Reckoning with Whiteness: An Embodied Approach to Exploring Racial Identity Development for Dance/Movement Therapy Students

Research Open House 2021

Katarina Bennicoff Yundt, MS Dance/Movement Therapy ‘21 and Kelsie White, MS Dance/Movement Therapy ‘21

School of Art, Creative Arts Therapy

Reckoning with Whiteness is an arts and action based research study that seeks to further understand the role of white racial identity development as it pertains to the training of anti-oppressive dance/movement therapy students.

Two women dancing on a rooftop — A film still from the co-researchers’ movement studies exploring their conceptualization of white body supremacy and racial identity development.

Co-researchers, Kelsie and Kat, utilize collaborative self-study, combined with their own learned experience to create a focus group equipped for other white identifying DMT students to increase self-awareness, racial stamina, and capacity for empathy.