My research originates from a deep curiosity about how Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) can be applied within a ballroom dance technique class to deepen students’ engagement, understanding, and skill development. Having spent years both studying and teaching ballroom dance, I became increasingly interested in expanding my pedagogical framework beyond its traditional emphasis on foot placement, body positioning, and partner connection. While these elements remain essential to ballroom training, I was drawn to the idea that movement quality, spatial awareness, and dynamic intention could be explored more deeply using LMA inspired imagery and language. This curiosity led me to examine how integrating somatic methodologies into ballroom instruction could enrich students’ learning experiences and, more broadly, provided opportunities for ballroom dance within higher education as an embodied, research-driven practice.

Ballroom dance has historically been situated outside of the academic study of dance, often classified as a social or competitive form with codified technique. However, ballroom dancers engage with movement in complex ways, developing a refined sense of weight, momentum, and spatial negotiation through partnered interaction. Despite this, ballroom pedagogy remains largely rooted in prescriptive teaching methods that prioritize aesthetics and technical execution over kinesthetic exploration. My motivation for this research is twofold. first, to investigate how incorporating LMA concepts can provide ballroom dancers with a more nuanced understanding of movement dynamics. Second, to investigate the social dances and somatic practices within university settings by demonstrating how ballroom can benefit from, and contribute to, somatic discourse.

Methodology and Key Findings

To examine this integration, I designed my research as a qualitative, auto-ethnographic study in which I documented and analyzed my own teaching practices. By embedding LMA principles into my ballroom courses, I could observe firsthand how shifts in language, imagery, and conceptual framing influenced student learning. This methodology allowed me to move beyond theoretical speculation and engage directly with the lived experience of teaching and dancing. The practical application of this research took place in the undergraduate ballroom classes I instructed within the university and in private sectors, ranging from beginning to advanced levels. Within these courses, I deliberately replaced or supplemented conventional ballroom terminology with LMA-based descriptors. Rather than instructing students to "step forward" or "step back," I encouraged them to explore spatial intent using terms such as "advancing" and "retreating." Instead of focusing solely on frame structure, I prompted students to consider the dynamic qualities of their movement—whether they were engaging in bound or free flow, initiating movement with direct or indirect pathways, or expanding and condensing their shape in response to their partner. These subtle linguistic shifts often had visual impact on how students embodied and understood their movement, encouraging them to think beyond steps and patterns and instead consider the underlying qualities that gave their dancing expression and efficiency. 

A particularly compelling aspect of this research was its influence on partner connection. Traditional ballroom pedagogy often frames leading and following as mechanical actions, relying on pressure-based cues and rigid frame structures to establish communication between partners. While these technical elements remain necessary, I sought to introduce LMA informed image strategies. For instance, when instructing leaders to "apply pressure" to initiate a turn, I have practiced applying imagery based cues such as "echoing and mirroring energy," which encouraged both partners to tune into the qualitative aspects of their movement. This approach led to notable improvements in responsiveness and adaptability, as students began to view partner work as a dynamic conversation or negotiation rather than a series of predetermined actions. Through personal journaling and class discussions, I have noticed that students have an increased ability to engage with the dancing on their own, a sense of shared responsibility in movement initiation, and a deeper appreciation for the subtleties of weight shifts and directional intent. 

Implications

Throughout the course of this research, I engaged with existing scholarship in both somatics and ballroom dance pedagogy to contextualize my findings. Scholars such as Brodie and Lobel emphasize the pedagogical benefits of somatic integration in dance training, arguing that imagery based instruction enhances movement clarity, proprioception, and expressive potential. Their work encouraged my belief that ballroom dancers could benefit from a similar approach, particularly in developing a more embodied understanding of movement initiation and weight transfer. Additionally, Juliet McMains’ examination of ballroom’s aesthetic highlights the genre’s historical emphasis on external presentation over internal sensation, further encouraging my notion that LMA could offer a valuable counterbalance to existing teaching methodologies. By situating my research within these broader conversations, I approached my work not only as an investigation into ballroom pedagogy but also as a contribution to ongoing discussions about the role of somatics in dance education. 

While this integration presented clear benefits for ballroom social dance students, I also encountered challenges in balancing LMA with traditional ballroom instruction. One of the primary obstacles was the students and my own resistance to new terminology. Many students, particularly those with prior ballroom experience, were accustomed to a structured language of instruction, making it a cognitive shift to introduce LMA concepts without disrupting their established learning processes. Beginning students were often unfamiliar with words such as bound flow, free flow, light weight, and strong weight. Additionally, I had to navigate the tension between ballroom’s emphasis on technical precision and an embodied exploratory of movement. Ballroom dance often prioritizes aesthetic clarity and partnership mechanics, whereas LMA invites dancers to investigate movement from an internal, kinesthetic perspective. Finding ways to bridge these approaches required intentional adaptation of the language I used to encourage that LMA principles complemented rather than conflicted with ballroom’s existing framework. 

Despite these challenges, my findings emerging from this research underscored the potential of integrating somatic imagery into ballroom pedagogy. Students who engaged with imagery based instruction demonstrated increased spatial awareness, a stronger sense of musicality, and a greater ability to adapt their movement dynamics in response to their partner. Furthermore, introducing effort qualities such as weight, time, and flow encouraged dancers to explore a broader range of textures and expressive possibilities within their movement. These findings suggest that LMA is able to not only enhances technical execution but also deepens dancers’ engagement with ballroom as an embodied practice.

Looking ahead, I see this research extending beyond my personal teaching practice to contribute to broader pedagogical conversations in the field of dance education. As I develop my methodologies, I aspire to offer a unique lens for other educators interested in incorporating somatics into their own ballroom dance curricula. This includes creating this website as a digital platform where I can share and continue expanding upon my research. By making these materials accessible, I hope to support ballroom instructors in expanding their teaching approaches while also advocating for ballroom’s inclusion in academic dance programs. 

Future Applications

More broadly, I view this research as part of a larger effort to bridge the gap between social dance traditions and contemporary dance scholarship. Ballroom dance, despite its technical rigor and artistic depth, has often been overlooked in higher education due to its historical association with social and competitive dance circuits. By investigating how ballroom can engage with somatic conversation and pedagogical innovation, I aim to and contribute to the ongoing evolution of ballroom dance education.

Through this process, I have come to recognize that integrating somatics into ballroom pedagogy is not simply an exercise in applying new terminology, it is a fundamental shift in how we approach ballroom training. By prioritizing movement experience thought dynamic intention, kinesthetic awareness, and emotional adaptability, this research opens new possibilities for how ballroom dancers engage with their movement and their partners. While further exploration is needed to refine these methods, the initial findings suggest that LMA offers a powerful tool for enriching ballroom education. As I continue this work, I remain committed to fostering a holistic, embodied, and research driven approach to ballroom dance, one that honors its technical foundations while embracing the depth of movement inquiry that somatics provides.