Abstract
Bodies are central to Ballroom and Latin American dancing and its evaluation. This chapter begins by drawing upon key ideas from the sociology of the body before turning its attention to bodies that dance. The chapter considers dancers’ attempts to refine and improve their physical presentation through body projects as well as highlighting moments when the ‘rules’ of time investment in appearance were broken and argues that this affected women more than men. Finally, considering that bodies are not static but are subject to the ageing process, the chapter explores how the experience of dancing changes in the context of ageing within an image-conscious social field.
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Harman, V. (2019). Gender, Ideals and Body Image. In: The Sexual Politics of Ballroom Dancing. Genders and Sexualities in the Social Sciences. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-02939-3_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-02939-3_7
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