by Sara Houston
School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Roehampton London, London, United Kingdom
Introduction
In this article I focus on the idea that embodied agency can be harnessed through the practicing of soft skills in the context of a specific dance programme that invites people with Parkinson’s and others to share creative movement. The article is divided into sections that take the reader through my argument. First, I lay out my definitions of both soft skills and embodied agency and contextualize them in relation to the current literature and disciplinary foci, as well as in relation to dance. I suggest that there is a gap in knowledge in linking both embodied agency and soft skills together within the discipline of Dance Studies, and when examining dance practices. Second, I outline the project, Empowering Dance and its case study of Dance Well: Movement Research for Parkinson, which gave impetus and evidentiary grounding to my thoughts in this area. I then go on to examine the concept of embodied agency as it currently pertains to dancing in a professional context, and I outline my counterargument following this, seeing the problems for community dancers, particularly those with Parkinson’s, and I suggest a different approach through the lens of soft skills. I use the case study of Dance Well to expand on this argument and conclude that understanding embodied agency through soft skills could lead to appreciating the contribution dancing might make to a vision of social justice and a characterization of embodiment that emphasizes the recognition of each other’s humanity.