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    Dance as a Powerful Tool to Advance Disability Inclusion: Reflections from an Interdisciplinary Collaboration


    Ferri, Delia and Leahy, Ann (2025) Dance as a Powerful Tool to Advance Disability Inclusion: Reflections from an Interdisciplinary Collaboration. Dance Research, 43 (1). pp. 1-19. ISSN 0264-2875

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    Abstract

    This article discusses the collaboration between the academic socio-legal project DANCING, funded by the European Research Council, and the inclusive dance company Stopgap Dance Company (Stopgap). DANCING, among other objectives, aimed to identify barriers and facilitators to cultural participation experienced by disabled people. In pursuing this objective, DANCING established a partnership with Stopgap aimed at the creation of a choreographic piece in which accessibility measures, intended to facilitate the participation of dancers with disabilities and the enjoyment of the choreography by audience with and without disabilities, were intrinsic to the creative process. By presenting findings of qualitative research conducted with Stopgap and audience, it explores how inclusivity and accessibility were experienced by both performers and spectators. This article focuses on three interlinked themes, which elucidate processes, challenges, and outcomes of engaging in inclusive dance at a professional level. In doing so, this article situates at the intersection of disability and dance research and endeavours to provide a theoretical and practical bedrock for future dance projects wishing to adopt more inclusive processes. Further, this article aims to contribute to broader scholarship in the field of arts that positions disability as a cultural identity worth celebrating.
    Item Type: Article
    Keywords: Dance; Disability; Accessibility; Inclusion; Co-creation; Human Rights Model of Disability;
    Academic Unit: Faculty of Social Sciences > Law
    Item ID: 19922
    Identification Number: 10.3366/drs.2025.0439
    Depositing User: Delia Ferri
    Date Deposited: 29 May 2025 08:28
    Journal or Publication Title: Dance Research
    Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
    Refereed: Yes
    Related URLs:
    URI: https://mural.maynoothuniversity.ie/id/eprint/19922
    Use Licence: This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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