Soviet bodies in Canadian DanceSport: identities and culture in four competitive ballroom dance studios

ABSTRACT

This article examines the processes of cultural transfer and cross-pollination within four diasporic DanceSport studios located in major cities in Canada. It focuses on first- and second-generation Soviet-Canadian competitive ballroom dancers and their experiences with identity as a diasporic community. Through an ethnographic study, it explores the adaptations of these dancers to the Canadian DanceSport industry and the roots of their teaching methodologies in Soviet physical culture. Using narrative vignettes based on fieldwork and examined through a Dance Studies lens, this article shows how the participants navigated the expectations of their parents’ and coaches’ traditional Soviet upbringing and used multicultural identities in their approach to dance practice and daily interactions. This analysis is tied to the parallel yet divergent evolution of educational methodologies in the former USSR and Canada and illustrates how the DanceSport industry was nudged by these migrant dancers toward a focus on athletic excellence, while the dancers themselves adapted to social dance pedagogy and commercialization of ballroom dance in North America. Using interview excerpts and observations, this research gives voice to practitioners and aims to increase awareness of migration flows and cultural influences in DanceSport.

KEYWORDS:

• dancesport
• ballroom
• immigration
• Soviet Union
• cultural identity
• dance education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. A result of strong influence from Electronic Dance Music in many Latin American classics remastered for DanceSport.

2. A dance of Cuban origin, deriving from Danzón-Mambo. It is based on 4/4 time, played at 112–120 beats per minute, with 3 even crochet beats and two quavers on the 4^th count into leading to an emphasis on the first beat. It is characterized by a Chassé movement that is danced on the 4 & 1 count, which gives the name to dance itself. It is defined in DanceSport by the dancers as expressing flirtation and playfulness. See Table 1 for the list of dances and categories.

3. Ballroom dance is now the term used to describe social ballroom dancing, while DanceSport is used to discuss competitive ballroom dancing. This terminology came into effect in 1997 when competitive ballroom dancing was recognized (but not included) as an Olympic sport (World DanceSport Federation n.d.)

4. I define resistance here in manner similar to Pickett (1996) and Imada (2012), whereby it does not destroy the status quo but demonstrates its limitations.

5. Pseudonyms were given to each studio to retain anonymity.

6. Except for the pilot study, all the studios were also owned and operated by Soviet-Canadian coaches.

7. Detailed interview transcripts are available in the appendices section of my dissertation. https://yorkspace.library.yorku.ca/xmlui/handle/10315/35021

8. Albeit without the communist propaganda.

9. Such strategies are not universal and are generally used only within a strong student–coach relationship bond.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

David Outevsky

Dr. Outevsky is a researcher and educator in dance studies and dance science. He holds an MSc in Dance Science, and a PhD in Dance Studies. His research revolves around the transnational identity of the socialist dancing body, where he investigates the experiences of former Soviet nationals in the North American ballroom dance industry. Additionally, his physical education research deals with conditioning methodologies and screening protocols for dance. David's work has been published in the Journal of Emerging Dance Scholars, Medical Problems of Performing Artists, Jacob’s Journal of Sports Medicine, and Research In Dance Education. He has presented at conferences for the Dance Studies Association, International Association of Dance Medicine and Science, and Healthy Dancer Canada. Having served as a faculty member at York University and the University of Calgary, he taught several courses for the dance department including Dance History, Dance Aesthetics, and Dance Kinesiology. Dr. Outevsky now provides professional development workshops to dance educators through his new project Outevsky Bespoke Dance Education (outevsky.com) where he synthesizes all of his knowledge into one accessible platform.