Dancers and the livedbody: Revising the dance ideal.

Abstract

Using multiple case methodology, this study investigated the meaning of dance in the lives of nine women dancers ranging in age from twenty-four to fifty. Through a series of open-ended interviews these nine women spoke about their life-histories in dance. These interviews were transcribed and arrayed to display information about four activities: taking class, performing, teaching, and choreographing. Within these activities were discerned themes relating to identity formation, narcissistic development, and the flow of the livedbody experience. Multiple-case methodology in using a hermeneutic process, related the life-history in dance of each woman to the stories of the other women, providing a new context for evaluating and underst and ing each story. At the same time, each story enriched and amplified the meaning of dance in women's lives. In this methodology the goal is toward completeness of underst and ing. As such the data remain open to interpretation as new life-stories from dance are added to the process. Through exposure to the activities of the dance culture each woman developed a dance ideal which became integrated into her identity. When her dance ideal was tied to a narcissistic vulnerability, then the integrity of the self-structure was contingent upon success in dance. Disappointment in dance was experienced as a narcissistic injury. However, the dance ideal could function more autonomously when the self-structure was less vulnerable. Under these conditions participation in dance became a process of synchronization of body, speech, and mind which was described as the livedbody experience. In the livedbody the dancer's identity became submerged into the dance releasing feelings of freedom, efficacy, beauty, and power. However, among the dancers the livedbody was referred to only indirectly even though the livedbody experience seemed to be the primary incentive for a commitment to dance.