Abstract:
This master’s research explores tertiary dance students’ meanings of creative dance
through looking at the reflective anecdotes of learning experiences. The research
question guiding this inquiry is: What are first-year tertiary dance students' meanings
of creative dance?
This qualitative research used semi-structured in-depth interviews to collect data and a
thematic process of analysis to discuss the data. The findings were presented in four
student narratives that revealed different meanings of creative dance. This thesis
presents possible rationales for these meanings and proposes potential approaches for
tertiary dance students to reflect on their learning practices. The research found that
students valued creative dance as a means for liberation. Specifically, the students
spoke about movement exploration and expression of feelings. The investigation did
not aim to judge tertiary dance students engaged in this study, but rather it aimed to
show that creative dance can be a useful form for providing different understandings of
dance and for prompting further critical reflections on approaches to dance education.
