"Moving for Pleasure": The Positive Experiences of Women in Contemporary Dance

Abstract

My purpose in this research was to examine women contemporary dancers’ positive experiences. While previous research in women’s dance experiences exit, it tends to focus on the negative outcomes of dance participation. Using a phenomenologically inspired approach I sought to answer the following the research questions: (a) What dance training experiences are interpreted as positive experiences by continuing contemporary dancers?; (b) How do dancers overcome challenges in dance training?; and (c) How do dancers think others may be encouraged to continue dance? I interviewed 8 dancers from a university-based contemporary dance group to discover that they defined their dance experiences as mainly positive and believed dance to be beneficial to their lifestyles. These experiences were connected to three main themes: positive physical experiences in dance, positive experiences related to dance identity, and the recreational dance environment.