Effects of dance education on emotional repair and identity reconstruction in women

Abstract

This study examines the effects of dance education on emotional repair and identity reconstruction among women, with particular attention to the roles of embodiment, bodily governance, and negotiated agency. Using a quantitative cross-sectional design, data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to women participating in formal and semi-formal dance education settings in selected Chinese cities. The study measured six latent constructs: Dance Education Engagement, Embodiment, Emotional Repair, Identity Reconstruction, Bodily Governance, and Negotiated Agency. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the relationships among these variables. The findings show that dance education significantly enhances embodiment, which in turn positively contributes to emotional repair and identity reconstruction. The results further indicate that although dance spaces may reproduce forms of bodily governance through discipline and normative expectations, women actively negotiate these structures through agency and self-expression. Overall, the study highlights dance education as both an embodied pedagogical practice and a psychosocial resource that supports women’s emotional wellbeing and self-redefinition. These findings contribute to growing scholarship on movement-based interventions and suggest that dance education may offer meaningful benefits for women’s mental health, empowerment, and holistic wellbeing.

Dans le contexte des systËmes de gouvernance corporelle, cette Ètude explore l'Èducation ‡ la danse comme pratique incarnÈe pour la reconstruction identitaire et la guÈrison Èmotionnelle des femmes. Un modËle quantitatif utilisant la modÈlisation par Èquations structurelles a analysÈ des donnÈes d'enquÍte auprËs de femmes inscrites dans des programmes de danse formels et semi-formels, en s'appuyant sur les thÈories de l'incarnation, du traumatisme et de la gouvernance fÈministe. Les rÈsultats dÈmontrent que l'Èducation ‡ la danse amÈliore significativement l'incarnation, ce qui facilite ensuite la rÈparation Èmotionnelle et soutient la reconstruction identitaire. Une identitÈ reconstruite avec succËs prÈdit fortement l'agencÈitÈ nÈgociÈe—la capacitÈ ‡ rÈinterprÈter et ‡ dÈfier les normes gouvernantes—tandis que la gouvernance corporelle restreint nÈgativement la reconstruction identitaire. Les rÈsultats prÈsentent l'Èducation ‡ la danse comme un site de gouvernance incarnÈe o˘ guÈrison et nÈgociation du pouvoir convergent, ainsi que comme une intervention psychosociale. Cette Ètude ajoute des donnÈes empiriques aux discussions interdisciplinaires sur le genre, la santÈ mentale et l'Èducation.