Feminist pedagogy, body image, and the dance technique class

Manifestations of surveillance in private sector dance education: the implicit challenges of integrating technology

“…The matrix of in-studio embodied relationships in dance education conventionally relished by dancers, teachers and choreographers is changing with the use of new technologies. Traditionally, the dance studio is a panoptic environment where expectations are well defined and dancers are taught to self-regulate behaviour through constant surveillance by teachers and peers, as well as self-surveil through the use of the mirrors (Barr and Oliver 2016;Berg 2015;Ritenburg 2010;Zeller 2017). However, the addition of closed-circuit television (CCTV) used in private-sector studios, which can be live-streamed, causes the level of dancers' performativity in the traditionally panoptic environment to be amplified in response to the ever-present digital extension of self through media (Berg 2015).…”

“…Second, this paper extends the argument to include how the imagined audience produced by social media plays a role in reinforcing dance's established exclusionary aesthetic as dancers adapt their images to meet perceived audience expectations and build cultural capital. The discussion section explores the ways in which the imagined audience created by CCTV, as well as 'various interpersonal electronic techniques' (Nemorin 2017), add a new dimension to already existing concerns in the field of dance education by perpetuating commodification of dance education, perpetuation of the status quo, and the operation of Whiteness (Barr and Oliver 2016;Berg 2015;Davis 2018;Saiphoo and Vahedi 2019).…”

Challenging conceptions of gender: UK dance teachers’ perceptions of boys and girls in the ballet studio

“…Many dance genres, and especially ballet, are taught in a traditional manner that values authoritarianism and 'patriarchal' teaching methods; students are required to be docile, obedient and unquestioning (Alterowitz, 2014;Whiteside and Kelly, 2016). Emphasis, in the traditional model, is placed on technique, rather than creativity, and in their pursuit of perfection, students are supposed to embrace such expectations of behaviour in the dance studio (Barr and Oliver, 2016). Such a teaching style often produces binary positions of 'right' and 'wrong' (Barr, 2013), however, and places barriers to experiencing creativity through improvisation and developing a sense of agency.…”

“…The traditional, authoritarian pedagogic model in dance focuses on technique, and can create binary concepts of right and wrong (Barr, 2013;Pickard, 2012). The power dynamics appear to be deeply ingrained, and expectations within such a model are that students are passive, docile and unquestioning, and that the teacher is powerful and all knowing (Alterowitz, 2014; Barr and Oliver, 2016). Such an approach has been argued to stifle creativity and disempower students, which has led to calls to move towards more empowering pedagogies that listen to and respect the student voices and treat students as individuals (Alterowitz, 2014;Barr and Oliver, 2016).…”

“…The power dynamics appear to be deeply ingrained, and expectations within such a model are that students are passive, docile and unquestioning, and that the teacher is powerful and all knowing (Alterowitz, 2014; Barr and Oliver, 2016). Such an approach has been argued to stifle creativity and disempower students, which has led to calls to move towards more empowering pedagogies that listen to and respect the student voices and treat students as individuals (Alterowitz, 2014;Barr and Oliver, 2016). The authoritarian model is, however, rarely challenged within the dance studio, as females and males are often institutionalised into such ideals at a young age.…”