Dança, educação, gênero e sexualidade: estudo de caso com o Grupo Barbies

Abstract

Dance is the body's discourse, an artistic and cultural language, being a way for the dancer to express their ideas, thoughts, and emotions. The purpose of this research is to examine its effects in different educational spaces. The central argument is how dance can constitute educational actions that promote recognition and respect for gender and sexuality differences, expanding knowledge and worldviews. Drawing on post-structuralist approaches, with emphasis on cultural pedagogies and the Foucauldian perspective, this case study focuses on the Barbies Group, a dance group whose members construct affiliations with sexualities and gender identities. When considering the Barbies Group, several questions can be raised, including their objectives, the discourses their bodies carry and construct, and the cultural context they are embedded in. Regarding the theoretical framework, the research is based on Michel Foucault (1981-2013) and other authors in the fields of Dance, Gender and Sexuality Identities, Education, Culture, and Cultural Pedagogies, such as Isabel Marques (2007), Giuliano Andreoli (2019), Anderson Ferrari (2005, 2012), Alfredo Veiga-Neto (2016), Paula Andrade, and Marisa Vorraber Costa (2015, 2017). Through this research, it can be observed that dance is a powerful cultural pedagogy, expanding knowledge and perspectives on ways of being, living, coexisting, and existing in the world, dealing with power relations and establishing forms of resistance within our society's existing truth games. After conducting the research, it became evident that the members of the Barbies Group came together through dance, with very similar purposes, which are to advocate for the appreciation and respect of the LGBTQIA+ community. It was through dance and interaction with their peers that they better understood their bodies, desires, gender affiliations, and sexualities. Through this research, it was noticed how the Barbies Group contributes to education for recognition and respect for differences, understanding that people produce knowledge through the experience of witnessing it. It is concluded that educational processes can extend widely beyond the school setting, as pedagogy is embedded in art and culture, ensuring education for gender and sexuality differences through dance.