Mark out! : constructing and disciplining presentations of gender through dance

The learning and doing of dance is rooted in larger social-cultural contexts and performance of gender. In Singapore, understandings of masculinity and femininity are based on traditional gender norms. To better understand the relationship between dance and gender in Singapore, semi-structured inter...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Foong, Timothy Jia Le, Koh, Jeremy Wei Xiang, Lim, Calisa Shu Qi
Other Authors: Ian Rowen
Format: Final Year Project
Language:English
Published: Nanyang Technological University 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10356/151167
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Institution: Nanyang Technological University
Language: English
Description
Summary:The learning and doing of dance is rooted in larger social-cultural contexts and performance of gender. In Singapore, understandings of masculinity and femininity are based on traditional gender norms. To better understand the relationship between dance and gender in Singapore, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 professional dancers who have diverse backgrounds and experiences in the commercial industry. 3 major themes highlighting the role of dance in the presentation of gender were identified: (1) Gendering Genres, (2) Learning and Teaching Dance and (3) The Commercial Industry. Findings suggest that while there are different ways of expressing masculinities and femininities, traditional gender norms appear to pervade the different gendering processes in the learning, teaching and working as dancers. This paper contributes to the dance and gender scholarship and provides novel insights into the Singapore dance industry.