Effect of Teaching with Mirrors on Ballet Dance Performance

Abstract

This study assessed the effect of mirrors on the dance performance of beginning college ballet students in the classroom setting, using an evaluation methodology developed for this study. 13 women enrolled in one ballet class were taught using mirrors, 14 women in a second beginning ballet class were taught without mirrors. Both classes were taught by the same instructor. All students were videotaped performing the same adagio and grand allegro phrase during Weeks 5 and 14 of the 14-wk. term. At the end of the semester two ballet teachers viewed the videotapes for both classes. One evaluator was the instructor, and the other was a blind reviewer who had no knowledge of which was the mirror and nonmirror class during the evaluation process. They were instructed to choose a score for each dancer with anchors of 1: low skill and 5: high skill for both the adagio and allegro phrases. High interrater reliability was noted for both the adagio and allegro phrase data. In the nonmirror class, there was a significant increase in adagio scores, but no significant increases in adagio and allegro scores for the mirror class. These results suggest that the use of the mirror in a ballet classroom may negatively affect skill acquisition of the dancer.

Effect of teaching with or without mirror on balance in young female ballet students

“…Radell et al [17] suggest that the use of the mirror in a ballet classroom may negatively affect the skill acquisition of a dancer. Some years later, the same authors concluded that while the use of a mirror has some benefits in training, higher performing dancers feel better about their body image when they do not use a mirror [18].…”

Usability Evaluation of Kinect-Based System for Ballet Movements

“…Studies by Radell et al [12] have suggested that the use of a mirror in a ballet classroom may negatively affect the skill acquisition of the dancer and ultimately impact their performance, which has contradicted the results from Dearborn et al [3]. The first study [12] has concluded that while 85.7 % of dancers remarked that the use of mirrors has influenced their understanding of the concepts taught, satisfaction with overall appearance decreased for high performing dancers in a mirrored class [11].…”

“…Studies by Radell et al [12] have suggested that the use of a mirror in a ballet classroom may negatively affect the skill acquisition of the dancer and ultimately impact their performance, which has contradicted the results from Dearborn et al [3]. The first study [12] has concluded that while 85.7 % of dancers remarked that the use of mirrors has influenced their understanding of the concepts taught, satisfaction with overall appearance decreased for high performing dancers in a mirrored class [11]. Green has expressed, in a critique of traditional dance instruction, "the constant focus on an externalized view of the body, as reflected in the mirror, objectifies the dancer's body and requires students to strive to achieve a specific 'look' while being 'corrected' so the students perform 'proper' dance technique" [7].…”

The body as a tool: professional classical ballet dancers’ embodiment

“…The mirrorwhich significantly affects classical ballet dancers -projects a one-dimensional reflection of the superficial body shape. However, at the very moment of reflection, the attitudes, judgements and criticisms of the subject regarding such an image also take place (Radell, Adame and Cole 2002;Radell, Adame, and Cole 2003;Radell, Adame and Steven 2004). There is a particular representation of the 'ideal' body (which either exists or needs to be formed) prevailing among professional dancers (Bronhorst et al 2001;Helen 1995;Tiggemann 2001).…”