WomenWork It On Out: An Intergenerational Encounter through Dance

Abstract

In “Dance Narratives and Fantasies” Angela Mc Robbie writes that for generations of women dance has represented “an arena for self expression … away from the difficulties of everyday life. … a symbolic escape route from the more normative expectations of young women.” “I dance because it … makes me feel free,” writes Ms Mae, one of twenty seniors who participated in Work It On Out, a community dance project that brought elders together with dance majors at Northwest Vista College. Sharing dances and stories about dance, we would form a unique intergenerational community to celebrate a woman's ongoing love affair with dance. Though dance is not something that old and young typically share, the exuberance in the simple acts of moving together created instant rapport. With Aretha crooning “freedom …” in the background, looking good and shaking our shoulders and hips was a “fem-positive” message of grace, dignity, and strength over circumstance, signified by the freedom of the body.