In many dance competitions in North America, performances of sexualized choreography have become normalized. One result is that bodies of girl dancers are increasingly constructed as sexual objects. Sexual objectification is highly problematic for the development of girls' self-identities, body image, psychological health, and overall wellbeing.…

The Feldenkrais Method® (FM) is a form of somatic education aiming to increase brain-body communication, reportedly via interoceptive mechanisms. Although empirically proven to improve perceived interoceptive ability and psychological well-being in adults, feasibility in adolescents remains unclear. We therefore used a combined randomized…

This study investigates the impact of partial versus full mirror use on body image in a beginner-level ballet class. At the end of a seven-week period, researchers distributed an online survey inclusive of qualitative questions to two groups of female collegiate students enrolled in separate beginner-level ballet courses taught by the same…

In this article, utilizing the Graham Technique as a tool, I discuss strategies I use in my class to support dance as a way to challenge or transcend sanctioned female identities by shifting the focus from presentation to self-discovery, encouraging ownership of the movement, and exploring a range of physicalities that embody different aspects of…

This study sought to develop a system for observing dance activities in the classroom environment (SODANCE) based on the system for observing fitness instructional time (SOFIT). SODANCE utilizes direct observation to quantify the physical activity intensity of dance activities. Female students aged 11-17 years participated in an activity protocol…

This paper describes a dance-based research project conducted at the Department of Early Childhood Education of the University of Thessaly. The main aim of the project was to explore the possibilities of dance in understanding the self in relation to the world, under the perspective of the transformative learning theory. The methodology applied…

The purpose of this paper is to examine nine Australian young women's embodied experiences of dance. The young women were all amateur dancers involved in weekly jazz, tap, and ballet dance classes at the same dance studio. In this paper, embodiment is defined as multidimensional (Burkitt 1999). The authors explore the ways the corporeal and the…

In this paper, we propose a community-based dance programme designed for North Korean female defectors in South Korea, with the aim of promoting their physical, psychological, and interpersonal aspects. We set up four research objectives: to look into social contexts of North Korean female refugees in South Korea, to identify the women's desire…

This qualitative study explored the use of metaphor within a somatic context as a means to bridge the divide between technique and expression in two undergraduate advanced intermediate ballet classes. Data included surveys, classroom observations, student journal responses and student work, as well as surveys and journal responses, one year after…

Participation in physical activities, in and out of school, remains heavily influenced by social constructions of gendered behaviour. In addition, the body plays a significant part in the presentation of legitimate performances of physical practice and the construction of a physical "identity". The consequence is that in formalized…

This article investigates (i) how the structuring practices and meanings associated with dance classes at an inner-city American high school operated as institutional spaces (re)producing "dividing practices" that supported racial and classed hierarchies; (ii) how these racist structures were created and maintained relative to dominant notions of…

This article highlights the perspectives of young women who have participated in dance for many years. Their viewpoints reveal the unique multimodal nature of embodied learning; in dance classes, teachers and learners communicate through a variety of modes: visual, auditory, kinesthetic, spatial, musical, tactile, gestural, and linguistic. The…