Dance Curriculum Through Lived Experience: A Semiotic Analysis Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Marissa Beth Nesbit, M.F.A. Graduate Program in Art Education The Ohio State University 2013 Dissertation Committee: Deborah Smith-Shank, Advisor Christine Ballengee Morris Clayton Funk Copyright by Marissa Beth Nesbit 2013 Abstract This study investigates the curriculum practices of two experienced middle school dance educators. Drawing on literature in semiotics, curriculum theory, multicultural education, and dance education, this research situates the teachers as curriculum creators and investigates their lived experiences in dance education with particular attention to the ways they facilitate multimodal semiosis, or the process of meaning-making through multiple types of signs, in their classes. Using a qualitative case study approach, this dissertation addresses the question: How do dance teachers engage in and promote an embodied process of multimodal semiosis through their enactment of dance education curriculum? To artfully describe the lived experiences of dance educators, data is first presented in the form of narrative portraits depicting the dance teachers as educators and artists within their curriculum work. Interpretations and analysis of their work are then offered, addressing themes such as the overall structure and sequence of their curricula, the influences on their processes of creating curriculum, and the role of particular types of signs in their curriculum, including language, music, movement, costumes, and props. Particular attention is given to the ways that the “elements of dance,” commonly listed as body, space, time, and energy in formal curriculum documents, are referenced and incorporated into the different curricula. ii Discussion of themes in the data first addresses common attributes that make a good dance education curriculum: it is locally responsive; fosters a serious appreciation for the art form and work being done by students; is built on the individual teacher’s experience as a significant source of body, cultural, and academic knowledge; and includes a variety of semiotic resources through which learners and teachers can construct meaning. Following this, areas that are problematic within the dance education field are addressed; in particular, I focus on the issue of content frameworks— commonly described as the elements of dance—within formal curriculum. It is argued that this conception of dance content, while useful across many teaching contexts, represents a particular value system and orientation toward knowledge construction that is not appropriate or applicable across all dance education contexts and does not capture the range of sign types that dance educators use to promote meaning-making. A conception of an alternative framework, based on the idea of an emerging lexicon, is presented, and possible applications of this to future formal curriculum projects are discussed. iii Acknowledgments I am grateful to many individuals for their guidance and support, without which this dissertation would not have been possible. My advisor, Dr. Deborah Smith-Shank, introduced me to semiotics, provided timely feedback on my writing, and encouraged me throughout the research process. My committee members, Dr. Christine Ballengee Morris and Dr. Clayton Funk, have generously given their time and attention to my work. In addition, courses with many faculty members in the Department of Arts Administration, Education, and Policy have shaped my thinking and contributed to the development of my work. Dr. Sheila Marion, Emeritus Professor in the Department of Dance, greatly influenced my thinking about movement analysis and provided feedback and encouragement throughout my graduate studies. Additionally, Melanie Bales in the Department of Dance and Dr. Jan Nespor in the Department of Educational Policy and Leadership provided valuable feedback on my candidacy examinations. My graduate student colleagues have been an incredible source of support, and I treasure the feedback I have received from Manisha Sharma, Amy Collins-Warfield, iv Clare Allen, Rachael Riggs Leyva, and Lindsay Martin on portions of this research. My past dance teachers and current colleagues in the dance education field have provided valuable support throughout my career, responding to iterations of this research at conferences and over coffee. I am lucky to be able to work in such a vibrant and engaging field. This dissertation was supported by the Manuel Barkan Dissertation Fellowship, an award established by Mrs. Therese Barkan Willits and Joel Barkan in honor of Dr. Manuel Barkan to recognize the work of doctoral candidates in Art Education. I am grateful for the acknowledgement the Graduate Studies Committee has given to my work through this award. Finally, I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Anna Tyler and Gloria Banks, dance educators who generously shared their work with me for this study. Their inspiring teaching and reflections have shaped the direction of not only this dissertation but also my professional work in dance education for years to come. v Vita 1996 ...............................................................Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science, The University of North Texas 1998................................................................B.A. Psychobiology, Pitzer College 2003 ...............................................................M.F.A. Dance, Texas Woman’s University 2004 to 2006 .................................................Director of Education and Outreach, North Carolina Dance Theatre 2006 to 2009 .................................................Director of Dance Education, Southeast Center for Education in the Arts, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga 2009 to 2010 .................................................University Fellow, The Ohio State University 2010 to present ..............................................Graduate Teaching Associate, Department of Art Education, The Ohio State University vi 2013 ...............................................................Manuel Barkan Dissertation Fellowship, Department of Art Education, The Ohio State University 2013 ...............................................................Graduate Associate Teaching Award, The Ohio State University Publications Journals Hane, J. and Nesbit, M. (2006). Ditto: The creative process in dance and writing. Teaching Artist Journal 5(2), pp. 94–103. Conference proceedings Hane, J. and Nesbit, M. (2006). Abstractions in dance and writing. Proceedings of the 2006 Conference of the National Dance Education Organization. Silver Spring, MD: National Dance Education Organization, pp. 174–184. Nesbit, M. (2011). Mapping lost moments: An autoethngraphic inquiry of ‘success’. Proceedings of the 2011 Conference of the National Dance Education Organization. Silver Spring, MD: National Dance Education Organization, pp. 167–172. vii Nesbit, M. (2013). Body, language, curriculum: An investigation of meaning-making in dance education. Proceedings of the daCi/WDA Global Dance Summit: Dance, Young People, and Change. Braddon, ACT, Australia: Ausdance. http://ausdance.org.au/uploads/content/publications/2012-global- summit/curriculum-research-papers/body-language-curriculum-an-investigation- of-meaning-making-in-dance-education.pdf Fields of Study Major Field: Art Education viii Table of Contents Abstract..........................................................................................................ii Acknowledgments..........................................................................................iv Vita.................................................................................................................vi List of Figures................................................................................................x Chapter 1: Introduction..................................................................................1 Chapter 2: Literature Review.........................................................................21 Chapter 3: Methodology ................................................................................112 Chapter 4: Narrative Portraits ........................................................................177 Chapter 5: Description and Analysis of Dance Curricula .............................238 Chapter 6: Discussion and Conclusions.........................................................351 References......................................................................................................424 Appendix A: IRB Notice of Determination...................................................441 Appendix B: Consent form ............................................................................443 ix List of Figures Figure 1: The emerging lexicon.....................................................................388 Figure 2: The emerging lexicon in the context of dancemaking ...................390 Figure 3: A framework alternative.................................................................392 x Chapter 1: Introduction Background As a child I loved going to dance class. I was simultaneously enthralled and slightly intimidated by the studio, where two walls were covered in fading posterboards with the teacher’s careful script defining ballet terms: arabesque, échappé, tendu, plié, pirouette1.… I liked to stand by “entrechat