Embodying Difference: Issues in Dance and Cultural Studies

Desmond, Jane C.

doi:10.2307/1354455

Cited by 126 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…It has been, however, vital in investigating a form of heritage such as dance. Many forms of dance are transcultural; for example, ballet is performed in places as far afield as Hawaii (Van Zile 1996) and China (Desmond 2003). Fensham and Kelada (2012: 370) state that it is not uncommon to see:…”

Section: International Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Skype as a Tool for Qualitative Research Interviews

Iacono

Symonds

Brown

2016

Sociological Research Online

415

337

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Internet based methods of communication are becoming increasingly important and influencing researchers' options. VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technologies (such as Skype and FaceTime) provide us with the ability to interview research participants using voice and video across the internet via a synchronous (real-time) connection. This paper highlights the advantages of using Skype to conduct qualitative interviews and weighs these advantages against any limitations and issues that using this tool may raise. This paper argues that Skype opens up new possibilities by allowing us to contact participants worldwide in a time efficient and financially affordable manner, thus increasing the variety of our samples. At the same time, the use of Skype affects the areas of rapport, non-verbal cues and ethics by creating limitations but also new opportunities. The observations in this paper stem from two different researches, carried out by the authors, on dance (as a form of trans/cultural heritage) and wayfinding (the experience of getting from A to B in various settings). These studies lent themselves to using Skype for qualitative interviews, because of the need to reach an international, varied and purposeful sample. The researchers' experiences, combined with feedback from participants in Skype interviews, are used in this paper. The conclusion is that, although VoIP mediated interviews cannot completely replace face to face interaction, they work well as a viable alternative or complimentary data collection tool for qualitative researchers. This paper argues that VoIP based interviews offer new opportunities for researchers and should be embraced with confidence. KeywordsQualitative interviews, Skype, VoIP, internet research methods, intangible heritage research, wayfinding research, dance research. 2 IntroductionThe Office of National Statistics (2015: 1) VoIP is a system which provides users with a way to send voice and video across the internet via a synchronous (real-time) connection. Currently, the most popular services that use VoIP are Skype and FaceTime. The system that we have used for our qualitative interviews on the topics of dance and wayfinding is Skype, not only because of the researchers' familiarity with it, but also because we were able to employ the EVAER® software, which is recommended by Skype. This software allows the interviewer to record the video conversation, with both parties captured in the recording. Our observations on using Skype/EVAER® for qualitative interviews, stem from the two main authors' different researches. The first research topic is Egyptian raqs sharqi (a dance genre commonly grouped with other Middle Eastern, fusion and Northern African dance genres under the term belly dance) as a form of cultural heritage. The second is on wayfinding 'the cognitive and corporeal process and experience of locating, following or discovering a route through and to a given space' (the definition used by author Paul Symonds in his work to define wayfinding).In the discussi...

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Section: International Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Skype as a Tool for Qualitative Research Interviews

Iacono

Symonds

Brown

2016

Sociological Research Online

415

337

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“…As recognized above by Desmond (1997), Lengel (2005) and McRobbie (1997), research on how dance performance relates to cultural identity in the cultural studies approach to communication has been few and far between. This is even truer for looking at this topic through marginalized performers such as the rudali and tawa"if of India, with only three authors having addressed to any significant extent the representations of tawa"if in film (Chakravarty, 1993;Dwyer & Patel, 2002;Virdi, 2003) and the same for rudali (Chakravarty, 1999;Kapoor, 2005;Subramanyam, 1996).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This study, therefore, is an investigation of the communicative processes involved in, and the communicative significance of, expressing cultural and social interrelationships and identities through performance. While from a cultural studies perspective dance performance may be typically seen as a problematic subject for analysis (Desmond, 1997;Lengel, 2005;McRobbie, 1997;Warren, 2003), increasingly cultural communication scholars are extending their interests to the performative.…”

Section: Chapter 1 Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performing Marginal Identities: Understanding the Cultural Significance of Tawa'if and Rudali Through the Language of the Body in South Asian Cinema

Hurlstone

2000

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This thesis examines the representation of the lives and performances of tawa"if and rudali in South Asian cinema to understand their marginalization as performers, and their significance in the collective consciousness of the producers and consumers of Indian cultural artifacts. The critical textual analysis of six South Asian films reveals these women as caste-amorphous within the system of social stratification in India, and therefore captivating in the potential they present to achieve a complex and multi-faceted definition of culture. Qualitative interviews with 4 Indian classical dance instructors in Portland, Oregon and performative observations of dance events indicate the importance of these performers in perpetuating and developing Indian cultural artifacts, and illustrate the value of a multi-layered, performative methodological approach. These findings suggest that marginality in performance is a useful and dynamic site from which to investigate the processes of cultural communication, producing findings that augment sole textual analysis.ii Acknowledgements

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“…Pirkko: For example, most dance sociologists and sport sociologists focus on the discursive analysis of the dancing, exercising, and sporting body in contemporary society (e.g., Adair, 1992;Birrell & Cole, 1994;Cole & Hribar, 1995;Cooper Albright, 1997;Daly, 1992;Davis, 1997;Dempster, 1988;Desmond, 1994;Duncan, 1990Duncan, , 1994Foster, 1986;Hall, 1996;Kagan & Morse, 1988;Koritz, 1996;Lenskyj, 1998;Loy, Andrews, & Rinehart, 1993;Maguire & Mansfield, 1998;Markula, 1995;McKay & Middlemiss, 1995;Messner & Sabo, 1990;Pirinen, 1997;Sherlock, 1991;Theberge, 1991;Thomas, 1996;Trujillo, 1995;White & Gillett, 1994;Yeates, 1995).…”

Section: Pirkkomentioning

confidence: 99%