The youthanasia of dance: A research nexus diary of dance in tertiary education

Abstract

As an ageing dancer and educator I have developed an interest, over the last few years, in the field of study into dance and ageing that has been growing internationally during the last decade. From both reflexive and reflective perspectives, I began to consider how I could present a range of related concepts and issues in both academic and artistic forms. I invented the term 'Youthanasia' to encapsulate the phenomenon of the ageing dancer-academic working in a youthdriven art form. This article records the ongoing creation and performance of the resulting dance research monologue from 2003 to the present day. During the creative and research processes, I engaged with student learning in various ways as part of my work as a dance lecturer in a tertiary education setting. Therefore, I argue that the relationships between students, colleagues and artistic research practice established a mutually beneficial dance teaching-research nexus. Within this nexus students were stimulated to 'discover' research as a 'lived' part of their studies in dance, and to consider issues relating to ageing in their own careers. The dance monologue also aimed to challenge the stereotype of scholarly practice2, as found in some current perceptions of research.