Phenomenological Narrative of Autonomy and Empowerment for Disabled Contemporary Dance Students in Institutional Training / Jenni Alice Bowie (2024)

For many dance artists, the dance studio is a place for creative freedom and self expression. Full-time dance training is a time for aspiring dancers to cultivate their artistry, turn their passions into practice, and create meaningful relationships with others in the dance community. But for disabled dancers in higher education, that freedom often comes with the burden of fighting for basic accessibility, during such a pivotal time of self-discovery and artistic development. This study focuses on the experiences of autonomy and empowerment for disabled contemporary dancers within the context of higher education. To explore these narratives, a phenomenological approach was adopted that seeks to capture the lived-experiences of disabled dancers in the UK, to highlight both the barriers and support to access that they encounter during their full-time institutional training. This study aims to offer insight into the systems of support within dance institutions, ways that the faculty support access, and how social dynamics shape disabled dancers’ sense of autonomy and empowerment. This exploration is grounded in Foucauldian Analysis of disability and explores the functions of power and hierarchy within dance institutions, in terms of power balances and aesthetic ideals of the able-body. These power-relations are explored through the broader field of literature of disability studies and dance practice, exploring how we come to understand ourselves as emerging artists through our disability identities, and how our peer dynamics and institutional structures shape our experiences as human beings navigating the dance world. Currently, there is limited research that takes a phenomenological approach to deeply explore the lived-experiences of disabled dancers. Existing studies often focus on practical accommodations or barriers to access in general terms, but do not fully capture the nuances of how disabled dancers navigate autonomy and empowerment. Furthermore, there is limited research into the experiences of disability in higher education. While there is existing research on disability in dance and inclusive practice, much of this focuses on community dance programmes, recreational and therapy-based practices, and professional companies. There is a lack of research specifically addressing the experience of disabled students in higher education dance programs, 3 which have unique structures, policies, and barriers compared to other contexts. Additionally, a large sum of the current literature focuses on general barriers to access rather than exploring the role of faculty attitudes, institutional policies, and the impact of inclusive teaching practices on the disabled dancers’ experience. There is a need for research that critically examines how these factors directly impact the experiences of disabled students in higher education, with a further focus needed on their experiences of autonomy and empowerment. The intersection between autonomy, empowerment, and accessibility for disabled dancers in education is unexplored, with few studies looking at how empowerment is facilitated or hindered within institutional practices and social dynamics within dance education. Even fewer of these studies provide practical recommendations for creating a supportive environment to foster autonomy for disabled dancers. By addressing these gaps in the literature, my research contributes to a deeper understanding of how to make dance education more accessible and offers insight for supporting the experiences of autonomy for disabled dancers within the unique context of higher education. Furthermore, this reflection to such a monumental time in an artists’ development can offer insight into cultivating the skills and self-esteem needed to create a fulfilling career within the professional arts.