Dances and discourses of (Dis)ability: Heather Mills’s embodiment of disability on dancing with the stars

Abstract:

This essay explores the relationships among disability, performance, and dance studies. Individuals with disabilities are often marginalized in current dance scholarship. Heather Mills’s performances onDancing with the Stars insert a dancer with a disability into mainstream perceptions of dance. This essay discusses three themes that emerge from an analysis of journalistic and blogger reactions to her performances. These themes reveal both empowering and disempowering potentialities for individuals with and without disabilities. Conclusions and implications for our understanding of disability, dance, and performance are offered. © 2008 National Communication Association.

Año de publicación:

2008

Keywords:

• Disability
• Heather Mills
• media
• Performance Criticism
• Dance

Fuente:

scopus