Dance Science, Somatic Movement, and Embodied Human Flourishing in and through Canadian Undergraduate Dance Degree Programs

Abstract

Dance in higher education needs to be re-imagined in response to the increasing precarity and complexity of the 21st century. Preparing students for flourishing futures is often frustrated by dominant dance discourses and imitation teaching that perpetuate outdated narratives, teaching methods, and training practices. Dance science and somatic movement are commonly integrated into undergraduate dance programs to enhance dance wellness, creativity, and performance but have different epistemologies. The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the roles of dance science and somatic movement perspectives in Canadian undergraduate dance degree programs to better understand their contribution to humanizing dance teaching and learning experiences and promoting flourishing. A multi-phase research project with a pragmatic design integrated multiple worldviews and methodologies. A critical reflection and review of dancer wellness revealed a need for increased focus on interpersonal, institutional, and systemic dimensions of wellness. An interpretive description of experiences of second-, third-, and fourth-year dance majors found that several significant transitions inherent in the undergraduate dance journey could be eased by those who design and deliver programs. While an interpretive description of experiences of contemporary dance teaching artists found that teachers leverage robust knowledge of dance and somatics to innovate movement in their courses. However, limited knowledge of dance science and pedagogy complicates the teaching process. Finally, a participatory action research study that employed critical creativity in a first-year contemporary dance course found that teacher and students can navigate the tensions between scientific and somatic perspectives. Results demonstrated that combining applied dance science principles and ecosocial somatic movement processes can empower individual and collective change and support embodied flourishing in complex conditions. Overall, results suggested that dance science and somatic movement have roles in supporting integrative learning, expanding embodied knowledge, and introducing epistemic plurality in undergraduate dance programs. Combining these perspectives could address the ongoing problem of dehumanization in dance and help students make multi-level connections that foster empathy, embodiment, and flourishing. A framework for embodied human flourishing in and through undergraduate dance programs is offered to support efforts to re-imagine dance program design and delivery.