Examining the Artistic Voices of Community College Dance Students Using a Narrative Inquiry Approach

In this study, we use a narrative inquiry approach to understand how students construct their artistic voices as part of their educational experience in California community college dance classes. Data collection techniques included semi-structured interviews, video recordings of a dance performance, and a reflective one-page journal where participants described the attributes of their artistic voices. Participants included ten community college dance students. We used socio-cultural theories and the Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) framework to analyze individuals' personal construction and movement vocabulary. We present three findings to inform dance teachers. First, deeper self-understanding was a foundational component of students' artistic voice. Second, the performance of the artistic voice was guided by students' construction of personal-interpretative narratives that inspired their bodily choices. Third, the construction of the artistic voice was sustained through three types of power negotiation (compliance, resiliency, and resistance).