Merry Lynn Morris

Wheelchair Modification for Hands-Free Motion for Dancers With Disabilities

Functional modifications to power and manual chairs are currently advancing in the areas of rehabilitation, sports and recreation and in the activities of daily living; however, these modification have yet to be directly applied in the field of performing arts. An assistive device was developed at the University of South Florida (USF) during collaboration between the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the School of Theatre and Dance. The project was initiated by Professor Merry Lynn Morris who identified a need for new conceptions of mobility; her work with dancers, with and without disabilities established the research framework in which choreographic vision could be supported with technological applications. Therefore, a device was designed to alleviate the constraints of current wheelchair designs which inhibit the user’s upper-body artistic movement range and capacity for interaction. The main purpose of the design was to create hands-free motion through the modification of a power wheelchair, which make it useful in the performing arts, but also as an assistive device for persons with disabilities. This device is in its first research phase of development as a prototype and is patent pending.Copyright

Comparison of the Metabolic Demands of Dance Performance Using Three Mobility Devices for a Dancer with Spinal Cord Injury and an Able-Bodied Dancer

Mobility devices for dancers with physical mobility impairments have previously been limited to traditional manual or power wheelchairs. The hands-free torso-controlled mobility chair is a unique powered mobility device which allows greater freedom and expression of movement of the trunk and upper extremities. This study compared differences in energy expenditure during a standardized dance activity using three mobility devices: the hands-free torso-controlled mobility chair, a manual sports wheelchair with hand-arm control, and an electric power chair with hand-joystick control. An experienced dancer with C7 incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI) and an experienced able-bodied dancer were recruited for testing. Three measurement trials were obtained for each chair per subject. Oxygen uptake (VO2) and heart rate (HR) were measured continuously during the dance activity. Immediately following the dance activity, subjects rated perceived exertion. Significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) and similar linear patterns in VO2 and HR responses were observed between chairs for both dancers. When the hands-free mobility chair was used, the dance activity required a moderate level of energy expenditure compared to the manual sports chair or electric power chair for both dancers. Higher ratings of perceived exertion were observed in the manual chair compared to the other chairs for the dancer with SCI, but were similar between chairs for the able-bodied dancer. These results suggest that for a dancer with high-level SCI, the hands-free torso-controlled mobility chair may offer improved freedom and expressive movement possibilities and is an energy-efficient mobility device.

Re-thinking ballet pedagogy: approaching a historiography of fifth position

This article addresses the use of the fifth position in historical and current dance training practices with particular emphasis upon examining the 180° aesthetic and its hegemonic, idealized persistence in dancing bodies, as a marker of perfection and “beauty”. Historical research is interwoven with practice-based experience and dance medicine research to reveal the conflicted issues within the pedagogy, its rationale, ideology and continued practice in dance classrooms. The author argues for a more thorough the examination of how traditional dance practices and their dominant aesthetics exert power and control in the psyches of today’s dancing bodies, urging pedagogical re-evaluation and evolution.

Developing and Sustaining an Inclusive Dance Program: Strategic Tools and Methods.

Address correspondence to Merry Lynn Morris, MFA, PhD Candidate, P.O. Box 27086, Tampa, FL 33623-7086. E-mail: mmorris3@usf.edu In the 1980s, mixed ability or physically integrated dance companies, such as AXIS and Dancing Wheels, began with professional performance goals, aimed at producing highquality choreographic work involving individuals with and without disabilities. Those companies are pioneers in the integrated dance field and serve as beneficial models of development. Generally speaking, dancers with disabilities began learning movement expertise through choreographic explorations initially (McGrath 2012). There were no studios or training venues preparing young dancers or adults for the potential of professional or preprofessional dance. The realization that there were no consistent, well-developed training programs caused these companies to create opportunities for training. These companies now hold workshop intensives and community classes to attempt to fill the gap. Still, more consistent training opportunities in different locations are needed, especially for young students (Aujla and Redding 2014). Efforts at codification of training techniques for individuals with disabilities are also relatively new and in need of further development to address varying disabilities. One notable effort can be seen in the Dancing Wheels manual, Physically Integrated Dance Training: The Dancing Wheels Comprehensive Guide for Teachers, Choreographers and Students of Mixed Abilities, published in 2012. Another may be seen in Alito Alessi’s Dance Ability International (2008), the first teacher training certification program for integrated and inclusive dance, focusing on contact improvisation methods. Additionally, in the area of wheelchair ballroom dance sport, codification of expectations has occurred for wheelchair dancers in a competition frame (International Paralympic Committee wheelchair dance sport 2014). These are beneficial efforts in the field, and we need more of these efforts, especially for youth, to make dance accessible to diverse populations and enable professional preparation. Recognizing the lack of training options in our area for any type of integrated dance that was not simply recreational, the company founder, also a dancer with a disability, founded the training program discussed in this article.

Pushing the Limits: Making Dance Accessible to Different Bodies through Assistive Technology

ABSTRACT In this article, I draw critical attention to the assistive mobility devices that individuals with disabilities often use in dance and suggest that the dance genre presents the opportunity for reimagining the technological possibilities of these devices and creating more diverse repertoires. As an intervention and example, I describe the design, development, and implementation of an innovative wheelchair for dance with qualitative research data collected from six wheelchair users who experimented in the chair under a study approved by an institutional review board. Further, based on practitioner experience in the field, I discuss embodiment techniques for assistive devices as a focused part of dance training, specifically important for dancers with disabilities who use devices as bodily movement extensions. In sum, this article highlights the need for more research and attention in the dance genre directed at the artistic, technological, and human interface factors of assistive devices for dance experience.