Moving is like making out: developing female university dancers’ ballet technique and expression through the use of metaphor

Abstract

This qualitative study explored the use of metaphor within a somatic context as a means to bridge the divide between technique and expression in two undergraduate advanced intermediate ballet classes. Data included surveys, classroom observations, student journal responses and student work, as well as surveys and journal responses, one year after each course. Findings indicate that the metaphor ‘moving is like making out’ helped female students simultaneously realize their expressive and technical potentials through associations with meaningful personal experiences. Students discovered ways to think about their body in relationship to ballet movement and ballet technique became less about the labor involved in ballet and more about creating opportunities to experience pleasure in movement. Ultimately, students were able to formulate their own metaphors and used their imagination to establish personal connections to movement. These findings suggest the power of metaphor, and broader somatic approaches, as tools for ballet educators to help students transcend the dualism between technique and expression.