ERIC Number: EJ1029498
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1464-7893
EISSN: N/A
My Body and Its Reflection: A Case Study of Eight Dance Students and the Mirror in the Ballet Classroom
Radell, Sally Anne; Keneman, Margaret Lynn; Adame, Daniel D.; Cole, Steven P.
Research in Dance Education, v15 n2 p161-178 2014
This qualitative study investigated the impact of the mirror on a dancer's body image. Two groups of students enrolled in beginner ballet classes were taught the same classroom material; one group was taught with mirrors, the other, without. At the end of the semester four students from each class were randomly selected to participate in a private interview. Students were asked questions alluding to their experience in the classroom either with or without the mirror. Most students felt that the mirror is a necessary tool to facilitate their technical growth in a ballet class. However, further analysis of the interviews suggested that the student dancers experienced body objectification as they compared their physical selves to the images they saw in the mirror. Opportunities to take advantage of their kinaesthetic sensations to stimulate technical growth were not always possible as their concentration was focused on the reflection of individual body parts in the mirror. Researchers concluded that the mirror in the dance classroom can be an instigator of poor body image.
Descriptors: Self Concept, Dance, Dance Education, Case Studies, Qualitative Research, Interviews, Student Attitudes, College Students, Females, Feedback (Response), Kinesthetic Perception, Visual Aids, Educational Equipment, Teaching Methods
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A