Table Of ContentDance Curriculum Through Lived Experience: A Semiotic Analysis
Dissertation
Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy
in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University
By
Marissa Beth Nesbit, M.F.A.
Graduate Program in Art Education
The Ohio State University
2013
Dissertation Committee:
Deborah Smith-Shank, Advisor
Christine Ballengee Morris
Clayton Funk
Copyright by
Marissa Beth Nesbit
2013
Abstract
This study investigates the curriculum practices of two experienced middle school
dance educators. Drawing on literature in semiotics, curriculum theory, multicultural
education, and dance education, this research situates the teachers as curriculum creators
and investigates their lived experiences in dance education with particular attention to the
ways they facilitate multimodal semiosis, or the process of meaning-making through
multiple types of signs, in their classes. Using a qualitative case study approach, this
dissertation addresses the question: How do dance teachers engage in and promote an
embodied process of multimodal semiosis through their enactment of dance education
curriculum?
To artfully describe the lived experiences of dance educators, data is first
presented in the form of narrative portraits depicting the dance teachers as educators and
artists within their curriculum work. Interpretations and analysis of their work are then
offered, addressing themes such as the overall structure and sequence of their curricula,
the influences on their processes of creating curriculum, and the role of particular types
of signs in their curriculum, including language, music, movement, costumes, and props.
Particular attention is given to the ways that the “elements of dance,” commonly listed as
body, space, time, and energy in formal curriculum documents, are referenced and
incorporated into the different curricula.
ii
Discussion of themes in the data first addresses common attributes that make a
good dance education curriculum: it is locally responsive; fosters a serious appreciation
for the art form and work being done by students; is built on the individual teacher’s
experience as a significant source of body, cultural, and academic knowledge; and
includes a variety of semiotic resources through which learners and teachers can
construct meaning. Following this, areas that are problematic within the dance education
field are addressed; in particular, I focus on the issue of content frameworks— commonly
described as the elements of dance—within formal curriculum. It is argued that this
conception of dance content, while useful across many teaching contexts, represents a
particular value system and orientation toward knowledge construction that is not
appropriate or applicable across all dance education contexts and does not capture the
range of sign types that dance educators use to promote meaning-making. A conception
of an alternative framework, based on the idea of an emerging lexicon, is presented, and
possible applications of this to future formal curriculum projects are discussed.
iii
Acknowledgments
I am grateful to many individuals for their guidance and support, without which
this dissertation would not have been possible. My advisor, Dr. Deborah Smith-Shank,
introduced me to semiotics, provided timely feedback on my writing, and encouraged me
throughout the research process. My committee members, Dr. Christine Ballengee Morris
and Dr. Clayton Funk, have generously given their time and attention to my work. In
addition, courses with many faculty members in the Department of Arts Administration,
Education, and Policy have shaped my thinking and contributed to the development of
my work. Dr. Sheila Marion, Emeritus Professor in the Department of Dance, greatly
influenced my thinking about movement analysis and provided feedback and
encouragement throughout my graduate studies. Additionally, Melanie Bales in the
Department of Dance and Dr. Jan Nespor in the Department of Educational Policy and
Leadership provided valuable feedback on my candidacy examinations.
My graduate student colleagues have been an incredible source of support, and I
treasure the feedback I have received from Manisha Sharma, Amy Collins-Warfield,
iv
Clare Allen, Rachael Riggs Leyva, and Lindsay Martin on portions of this research. My
past dance teachers and current colleagues in the dance education field have provided
valuable support throughout my career, responding to iterations of this research at
conferences and over coffee. I am lucky to be able to work in such a vibrant and engaging
field.
This dissertation was supported by the Manuel Barkan Dissertation Fellowship,
an award established by Mrs. Therese Barkan Willits and Joel Barkan in honor of Dr.
Manuel Barkan to recognize the work of doctoral candidates in Art Education. I am
grateful for the acknowledgement the Graduate Studies Committee has given to my work
through this award.
Finally, I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Anna Tyler and Gloria Banks,
dance educators who generously shared their work with me for this study. Their inspiring
teaching and reflections have shaped the direction of not only this dissertation but also
my professional work in dance education for years to come.
v
Vita
1996 ...............................................................Texas Academy of Mathematics and
Science, The University of North Texas
1998................................................................B.A. Psychobiology, Pitzer College
2003 ...............................................................M.F.A. Dance, Texas Woman’s University
2004 to 2006 .................................................Director of Education and Outreach, North
Carolina Dance Theatre
2006 to 2009 .................................................Director of Dance Education, Southeast
Center for Education in the Arts, The
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
2009 to 2010 .................................................University Fellow, The Ohio State
University
2010 to present ..............................................Graduate Teaching Associate, Department
of Art Education, The Ohio State University
vi
2013 ...............................................................Manuel Barkan Dissertation Fellowship,
Department of Art Education, The Ohio
State University
2013 ...............................................................Graduate Associate Teaching Award, The
Ohio State University
Publications
Journals
Hane, J. and Nesbit, M. (2006). Ditto: The creative process in dance and writing.
Teaching Artist Journal 5(2), pp. 94–103.
Conference proceedings
Hane, J. and Nesbit, M. (2006). Abstractions in dance and writing. Proceedings of the
2006 Conference of the National Dance Education Organization. Silver Spring,
MD: National Dance Education Organization, pp. 174–184.
Nesbit, M. (2011). Mapping lost moments: An autoethngraphic inquiry of ‘success’.
Proceedings of the 2011 Conference of the National Dance Education
Organization. Silver Spring, MD: National Dance Education Organization, pp.
167–172.
vii
Nesbit, M. (2013). Body, language, curriculum: An investigation of meaning-making in
dance education. Proceedings of the daCi/WDA Global Dance Summit: Dance,
Young People, and Change. Braddon, ACT, Australia: Ausdance.
http://ausdance.org.au/uploads/content/publications/2012-global-
summit/curriculum-research-papers/body-language-curriculum-an-investigation-
of-meaning-making-in-dance-education.pdf
Fields of Study
Major Field: Art Education
viii
Table of Contents
Abstract ..........................................................................................................ii
Acknowledgments..........................................................................................iv
Vita.................................................................................................................vi
List of Figures ................................................................................................x
Chapter 1: Introduction ..................................................................................1
Chapter 2: Literature Review.........................................................................21
Chapter 3: Methodology ................................................................................112
Chapter 4: Narrative Portraits ........................................................................177
Chapter 5: Description and Analysis of Dance Curricula .............................238
Chapter 6: Discussion and Conclusions.........................................................351
References......................................................................................................424
Appendix A: IRB Notice of Determination ...................................................441
Appendix B: Consent form ............................................................................443
ix
