Abstract
This qualitative study investigated the impact of the mirror on a dancer’s body image. Two groups of students enrolled in beginner ballet classes were taught the same classroom material; one group was taught with mirrors, the other, without. At the end of the semester four students from each class were randomly selected to participate in a private interview. Students were asked questions alluding to their experience in the classroom either with or without the mirror. Most students felt that the mirror is a necessary tool to facilitate their technical growth in a ballet class. However, further analysis of the interviews suggested that the student dancers experienced body objectification as they compared their physical selves to the images they saw in the mirror. Opportunities to take advantage of their kinaesthetic sensations to stimulate technical growth were not always possible as their concentration was focused on the reflection of individual body parts in the mirror. Researchers concluded that the mirror in the dance classroom can be an instigator of poor body image.
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