Governed and Liberated Bodies: Experiences of Young Female Competitive Dancers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18357/jcs00019177Keywords:
dance; self-determination theory; Foucault; habitusAbstract
Dancers’ bodies are governed by rules, training, and expectations, yet dancers often report dance to be liberating and a source of emotional expression. In this study, a document analysis of the rules associated with 15 Canadian competitions was combined with focus groups conducted with 15 female dancers. These dancers had transitioned from competitive dance studio contexts as girls to training and competing at a postsecondary level. Applying a multidisciplinary theoretical approach that drew from self-determination theory, Foucault, and Bourdieu, we discovered that collectively these theories provide insights into the complex and contradictory world of competitive dance.
Downloads
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Authors contributing to the Journal of Childhood Studies agree to release their articles under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 International license. This licence allows anyone to share their work (copy, distribute, transmit) and to adapt it for non-commercial purposes provided that appropriate attribution is given, and that in the event of reuse or distribution, the terms of this license are made clear.
Authors retain copyright of their work and grant the journal right of first publication.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
