Dance to support physical literacy and embodiment for older adults: A case study from the instructor’s perspective (Vanessa Paglione)
Purpose: The purpose of this case study is to understand a dance instructor’s perceptions of how participation in a weekly community dance class can support physical literacy and embodiment for older adults.
Participants: A mid-career dance professional teaching a community dance class for older adults that transitioned from in-person to online in response to the COVID-19 pandemic was recruited to participate in the study.
Procedure: A constructivist philosophy was utilized for this study (Creswell & Poth, 2013). Three semi-structured interviews were conducted, lasting approximately 90 minutes each. Interviews focused on instructor perceptions of: (1) how dancing influences participants who attend a weekly community dance class, (2) their pedagogical choices in the preparation and delivery of the dance classes, (3) the ways in which physical literacy (Whitehead, 2010) and embodiment (Svendler Nielsen, 2015) are included within the dance class, and (4) how social connection is facilitated. Reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2019) was used to analyze transcripts.
Results: Five themes were generated through our analysis: (1) the coffee and cookies might be the most important part; (2) everyone can walk away feeling successful at something; (3) a space where dancers can be creative, expressive, and have autonomy; (4) supporting physical, emotional and psychological needs; and (5) online classes are not quite the same.
Conclusions: The importance of the dance instructor and the key influences that they bring to the delivery of the dance class are instrumental in designing recreational programming that supports physical literacy and embodiment for older adults.
Relevance to conference theme: Our ‘dance for health’ research is aligned with Healthy Dancer Canada’s 2021 conference themes as it advances current literature focused on understanding how dancing can support Canada’s aging population (Bohnert et al., 2015). This case study is novel because it examines a dance instructor’s reflections of class design and delivery, including their in-person methods and their process of adapting to online methods in response to the global pandemic, so that continued access to dance programing could be offered. It is anticipated that HDC members and conference attendees will gain insight into specific instructional strategies that support physical literacy and embodiment for older adults who dance.
References
Bohnert, N., Chagnon, J., & Dion, P. (2015). Population Projections for Canada (2013-2063),
Provinces and Territories (2013 to 2038). Statistics Canada.
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/91-520-x/91-520-x2014001-eng.pdf
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2019). Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis. Qualitative Research
in Sport, Exercise and Health, 11(4), 589-597.
https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2019.1628806
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2013). Philosophical assumptions and interpretive frameworks.
In Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among five approaches (pp. 15-33).
Sage.
Svendler Nielsen, C. (2015). Exploring Learning in Dance as an Artistic Educational Practice. In
C. Svendler Nielsen & S. Burridge (Eds.), Dance Education around the World:
Perpectives on dance, young people and change (pp. 117-126). Routledge.
Whitehead, M. (2010). The concept of physical literacy. In M. Whitehead (Ed.), Physical
Literacy Throughout the Lifecourse (pp. 10-20). Routledge.
Participants: A mid-career dance professional teaching a community dance class for older adults that transitioned from in-person to online in response to the COVID-19 pandemic was recruited to participate in the study.
Procedure: A constructivist philosophy was utilized for this study (Creswell & Poth, 2013). Three semi-structured interviews were conducted, lasting approximately 90 minutes each. Interviews focused on instructor perceptions of: (1) how dancing influences participants who attend a weekly community dance class, (2) their pedagogical choices in the preparation and delivery of the dance classes, (3) the ways in which physical literacy (Whitehead, 2010) and embodiment (Svendler Nielsen, 2015) are included within the dance class, and (4) how social connection is facilitated. Reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2019) was used to analyze transcripts.
Results: Five themes were generated through our analysis: (1) the coffee and cookies might be the most important part; (2) everyone can walk away feeling successful at something; (3) a space where dancers can be creative, expressive, and have autonomy; (4) supporting physical, emotional and psychological needs; and (5) online classes are not quite the same.
Conclusions: The importance of the dance instructor and the key influences that they bring to the delivery of the dance class are instrumental in designing recreational programming that supports physical literacy and embodiment for older adults.
Relevance to conference theme: Our ‘dance for health’ research is aligned with Healthy Dancer Canada’s 2021 conference themes as it advances current literature focused on understanding how dancing can support Canada’s aging population (Bohnert et al., 2015). This case study is novel because it examines a dance instructor’s reflections of class design and delivery, including their in-person methods and their process of adapting to online methods in response to the global pandemic, so that continued access to dance programing could be offered. It is anticipated that HDC members and conference attendees will gain insight into specific instructional strategies that support physical literacy and embodiment for older adults who dance.
References
Bohnert, N., Chagnon, J., & Dion, P. (2015). Population Projections for Canada (2013-2063),
Provinces and Territories (2013 to 2038). Statistics Canada.
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/91-520-x/91-520-x2014001-eng.pdf
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2019). Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis. Qualitative Research
in Sport, Exercise and Health, 11(4), 589-597.
https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2019.1628806
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2013). Philosophical assumptions and interpretive frameworks.
In Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among five approaches (pp. 15-33).
Sage.
Svendler Nielsen, C. (2015). Exploring Learning in Dance as an Artistic Educational Practice. In
C. Svendler Nielsen & S. Burridge (Eds.), Dance Education around the World:
Perpectives on dance, young people and change (pp. 117-126). Routledge.
Whitehead, M. (2010). The concept of physical literacy. In M. Whitehead (Ed.), Physical
Literacy Throughout the Lifecourse (pp. 10-20). Routledge.
Vanessa Paglione |
Vanessa Paglione is a MSc student at the University of Calgary, supervised by Drs. Sarah Kenny and Meghan McDonough. She received her Bachelors of Kinesiology with a minor in dance, from the University of Calgary in 2018, where she was introduced to the field of dance science research. Vanessa’s Master’s thesis examines the role that community dance can play in supporting individual’s physical literacy and successful aging. Vanessa is also interested in looking at how to implement community dance programs. Beyond Vanessa’s research interest in dance for health, she also works as a dance educator. Vanessa has been teaching since 2012 and holds her Associate in Imperial Ballet and Modern Theatre from the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing which she received under the direction of Shirley Agate-Proust. Vanessa shares her passion of dance with her students by teaching at various private dance studios in Calgary, Alberta.
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