Participants were selected based off of their perceived involvement in the dance community, and whether they could currently identify as being a dancer. Once the three participants were selected, they were notified in-person that they would receive 5 interview questions via email. Using the particular method of email, both the participants and myself were able to communicate asynchronously, making the process of gathering information much more convenient. After the email was sent and received, participants were given about a week 's worth of time to reflect on their experiences as a dancer, and respond to the questions provided to the best of their abilities. Each respective party then sent back their own responses to the questions via email.
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However, because all of the participants in this study are college-aged dancers — and dance in collegiate settings — most did not cite age as being a perceived issue among their peers just yet. Hall responded by saying, “Because I train alongside my peers, students who are the same age/around the same age as me, I don 't really perceive age to be much of a factor within my day to day interactions.” Firstenberg, agrees that age is not a factor that is considered in collegiate level dance spaces. She says, “I feel like as a dancer in college, age isn’t as imperative as it is in the ‘real world.’ College is like one of those places where time stops for four years.” Most college level dance classes are created with the age of the dancer in mind. It is also very unlikely that the classes will consist of dancers of varying …show more content…
However, there were a few disparities between the participants in this study and their relationship to age. One main opposition occurred when most of the participants agreed that the mature dancer is oftentimes seen as being more valuable than the young, inexperienced dancer. Claiming, mature dancers offer an abundance of industry experience that goes unrivaled by their younger counterparts. Their views on this matter directly opposed the research conducted in Mirrors and Dance Culture: Modes of Response to the Dancer’s Self Image (White, 1999), which set out to explore why Western dance culture discerns mature dancers as being less valuable. The emphasis the participants placed on the decline of the physical body was very interesting, especially because they are all considered to be in superior health. The discussion of this subject mirrored the personal experiences highlighted in Dancing into the Twilight (Harris, 2013). Even though the authors of the academic literature read in relation to ageism were considered mature dancers, most of their focus was on the decline of attractiveness not
However, because all of the participants in this study are college-aged dancers — and dance in collegiate settings — most did not cite age as being a perceived issue among their peers just yet. Hall responded by saying, “Because I train alongside my peers, students who are the same age/around the same age as me, I don 't really perceive age to be much of a factor within my day to day interactions.” Firstenberg, agrees that age is not a factor that is considered in collegiate level dance spaces. She says, “I feel like as a dancer in college, age isn’t as imperative as it is in the ‘real world.’ College is like one of those places where time stops for four years.” Most college level dance classes are created with the age of the dancer in mind. It is also very unlikely that the classes will consist of dancers of varying …show more content…
However, there were a few disparities between the participants in this study and their relationship to age. One main opposition occurred when most of the participants agreed that the mature dancer is oftentimes seen as being more valuable than the young, inexperienced dancer. Claiming, mature dancers offer an abundance of industry experience that goes unrivaled by their younger counterparts. Their views on this matter directly opposed the research conducted in Mirrors and Dance Culture: Modes of Response to the Dancer’s Self Image (White, 1999), which set out to explore why Western dance culture discerns mature dancers as being less valuable. The emphasis the participants placed on the decline of the physical body was very interesting, especially because they are all considered to be in superior health. The discussion of this subject mirrored the personal experiences highlighted in Dancing into the Twilight (Harris, 2013). Even though the authors of the academic literature read in relation to ageism were considered mature dancers, most of their focus was on the decline of attractiveness not