Dance as a Community of Practice: Exploring Dance Groups in the Kansas City Area through the Lifespan
Abstract
This dissertation examines the embodied cultural practice of dance among several
groups in the Kansas City area. The dance groups were studied as Communities of Practice
(CoP), as outlined in the Lave-Wenger model of CoP. The CoP model uses the
complementary concepts of “reified structures” and “peripheral participation” to explain
social learning. This dissertation argues that participation in dance activities creates body
schema and social bonds that make dance a powerful mechanism for learning and teaching
social behaviors. The dance groups studied covered a spectrum of dance genres, including
folkloric, popular, hip-hop, ballroom, ballet, and modern dance. Data were collected from
participant observation, interviews, archives, cable TV shows, websites, and published
materials. Archival documentation included photographic and video materials, as well as
survey data available for secondary analysis. Grounded Theory Methodology based on
qualitative data was deemed the most appropriate approach. By examining these dance
groups, certain social processes were consistently observed, including 1) similarities in
dance practice across groups led to similar social practices and processes over the lifespan;
2) differences in dance genre aesthetic structure were associated with different forms of CoP
structure and organization; the more structured the aesthetic of the dance genre, the more
structured and hierarchical the organization of the dance group; 3) certain factors/attributes
of the CoPs contributed to the dance group’s robustness and longevity; and 4) the mediation
of time and space with other dancers during dance served as a model of interactions between
self and others and developed the skills of collaboration. Overall, this study found the
sharing and mediation of time and space during dance shaped individual social interactions
into increasingly cooperative and collaborative activities. Also, the aesthetic structure of the
dance genre was associated with the dance group's hierarchical social structure.
Table of Contents
The project -- Literature review -- Methodology -- Historical context -- Theoretical bases of embodied behavior and social interaction -- Analysis of social dance from a meadian perspective -- Results: analysis of data as community practice -- Conclusion and discussion -- Appendix A. Culture through Ballroom Dance Questionnaire Documents -- Appendix B. Informed Permission Statement -- Appendix C. Models and Diagrams -- Appendix D. Historic Dance Photographs -- Appendix E. Photographs Illustrating Taxonomy
Degree
Ph.D.