Browsing by Person "Oliver, Sue"

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Community-based creative dance for adolescents and their feelings of social wellbeing
(Queen Margaret University, 2009) Oliver, Sue
The thesis contextualises creative dance as art in a community setting. The participants were teenage members of a community-run creative dance company. The aim was to explore any links young people make between their creative dance experience in a community class and their feelings of social well-being. The literature gives a brief historical overview of dance as a performing art and of the nature of aesthetics and creativity. It considers the art of dance as a form of communication, and the conditions for creativity to flourish. It looks at Bourdieu‘s (2005) theory of ‗habitus‘ and ‗field‘ in understanding the social experience which the dancers derived through creative dance. Consideration is given to theories and accounts of adolescent development and how community interaction can affect the dancers‘ feelings of social wellbeing. The methodological approach is hermeneutic phenomenology, with influences from ethnomethodology and social constructionism. The ontological principle is that personal meaning is socially constructed. Epistemologically the study is informed by the belief that knowledge is generated through the creative dance experience. The main data collection method was semi-structured interviews with the dancers (n=10), supported by observation of dance classes (n=7; filmed: n=4), group discussions (n=3) and graffiti walls (n=8, completed by the dancers). The data were organised and analysed thematically using a method of presentation inspired by Bourdieu‘s concept of a ‗social trajectory‘ - a lifetime journey of social encounters – offering headings under which the data were loosely organised. Selected observations are presented on DVD. The responses suggested a dance ‗journey‘ from preparation to performance, which allowed further organisation of data. The emergent themes included the dancers‘ motivation for dancing, their feelings about the creative process, experiences of social interaction and of taking control of one‘s own identity, through all the stages of experimenting with movement, refining the dances and performing. The main findings are: the dancers attached importance to company membership because it offered a means to clarifying self-identity through physical and artistic endeavour; the creative dance context gave them freedom to explore their movement capabilities and to interact socially, and thus gave them a means of negotiating their ‗habitus‘, i.e. adopting and adjusting social norms and values on their own terms. Performing was a celebration of achievement and confirmation of identity as a dancer. The study contributes to the understanding of how adolescents make sense of their identity in their social context through their creative dance experience and how that influences their feelings of social wellbeing.
Creativity in retirement: Psychosocial experiences of recently retired people participating in a creative arts project
(SAGE, 2020-07-22) Burns, Jane; Oliver, Sue; Karkou, Vicky
Aims: A growing body of research literature features the provision of arts experiences for the older person but less attention has been given to those who are in the early years of retirement. This qualitative study aims to contribute to the existing field through exploring the contribution that creativity, in the form of active participation in the arts, can make upon the older person’s transition to retirement. Methods: A total of 15 recently retired people in a Scottish town were invited to participate in a qualitative project which explored, using the creative arts, the participants’ psychological and social experiences during this period of transition. The emphasis was on participants’ active, rather than passive, involvement in different art modalities. An action research methodology was adopted, involving a circular flexible design. Qualitative information was generated through focus groups, participant observations and group discussions with participants attending arts workshops. Participants were also invited to record their thoughts and observations anonymously in written form. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Two co-researchers, who were recently retired people from outside the community, took part as participant observers. Results: Key findings indicated that the need to feel challenged and stimulated was paramount for feelings of wellbeing. The feeling of belonging to a community was considered important and could be derived from creative arts activities. Psychological and social benefits of arts participation were derived from active participation, primarily in creating original work. Conclusion: Participants had disparate experience of arts but were united in their search for creative fulfilment. Implications for appropriate provision were considered.
Involving Older People Collaborative Research Project - The older persons' experiences of creativity in relation to wellbeing: a collaborative research project
(Quenn Margaret University, 2008-09) Burns, Jane; Oliver, Sue; Karkou, Vicky
Executive Summary - Although there is evidence that creativity might be linked with older persons' wellbeing, there are few published studies that systematically explore the experiences of people who have recently retired. The few available studies stress the value of engagement of older persons within the first 5 years after retirement (Withnall and Thompson 2003) and their preference for active participation in creative projects dealing with issues that affect their lives (Bennets et al 2005). Some positive outcomes from engaging with the arts include: expression of feelings and thoughts, sensory stimulation and improvement of self-esteem (McMurray 1989). - This collaborative study aimed to explore the experiences of older persons who had recently retired in relation to engagement in the creative arts and identifying any links between participation in the arts and wellbeing. In order to address this aim an action research methodology was adopted that involved a circular flexible design. A research team based at Queen Margaret University (QMU) and two co-researchers, older persons based in the community, led the study. Qualitative information was generated from 15 co-participants (older persons recently retired based in East Lothian and the wider community) through interviews, participant observations and discussions/reflections. Co-participants were also invited to participate in and reflect upon creative arts workshops that were particularly designed for this project. Collected information was analysed using thematic analysis. - Key findings from this study were that the feeling of belonging to a community was important. Most co-participants liked a wide choice of arts activities and were often introduced to new ideas by their friends. They sought sustained, in-depth art experiences where they felt challenged and stimulated, rather than short, superficial courses; some like to strive towards a finished product and were critical about their own achievements, while for others, taking part was more important. The stimulation of new forms of creativity was perceived to be beneficial to mental and physical wellbeing, but the activities had to be fun as well.
Movement Therapy Programme with Children with Mild Learning Difficulties in Primary Schools in Saudi Arabia: Links between Motion and Emotion
(Oxford University Press, 2017-10-05) Alotaibi, Abdulazeem; Karkou, Vassiliki; van der Linden, Marietta; Irvine, Lindesay; Karkou, Vicky; Lycouris, Sophia; Oliver, Sue
Movement therapy, as a body-mind intervention, aims to enable emotional and social changes in children and adults, based on the premise that physical and behavioural changes also facilitate psychological changes and that ultimately further integration is achieved which is the basis of one's wellbeing. The existence of comorbid difficulties and cognitive delays in children with learning difficulties heighten the need to investigate whether movement therapy can indeed enable physical and emotional integration, as relevant literature suggests. This chapter reports on such an investigation involving children with mild learning difficulties in primary schools in Saudi Arabia. A randomized controlled trial was conducted with a sample of sixty (N = 60) primary school male pupils aged 6-9 years with mild learning difficulties. Although the sample was small, findings suggest that group movement therapy may be a useful intervention in enabling integration between observed emotional/social and physical/behavioural markers in children with mild learning difficulties.
‘Moving to Heal’: A holistic approach to well-being through Nia dance
(Intellect, 2021-12-01) Oliver, Sue; Small, Karen
This narrative account of a Nia dance class describes its origin and application, highlighting the teacher’s experience of giving and receiving in the course of delivering a class and the participant’s perception of its effect on mind and body.Firstly, the authors consider the neurological and physiological aspects of Nia and the link to social and emotional factors which constitute well-being. The teacher then explains how she became involved with Nia and the motivation behind her teaching ‐ what she gives and what, in turn, she feels she gains. She then describes one application of Nia, ‘Moving to Heal’, explaining how it can increase dancers’ awareness of their own bodies and thoughts, and gives them permission to let go of these thoughts, which bind them and inhibit the exploration of movement in a guided and safe manner.Following on from that, one dancer explores her experience of ‘Moving to Heal’. She explains how this holistic practice generates for her, feelings of well-being through physical, mental and spiritual engagement with the movement and music.The article concludes by reflecting on how the practice of Nia links with the theory as it is experienced through ‘Moving to Heal’.