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Somatic Authority and the Myth of the Ideal Body in Dance Education

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 July 2014

Jill Green
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Recently, the field of somatics has provided dance scholarship with a growing body of literature. Research has been conducted in the areas of dance science and education. Dance medicine and somatic education scholars have been able to help dance teachers find ways of using the body effectively in technique classes. For example, Glenna Batson (1990, 1993) and Sylvie Fortin (1993, 1995) have investigated the role of somatics in the improvement of technical dance skills. Further, Fortin (1995) has investigated learning and teaching theory as applied to somatics and dance pedagogy.

As a somaticist and educator, I acknowledge and appreciate the impressive work conducted by these researchers and educators. However, my current work moves somatics into another direction. I am interested in looking at somatic theory and practice through a socio-cultural lens. I am particularly interested in investigating how the body is shaped by society and the dance world, in which performers constantly strive for perfection.

Type
Articles
Information
Dance Research Journal , Volume 31 , Issue 2 , Fall 1999 , pp. 80 - 100
Copyright
Copyright © Congress on Research in Dance 1999

References

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