Shimmy, Shake, Or Shudder?: a Feminist Ethnographic Analysis of Sexualization and Hypersexualization in Competitive Dance
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SHIMMY, SHAKE, OR SHUDDER?: A FEMINIST ETHNOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF SEXUALIZATION AND HYPERSEXUALIZATION IN COMPETITIVE DANCE LISA SANDLOS A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY GRADUATE PROGRAM IN GENDER, FEMINIST AND WOMEN'S STUDIES YORK UNIVERSITY TORONTO, ONTARIO April 2020 © Lisa Sandlos, 2020 Abstract A sexualized aesthetic for dance has been becoming increasingly prevalent in privately- operated dance schools and competition performances across Canada and the United States since the early 1990s. Interacting with a complex constellation of social factors including gender, sexuality, race, class, age, and dis/ability, this aesthetic is fuelled by the persistent presence of sexualized images of girls and women in mass media and dance studio training that focuses on preparing students for competitions. Parents and particularly mothers of young dancers sometimes also contribute to the sexualization of their daughters either through their expectations that the dance studio will reproduce dancing they have seen in reality television shows, films, or YouTube videos or by accepting potentially negative consequences of sexualized dancing to reap other benefits from participation in dance. Not only are heightened levels of eroticization problematic for many girl dancers and the development of their self-identities, but they can be detrimental to the art of dance as stereotypes of dancers as sexualized objects become further entrenched in public thinking about dance. A significant effect of practising and performing repetitive, sexualized movements for girl dancers is that they are constructed and reiterated as objectified bodies. Feminist scholarship pertaining to bodies, sexualization, girlhood, and mothering reviewed in this dissertation contextualizes the current sexualized aesthetic in dance within cultural and historical processes that objectify girls and women. Dance studies literature deepens the conversation about how eroticization of dancing bodies is reinforced through embodiment and repetition of sexualized movement patterns. Qualitative data from feminist ethnography informs theoretical analysis throughout this ii thesis, supporting my assertion that social-cultural processes of sexualization acting on the bodies and lives of young girls who dance should be of concern to all who are involved in dance education. As modelled in this dissertation, performance ethnography, movement analysis, embodied somatic research, and other forms of body-based research can add to public awareness and discourses within dance studio communities about the issue of sexualization of young dancers. Indeed, dance choreography, performance, and embodiment can give young dancers opportunities to have a stronger voice in the conversation about sexualization. iii Acknowledgements So many generous individuals have supported me in completing this dissertation. First, I would like to extend my heartfelt and everlasting appreciation to my supervisor, Dr. Meg Luxton. This dissertation would not have come to fruition without her patient, unequivocal, and non-judgmental mentorship. Dr. Luxton was a pillar of support through the hills and valleys of my PhD journey. A model of what it means to live a full, productive, joyful life no matter how daunting the obstacles seem to be, she is nothing short of inspirational. My deepest appreciation goes to my committee members, Dr. Ann (Rusty) B. Shteir, and Dr. Patrick Alcedo for their unwavering patience and encouragement. Dr. Shteir, who was my supervisor during the early years of my PhD, reinforced to me from the beginning that I was worthy of the opportunity to pursue a new field of study and that no one else can speak, write, or dance my truth. She showed me by example that the pursuits of learning, thinking, and writing can be important, rewarding, and joyful at every stage of life. Dr. Alcedo encouraged me to allow my dance knowledge, which had been acquired mainly through performing and teaching, to rise to the surface in my academic writing. He gave me the confidence to transcend my insecurities about using dance research methods in my scholarly writing and to believe I could make a valuable contribution through completion of this dissertation to the hybrid field of dance feminist scholarship. I would like to acknowledge the invaluable suggestions and thoughtful feedback provided by my examining committee, Dr. Allana Lindgren, Dr. Mary Woehrel, and Dr. Shannon Bell. I am also very fortunate to have had the support of several senior scholars iv who have become mentors and friends during the course of this study. What would I have done without Dr. Penny Van Esterik whose sense of humour and interest in my work lifted me up on so many occasions? Dr. Amar Wahab inspired me with his brilliant Introduction to Gender and Women's Studies lectures and encouraged my development as a feminist scholar while empathizing with my challenge to meet competing demands on my time and energy. Professor Mary-Elizabeth Manley has been a steadfast supporter of my PhD work in so many important ways; I consider her own lifelong dedication to dance education for children and youth to be exemplary. Dr. Andrea O'Reilly has been an incredible role model and source of support, both in terms of research and feminist mothering practices. Dr. Nancy Mandell contributed a great deal to the early development of this dissertation as she walked me through the process of conducting a feminist ethnographic study. Thanks to Dr. Darcey Callison for his long-standing friendship, advising, and support. Over coffee and dog walks, he has contributed so much to my thinking about my research topic and about how to persevere with my academic career. Much thanks is also extended to Dr. Callison, Nadine Saxton, and Karen Bradley—all Certified Movement Analysts who, through consultations on the video analysis section of my thesis, bolstered my confidence in my own ability to interpret meaning from movement and confirmed the value of movement analysis as a research method. It is also my great pleasure to acknowledge many colleagues and dear friends who supported me emotionally and intellectually. Dr. Leyna Lowe was a shining star for me to follow in completing my PhD. Even while producing flawless writing, a compelling dissertation defence, and forging her post-PhD path to full-time employment and new v motherhood, she always made time to encourage and guide me. My highly valued friendship and professional collaboration with Rennie Tang blossomed out of her participation in dance classes I taught over twenty years ago in Toronto and now Rennie is teaching me two lessons that have been directly applicable to completing my dissertation: that calm persistence often pays off and interdisciplinary exchange can be tremendously rewarding. Sincere thanks goes to mi amiga Neri Torres for many thought- provoking conversations about dance, culture, academe, and life and for motivating me to pay close attention to issues of appropriation and ethnocentrism in dance. I am also extremely grateful to my colleagues Dr. Judith Mintz, Dr. Evadne Kelly, and Dr. Tiffany Pollock who drew on their own PhD experiences and areas of academic expertise to coach and support me in preparing for my defence. No words can fully express my gratitude to Gabriela Klein for her caring camaraderie and for reminding me to breathe, move, laugh, and strive for balance between the pulls of writing, mothering, and teaching. I also wish to thank Mary Boersma, Dr. Heidi McGill, Jodi Pendry, Barbara Wilkinson, and Dr. David Sherrington for keeping my body in working order when long hours of writing and teaching took a toll and Raj Virk and Dr. Jennifer Cypher of CUPE3903 for helping me to find clarity about my teaching responsibilities. I am deeply grateful to Catrina von Radecki, Janet Johnson, Kelly Steadman, Ashley "Colours" Perez, and the Guelph Youth Dance Training Program for inviting me into their midst to conduct interviews, focus groups, and for their unwavering support and patience during the performance ethnography project. Much gratitude also goes to Amber Sherwood Robinson, who helped with the rehearsal process of Re-Girling the Girl. Many vi thanks to Julia Mounsteven and the Strictly Dance community for allowing me to follow their ups and downs in studio and competitions and for enthusiastically sharing insights about the competitive dance industry. Much appreciation goes to the Department of Dance at York University for providing information relevant to issues of gender in dance training and the opportunity and space to hold a focus group. I also wish to thank the numerous academic colleagues, dance educators and instructors, parents of dancers, and students of dance who contributed to this dissertation by sending articles as they came across them and for voicing their opinions about my topic, either through focus groups and interviews or through informal conversations and email correspondence. This research was supported by doctoral scholarships through the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS). CUPE3903 also supported me with two research grants, without which I could not have carved out adequate writing time to complete this dissertation. My immeasurable gratitude goes to my mother, Elizabeth Sandlos, who, understanding that pursuing my doctorate while raising young children, teaching, and commuting long distances was