PhD student’s research on wellbeing in adult ballet published in dance journal
Wellbeing in adult ballet teachers and how that impacts the wellbeing of students is the focus of research by University of Chichester PhD student Gillian Docherty (pictured left).
Gillian’s paper, Psychological Well-Being and Adult Ballet: From the Perspective of the Adult Ballet Teacher, was published in the Journal of Dance Education on 1 April. The research looks at recreational adult ballet, as opposed to professional ballet.
Gillian, who is based in Glasgow but chose Chichester to study her PhD because of its links with Dance Psychology, said: “Prior to this PhD I was an educational psychologist with particular interests in wellbeing and pedagogy among others.
“I have danced throughout my life, and I returned to adult ballet 15 years ago with my adult children. For me, it was my stress release at the end of the day, but I couldn’t take that psychologist hat off.
“Listening to conversations people had, whether it was in the changing rooms or in the studio, I was not sure people were happy about the way teachers said things or the group dynamics of the class. Although this is supposed to be a hobby and good for wellbeing, I was not always sure that this was the case.
“At the same time, I became aware that the wellbeing of both pre professional and professional dancers was not always positive and that teaching methods were often very traditional, neo-liberal and authoritarian and reflected a “I say, you do” way of pedagogy, which did not always result in positive wellbeing outcomes.
“On social media, adult ballet is huge. It is a growing movement globally but there has been very little research within adult ballet. I thought it was an area worth looking at.”
What Gillian found, was teachers themselves ‘seem to get a lot of joy from teaching adult ballet’ and from teaching their adult students in a different way to how they were taught in the professional sphere.
She added: “They were more caring and that has an impact on them and the students. There was a lot more joy in adult ballet, and it was much more process focussed than outcome focussed.”
Yet the issue around wellbeing remains. Gillian is soon to publish a second paper looking at the student experience of wellbeing in adult ballet classes, before designing a toolkit for teachers as the final part of her PhD.
Gillian has been supported in her work by four supervisors from the University, with specialisms across psychology, dance and education.
On working with multiple supervisors, Gillian said: “Everybody brings something different. I have found it to be very beneficial process. I found them all so supportive, they are a dream team.”
Professor Antonina Pereira, Director of the Institute of Psychology, Business and Human Science at the University of Chichester, said: “This study is a significant contribution to the evolving research landscape on wellbeing in dance education, shedding light on an area that has been largely overlooked.
“I am incredibly proud of the outstanding work undertaken by our PhD student, as well as of being a part of this exceptional supervisory team, together with Dr Lucie Clements, Dr Stephanie Bennett, and Dr Mark Mason. At the University of Chichester, we are deeply committed to fostering research that not only advances academic knowledge but also empowers our students to thrive and make a meaningful impact in their fields.”
