Logo image
Back
The nature of ongoing dance engagement and identity as a dancer in the identity and professional development of the emerging dance/movement therapist
Thesis   Open access

The nature of ongoing dance engagement and identity as a dancer in the identity and professional development of the emerging dance/movement therapist

Stephanie Gail Ross
Master of Arts (M.A.), Drexel University
Jun 2010
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/etd-3360
pdf
Ross_Stephanie_2010302.77 kBDownloadView
PDF Open Access Open Access (License Unspecified)

Abstract

Dance therapy Identity (Psychology)
The objective of this research is to understand how the dance/movement therapy student integrates identities and activities as a dancer in the process of becoming a dance/movement therapist. The researcher conducted individual, semi-structured phone interview surveys with nine second year dance/movement therapy graduate students of American Dance Therapy Association approved Dance/Movement Therapy Master's programs. The interviews consisted of open- and close-ended questions and included an embedded artistic inquiry process. At the time of the interview, participants were engaging in dance activity as little as zero times a month, to as much as 9 to 12 times a month. Only two participants were satisfied with their respective amount of engagement in dance activity. Six participants identified as dancers, three did not. Of those three, two identified as a dancer at one time, one never did. Common themes from the movement data include inner and outer attention, contained versus expanded movement, grounding and preparing movement, alternating between extremes, and self-care. Results indicated that all participants are committed to careers as dance/movement therapists; and all, regardless of dancer identity, foresee a future that incorporates both dance and dance/movement therapy activities. Limitations of the study include a small recruitment response and not allowing for greater participant reflection on the artistic inquiry. Clinical applications include dance/movement therapy faculty encouraging students to engage in self-care activities that include dance; the addition of a dance course to the dance/movement therapy curriculum; and the use of this study as an experiential exercise for current dance/movement therapy students. Implications for future research include conducting the same study with a sample of participants that are more diverse by culture and gender; allowing for greater reflection and interpretation of the movement phrases by the participants; and the use of the Artistic Inquiry method in future studies to allow for deeper reflections and discoveries.

Metrics

39 File views/ downloads
37 Record Views

Details

Logo image