Effect of teaching with mirrors on ballet dance performance

Area of Science:

• Dance Pedagogy
• Motor Skill Acquisition
• Kinesiology

Background:

• Mirrors are a common tool in ballet education, presumed to aid kinesthetic awareness.
• The impact of mirrors on motor skill development in dance, particularly ballet, remains under-researched.
• Understanding environmental factors influencing learning is crucial for effective dance training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effect of using mirrors versus not using mirrors in a beginning college ballet classroom.
• To assess the impact on the acquisition of dance skills in adagio and grand allegro.
• To determine if mirrors positively or negatively influence ballet student skill development.

Main Methods:

• Two beginning ballet classes (n=13 mirror, n=14 non-mirror) were taught by the same instructor.
• Students were videotaped performing standardized adagio and grand allegro phrases at mid-term and end-term.
• Two experienced ballet teachers evaluated videotapes using a 1-5 skill rating scale, with high interrater reliability.

Main Results:

• The non-mirror group demonstrated a significant increase in adagio skill scores over the term.
• The mirror group showed no significant improvement in either adagio or grand allegro scores.
• Skill acquisition in ballet may be enhanced by removing the visual feedback of mirrors.

Conclusions:

• The study suggests that the presence of mirrors in a ballet classroom may impede skill acquisition for beginning students.
• Rethinking the pedagogical use of mirrors in dance education is warranted.
• Further research should explore the underlying mechanisms of how mirrors affect kinesthetic learning in dancers.