Humanizing Creativity and the Development of Collegiate Dancers’ Political Identities

ABSTRACT

Colleges and universities are increasingly called on to prepare students for the demands of democracy. Students’ ability to rise to these challenges depends in part on the development of political identity. As of yet, little research centers on how political identity is linked to creative processes found within dance programs. Given the significance of the rehearsal studio and the stage as sites where college students potentially engage with politics, the purpose of this qualitative case study is to illuminate connections between humanizing creativity and students’ applications of their political identities, thereby providing a vision for arts practices that serve as contributors to a flourishing democratic society. This study focuses on a student-choreographed work that explores themes including the role of the ‘unapologetic woman’ in American society, conventional standards of femininity in popular culture, and intersectional feminism.