Outline of method 

• Archaeological evidence shows that dancing took place as early as the 9th Millennium BC with depictions in the Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka India, and later, on Egyptian tombs. Throughout history, dance has been performed to serve various functions whether social, competitive, ceremonial, or martial.
• It has important:  
  • Cultural and religious value. Many scholars argue that prior to written language, dance (e.g. aesthetics, mime, symbolism) enabled for passing stories down through generations. 
  • It is widely recognised to have health value, with healing dances and trance believed to support meditation and to attain serenity.
  • Dance holds important social value, strengthening ties of identity, inclusion, and community. 
• Because dance has an important role to play in human communication and social interaction; because it supports our sense-making of the world; and because it enables for sharing experiences and expressing life – giving physical, emotional, spiritual and intellectual meaning – I argue it can be valuable as a research method. (see Cohen 1998, Kassing 2017).  

I define dance methods as: the study, or co/production, of improvised or choreographed sequences of movement – whether professional or vernacular, traditional or modern, staged or un-staged – for doing scholarship into cultural, social, political, or environmental issues. 

Scholars of performance have long recognised dance’s role in the doing of research, for engaging communities, and achieving impact. Since the late 1990s, its application has been realised more widely across the social, medical and physical sciences. 

Three factors have contributed to this: 

1. Influence of new theories and ways of approaching the world, including Judith Butler’s work on the performative and Nigel Thrift’s Non-Representational Theory. Both foreground bodies, practice and multi-sensual knowledge. 
2. Mounting recognition across government for the arts and artists ability to contribute to society, whether in terms of social justice, conflict resolution, or health goals. 
3. A shift within the academy toward inter, multi- and trans-disciplinary scholarship.  

Who could be involved – research participants, communities

Dance as method can be utilised with almost any group of participants, if that group are keen to be experimental, to explore an issue in a novel way, to engage with others differently, or to tell different stories through creative means.

• That community group does not need to be trained as dancers
• However, it works best with smaller groups (20-25) for practicality purposes/building rapport

If you are keen to explore how dance-as-method could support your research, please contact Charlotte to discuss your idea: Charlotte.Veal@ncl.ac.uk