“We are not that old you know” : Dance as a dwelling place for women over 65 in the northern part of Sweden

• This article communicates a study on dance in people over 65 in Sweden. Earlier studies on dance for elderly people have primarily focused on treatment and wellbeing. The current study centers on the right to make oneself heard in and through contemporary dance as an artistic form of expression, regardless of age, gender or geographical context. The specific aim of the study is to describe and analyze the experiences of women aged over 65 in a rural area, who participated in contemporary dance workshops as a form of arts learning. The workshops, which were observed and documented, constituted part of an EU-financed project, Age on stage. Participants also shared experiences through informal chats and e-mails. The material was analyzed in a narrative manner. The results show that the workshops created a safe space for dance as a dwelling place, where dance was discovered, and at the same time developed, collaboratively. They also highlighted the importance of this type of artistic participation for elderly women in terms of developing an understanding of themselves and coping with life.

Ämnesord

HUMANIORA  -- Konst -- Scenkonst (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Arts -- Performing Arts (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Utbildningsvetenskap -- Pedagogik (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Educational Sciences -- Pedagogy (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Elderly

dance

dwelling

aging

arts

learning

Utbildningsvetenskapliga studier

Studies in the Educational Sciences

Artistic practices

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)