The Impact of a Dance Movement Therapy Intervention on Body Image and Experiences of Embodiment:
Thematic Analysis of Young People’s Accounts

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1 Sarah Grogan, 1 Alison Williams, 1 Sarah Kilgariff, 2 Jill Bunce, 2 Johanne Simone Heyland, 2 Talia Padilla, 2 Chloe Woodhouse. 1 Lisa Cowap, & 3 Wendy Davies

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1 Staffordshire University, Stoke on Trent, UK 2 University of Derby, Derby, UK

 

3 Body Image Dance, Staffordshire, UK. 

 

Abstract

This study was designed to investigate qualitatively the impact of a dance movement therapy intervention on young people’s body image and experiences of embodiment.  Seven young women and six young men all aged 17 years old took part in a dance intervention and then gave accounts of the experience in focus groups and interviews. Their accounts were analysed using an inductive thematic analysis. Five themes were identified: Connectedness and Control, Freedom and Lack of Self-consciousness, Body Confidence and Acceptance, Feelings of Lightness and Heaviness, and Enjoyment and Relaxation. The intervention impacted positively on these young men and women’s experiences of embodiment, leading them to feel more connected to their bodies, freer and less self-conscious, and more accepting of their bodies after the intervention. The intervention itself was experienced as fun and relaxing and seemed to be acceptable to both men and women. It is concluded that future work needs to investigate the role of the facilitator and the school environment in producing these positive results but  general findings suggest that this is a promising intervention for use with both young men and women in this age group.