaptive cycles of planning, acting, observing/analyzing and creative reflecting.

Knowledge Translation

The results are reported in Andrea's doctoral dissertation, Dance Science, Somatic Movement, and Embodied Human Flourishing in and through Canadian Undergraduate Dance Degree Programs.

The results of the studies have been (and will also be) shared with dance educators and scholars in conference presentations, peer-reviewed scholarly journal articles, dance pedagogy courses, and dance teacher workshops. Visit the links below to learn more about the research results:

• Phase One:
  • Several conference presentations, (Re)Visiting Dancer Wellness (video), Equity-Informed Dancer Wellness (article)
• Phase Two:
  • Several conference presentations, two articles COMING SOON...
• Phase Three:
  • Several conference presentations, two articles COMING SOON...
• ​Interludes:
  • Andrea's dissertation also includes a series of autoethnographic interludes that reflect on lived experiences of dance, disability and dissertations; article COMING SOON...

Email Andrea E. Downie, PhD for more information.

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Support and Acknowledgements

This doctoral research was supported by Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the University of Calgary Kinesiology Dean's Doctoral Scholarship (KDDS), and an esteemed committee that included Dr. Sarah Kenny, Dr. Meghan McDonough, Dr. Cari Din, and Dr. Melanie Kloetzel.