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Arts practice research and dance-based methods

This is an excerpt from Research in Dance by Ali Duffy.

The underlying philosophy in arts practice research is that experiential learning and knowledge creation through experience are critical modes of research and pedagogical connection and application. Arts-based research is based on the “notion that practicing and performing in the arts can lead to discovery and creation of new knowledge” (Overby, Shanahan, and Young 2019, 54). The outcomes of arts practice research, largely consisting of works of art themselves, are largely unfamiliar to much of the wider research community. Therefore, arts practice researchers are often tasked with justifying their methods and the rigor of their outcomes to evaluators, funders, and policymakers (Duffy, Gonzales, and Davidson 2023; Barrett and Bolt 2019; Leavy 2020). Whereas the arts have garnered national status as disciplines worthy of study through educational criteria, arts practice as research has been stalled in its efforts to gain legitimacy and status. Some scholars argue that some of these challenges are related to the fact that some artists are suspicious or unaware of theoretical connections, whereas others contend that arts methods and outcomes are difficult to assess and measure (Barrett and Bolt 2019; Leavy 2020). Still, those who promote and conduct arts practice research illustrate the compelling reasons and deep, meaningful outcomes such research can yield.

Dance-based methods of investigation, such as choreography and improvisation, can critically merge embodied ways of knowing with qualitative methods of data collection and analysis. These approaches can be crucial for deeper explorations of social and political topics and personal narratives. Dance-based researchers acknowledge the “body as a place of knowing” (Snowber 2018, 247; Foster 2009; Leavy 2009; Parker-Starbuck and Mock 2011). In addition to choreographic interventions and explorations, the dancing body can communicate information to support discoveries in and approaches to technical and performance training, injury prevention and recovery, and pedagogical innovation and improvement. These methods of research also bridge theory and practice and can be scaffolded or layered onto larger or interdisciplinary projects.

Researching the body both in performance and of performance requires researchers to view the body as a communicator or translator of meaning as well as a creator of meaning. The body itself holds clues to culture, value, and space and time. Authors Jennifer Parker-Starbuck and Roberta Mock (2011) use the work of choreographer Pina Bausch as an example of a “unique body of work that is documented in a wide variety of forms: written, photographic, and as moving image; in the bodies of the dancers who performed in her company; in memories of those who witnessed her body dancing and her company performing” (213). To that end, they say, researchers could examine the “somatic through line” (213) of her work as seen in video and live performance, analyze critical reviews, apply critical perspectives such as feminism to her work, or incorporate physical practice and technical skill as indicative of “kinesthetic understanding.” Or, they say, researchers could analyze the movement of her choreography semiotically, draw upon a personal experience of having watched her perform, or reconstruct movement on a stage or in a classroom setting. This example demonstrates the myriad ways researchers can engage with work from the past with innovative perspectives and honoring unique or unheard perspectives.

Arts-based approaches to research can be especially effective for dance students whose coursework in composition, improvisation, and performance already aligns with some of the methods employed in inquiry. Further, some educators are already engaging students in arts practice research, but either do not realize they are doing so or do not acknowledge their approach as such. Choreographers who examine social issues through the experiences of the dancers cast in the work, for example, are often conducting arts practice research. Many choreographers invite their dancers to share personal experiences of a social phenomenon or to develop written narratives that may be recorded, spoken on-stage, or incorporated into a choreographic prompt or movement phrase. This is a form of data collection and analysis in dance-based research. Other topics dance-based researchers might explore include choreographic processes of guest artists, body image perceptions among a student population, how differing dance techniques and styles are learned and embodied, and the ethnographic analysis of a study abroad experience (Overby, Shanahan, and Young 2019).

Some scholars argue that arts-based research can and perhaps should be equated with more recognized empirical forms of research. Corinne Jola (2010), for example, developed a list of ways that dance-based research can be appropriately compared to scientific research. She says that “for artistic research to broaden our understanding of the world and ourselves along the lines of scientific research it has to fulfill the following five points: (1) Originality, (2) Rationale (why something is being investigated), (3) Methodological approach (how something is investigated), (4) Accessibility (coherence of content and dissemination), and (5) Truthfulness (ethical research)” (206). Although some researchers may feel these guidelines could limit creativity and may be more effectively used by scholars working in dance and STEM fields such as science and medicine, Jola and others argue that these foundations can be incorporated across traditional research and disciplinary boundaries.

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