ERIC Number: EJ1431221
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 5
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2373-4822
EISSN: EISSN-2373-4841
Thick Like Me: Uprooting Racism and Sizeism from the Dance Classroom
Alesondra Christmas Stapleton; Jazelynn Goudy; Davianna Griffin
Dance Education in Practice, v10 n2 p4-8 2024
Dance educators, as the face of dance education, are responsible for teaching and promoting dance equitably regardless of whose body executes the movement. Sizeism and racism have often been the unspoken standards used by dancers and educators to judge the development and proficiency of professional and aspiring dancers. Although seeing these as independent issues of a dancer's identity can be tempting, according to the authors, they would be remiss not to acknowledge the larger systemic forms of oppression at work in the dance field. Racism, sexism, and sizeism often morph and combine to create specific forms of discrimination and obstacles for thick Black women in dance. Uprooting racism and sizeism in dance requires a collective shift and reimagination of or away from the status quo. Every person should feel that they can learn to dance in any classroom regardless of race, gender, or body size. As co-authors, the authors created Thick Like Me, a dance-centered organization to support building justice and liberation in the field. Thick Like Me programming provides an intersectional analysis of racism, sexism, and fatphobia to advocate for thick Black women in dance and beyond. Dance should promote holistic health and body liberation in which all bodies are valued, welcomed, and unharmed.
Descriptors: Dance Education, Racism, Body Weight, Social Discrimination, Self Concept, Body Composition, Dance, Teacher Role, Equal Education, Inclusion, Misconceptions, African American Education, Females, Program Design, Intersectionality, Power Structure, Disadvantaged, Organizations (Groups), Holistic Approach, Social Justice
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A