Abstract
In higher education dance programs, classical forms like ballet often “look in” to preserve tradition, centering power in inherited aesthetics that reinforce heteronormativity and gender binarism. This study repositions ballet as a critical lens for engaging with social realities, presenting the classroom as a socially responsive space that participates in discourses surrounding gender, identity, and power. A redesigned undergraduate course invites students to explore gender beyond their assigned sex at birth, responding to both student need and rising political restrictions on inclusive pedagogy. The course poses the question: Which publics are served by traditional dance curricula, and who is excluded? Grounded in feminist ballet pedagogies, tempered radicalism, and sociological theories of “doing gender,” the course incorporates Functional Awareness® principles to support embodied inquiry. Through an IRB-approved, mixed-methods study at a large, open-enrollment university in a religiously conservative region, the research traces how students navigate, resist, and reimagine gender in and through movement. Data collection methods include surveys, written reflections, and classroom observation. Findings reveal that students were challenged to understand gender as performative with evolving perspectives shaped by institutional norms and varying levels of readiness. The intervention critiques how dominant art world structures shape both content and audience, who gets seen, heard, and affirmed, and underscores the urgency of redefining artistic practice in shifting cultural contexts. The study points to the need for adaptable, inclusive pedagogy that counters entrenched structures in the arts and cultivates exploratory, student-centered spaces.
Presenters
Jamie A. JohnsonAssociate Professor of Ballet and Chair of the Department of Dance, Dance, Utah Valley University, United States Christa St John
Assistant Professor of Ballet and Ballet Program Coordinator, Department of Dance, Utah Valley University, Utah, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
The Arts in Social, Political, and Community Life
KEYWORDS
INCLUSIVE PEDAGOGY, MEASURED ADVOCACY, EMBODIED INQUIRY, CURRICULAR REFORM
