Dancing With Arthritis

Abstract

This Master of Arts thesis is based on research that I conducted on dancers who have the auto-immune disease of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Rheumatoid Arthritis is a long-term autoimmune disease that causes inflammation in the joints and the surrounding tissues. Dancers with arthritis feel pain the joints that can be minor or severe, depending on how they are moving their bodies. This research investigates how dancers with an arthritic body can dance without the experiencing pain in their joints. Arthritis impairs movement because it is a disease that affects the joints. In this thesis, I created movements that could enable arthritic dancers the opportunity to continue dancing. I have identified a movement vocabulary, movement methods, and strategies for arthritic dancers who want and need to move with minimal pain. Movements have been created specifically for the arthritic body. I use my own experiences and challenges as an arthritic dancer to inform this study. My experiences helped me to create movements specifically for arthritic dancers because I am an advocate for those who suffer from arthritis.