On gray dancing: Constructions of age-normality through choreography and temporal codes

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Sociology of Health and Aging
• Dance Studies

Background:

• Population aging highlights the significance of older adults' dance.
• Dance among older adults is recognized for health promotion and social engagement.
• Research increasingly explores the social meanings and contexts of older adult dance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the context and power dynamics of dance for older adults.
• To investigate how dance is organized within social discourses and age relationships.
• To understand how age and age norms are negotiated in older adult dance settings.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative interviews were conducted with 33 older dancers.
• Qualitative interviews were conducted with 11 dance providers in Sweden.
• Analysis focused on social discourses, age relationships, and non-verbal practices in dance.

Main Results:

• Dance for older adults is organized through discourses of healthism and consumerism.
• Older adult dance contexts are subordinated to younger age groups via non-verbal cues like choreography and timing.
• Dance participation reflects and constructs age and age normality.

Conclusions:

• Older adult dance is more than a health and social activity; it's a site of age negotiation.
• Social discourses and power dynamics shape the organization and experience of dance for older adults.
• Non-verbal elements in dance reinforce age-based hierarchies.