Does Dance Teach Self-Discipline or Obedience? Students Discuss

ABSTRACT

The question of whether dance education trains students to be obedient or self-disciplined has fundamental ramifications for students involved in dance activities as well as for the field of dance education. In order to explore this issue, I surveyed dance major and minor students, conducted in-class activities, and held discussions. The purpose was to reveal how dance students conceive of and experience both self-discipline and obedience in the dance studio. This article details the students’ responses and compares them with faculty from the same dance program. Then, I offer four propositions about self-discipline based on the findings from the activities.

KEYWORDS:

• Higher Education
• gender/feminism
• pedagogy
• teaching methods
• self-discipline

Notes

1. This project fell under a teaching exemption from The University of Akron Institutional Review Board. All activities were voluntary, with no assessment or grading. All written activities were anonymous; while in-class discussions and activities could not be anonymous, student participation was voluntary and not evaluated. Faculty participation was voluntary and anonymous.