Abstract:
My curiosity about what ballroom dance means to older participants within a Chinese community context was motivated by my personal experience as a professionally trained ballroom dancer from Beijing Dance Academy. The present research examined four elderly dancers‘ meanings of participating in ballroom dance in a community context in China. Qualitative and constructivist paradigms guided the research methodology, and narrative inquiry was used as a method for capturing and sharing the four research participants‘ experiences. Their meanings of participating in ballroom dance were shaped by their distinct experiences and feelings, Chinese ballroom communities, and Chinese culture. The findings revealed that the four research participants‘ meanings of participating in ballroom dance were associated with an enhancement of self-esteem, enjoyment of dancing within a community and with partners, physical conditioning, improvement of confidence, as well as an improvement in physical and mental well-being. The research also found that the issue of social/sexual propriety around the topic of holding a partner and touch were of concern for the older people. Not because they disapproved, but because others in their families and non-dancers saw their actions as pushing social boundaries.