Dance and Higher Education: The Student Athlete Context

• In Event: AERA Poster Session 1
  In Poster Session: Division J Poster Session: College Student Success

Abstract

This photovoice project involved 12 dancers from a university competitive dance team. The participants explored three areas: (1) university athletics; (2) culture and identity changes/transitions; (3) motives to continue dancing. The results suggest that dancers’ habitus and identity shift and evolve from studio competitive contexts to postsecondary competitive contexts. Additionally, the results demonstrate that dancers struggle with conceptions of dance and sport while experiencing benefits and challenges associated with being student-athletes within a postsecondary context. Suggestions for improving the student athlete experience within current resource allocations are presented along with insights on athlete experiences.

Authors

• Natalie Vanessa Tacuri, Brock University

• Dawn Michelle Zinga, Brock University

• Danielle Molnar, Brock University