FROM A STUDENT DANCERS PERSPECTIVE, HOW DOES IMAGERY HELP WHEN LEARNING IN DANCE?

Abstract

The focus of this research considers whether imagery helps learning in dance from a student perspective. A major contributory factor that provided a framework for the study was where imagery used in class is teacher or student initiated. This study used eighteen participants (sixteen female and two male) studying dance in their second year at Cardiff Metropolitan University. The dance students were given a questionnaire asking them about imagery and what type of learner they considered they are. Ten weeks of observations were also taken, to observe the use of imagery taught in the contemporary technique class. From the answers given in the questionnaires, five participants were then chosen to take part in a twenty-minute focus group. This focus group was held after the observations had taken place and questions relating to imagery and the participants individual style of learning were asked. The findings provide evidence that the students do use imagery when they dance and they use it for more than just learning material but to also create connections through the body and to find something more in the movement given. These findings contribute to the notion that imagery does help student dancers learn within dance and they gain more out of the movement when they do use it. However, some feel more confident to use it on their own without the guide of a teacher helping and giving examples.