Focus on Mindful Movement: Problematizing Contemporary Dancers’ Training Practices through Pilates

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore how to design and instruct a Pilates workshop aimed to increase dancers’ body awareness and encourage their decision-making and critical consideration of their training. Using Foucault’s concepts, this paper discusses how space and time in the workshop setting can be used to create less disciplinary training practices. The workshop was instructed to a group of five dancers, and the empirical material included the researcher’s reflective journal and recorded group discussions with the dancers. The participants found this workshop beneficial as they learned to problematize unquestioned dance training practices and consider their effects on meaningful, less disciplinary training. With these findings, this study contributes to the sociocultural research in dance and fitness that offers alternative practices for dancers’ and exercisers’ well-being.