Rethinking dance in higher education

Anderson, Maria Cynthia

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Description

Title

Rethinking dance in higher education

Author(s)

Anderson, Maria Cynthia

Issue Date

2021-12-01

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Dhillon, Pradeep

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Dhillon, Pradeep

Committee Member(s)

• Burbules, Nicholas C.
• Erkert, Jan
• Nettl-Fiol, Rebecca

Department of Study

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Discipline

Educational Policy Studies

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• Dance
• Art
• Aesthetics
• Higher Education
• Body-Mind Problem
• Philosophy
• Somaesthetics
• Pragmatism

Abstract

This dissertation examines the academic status of dance as a discipline of higher education through the lens of the Western mind-body problem. Such an examination is pursued based on arguments suggesting dualism obscures the significance of the body, art, and aesthetics for educational ends. The primary interpretative lens used to explore the relationship between dualism, dance, and higher education is John Dewey’s version of philosophical pragmatism in its contemporary extension of Richard Shusterman’s somaesthetics. Somaesthetics is an overarching discipline of the humanities well-suited for aligning with existing practices and theories in dance. Dance somaesthetics is additional interpretive and practical methodological framework for overcoming the problem of mind–body dualism on higher education. Additionally, illuminating the invaluable place of the body, art, and aesthetic education for academics more generally. The organization of the dissertation is as follows: First; I examine the intellectual history of dualism in the West in order to show the importance of John Dewey and his influence on the first dance department. Margaret H’Doubler, originator of the first autonomous discipline of dance, conceived of a philosophy of dance education based on Dewey’s pragmatist philosophy. Philosopher Thomas Alexander’s insight about the common mistake made when interpreting Dewey is then used to reconsider a way to expand H’Doubler’s dance education to better reflect Dewey’s general stance of anti-dualism. I then build upon the Dewey chapter to introduce the contemporary version of his pragmatism as developed by philosopher Richard Shusterman. His somaesthetics is a body-centered philosophical theory capable of providing dance with an alternative approach which highlights dance education’s anti-dualism. To support this approach, I highlight a historical account between F. M. Alexander and Dewey to illustrate how influential Alexander’s somatic technique was upon the development of Dewey’s pragmatist philosophy. This example aims to show the long historical engagement between dance and pragmatism in somatic education. The chapter closes by showing how somaesthetics is an extension of Dewey’s version of anti-dualism by explicitly clarifying its relationship to somatics and analytic aesthetics in philosophy. Somaesthetics clarifies how the discipline of dance in higher education enjoins training in physical movement with the humanities, the arts, and other disciplines across the curriculum. The next two chapters expand upon this claim first by showing how a pragmatist anti-dualism clarifies the distinct, yet interrelated nature of “arts” and “aesthetics” from a body-centered philosophy. By examining George Balanchine’s version of American ballet through the lens of somaesthetics I show how its anti-dualist discourse of the body illuminates dance as educating the value of both “objects” and “subjects” in art and aesthetics. The concluding chapter summarizes how somaesthetics is a philosophy of experience well-suited for thinking about dance. Arising out of somaesthetics is a discourse for thinking about dance as an embodied discipline, where the body is the means and ends of learning. The dissertation closes with examples of future research suggested by the points made within the dissertation. They include explorations into dance somaesthetics as educating for discourses in environmental aesthetics, pluralism, and embodied humanities studies.

Graduation Semester

2021-12

Type of Resource

Thesis

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Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2021 Maria Anderson

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