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Joyful Movement and Body Theologies
Proposal abstract :
This project investigates the impact of joyful movement as a part of theological teaching about bodies at a small women’s college. I aim to conduct a deep dive into joyful movement practices and theology before hosting weekly Zumba classes, open to the larger campus community, throughout the 2025 Spring semester. I will track my own reactions and ideas about teaching through this time of incorporating intellectual and physical instruction, and will invite participants to share their beliefs about body-related theologies through surveys after each joyful movement class. Ultimately, my reflections and this data will be used to adapt my Bodies in Christian Theology course towards more holistic methods of teaching. Learning will also be shared with relevant on-campus partners, such Occupational Therapy, Kinesiology, and Nursing, to identify ways in which participation in joyful movement might affect a person’s regard for their own bodies and the bodies of others.
Learning Abstract :
Goal 1: to engage in substantive learning about joyful movement and its intersection with Christian theologies while earning a Zumba certification with a focus on adaptive, inclusive, and accessible movement for a variety of bodies
This goal will require both the formal online licensing in Zumba and a deep dive into literature around joyful movement, the health at every size movement, and adaptive and inclusive exercise. Because this learning is both intellectual and bodily, I plan to take a two-day retreat to a location where I can focus fully on creating inclusive and easy-to-learn choreography that would be appropriate for my campus community. This goal may also include consultation with on-campus partners regarding their knowledge of our students or the concepts of joyful movement broadly.
This goal will be met after I develop a reading and resource list and engage with all the included texts, and completed my Zumba licensing and choreographed a "set list" of music and dances to introduce to faculty, staff, and students at the College of St. Mary.
This project investigates the impact of joyful movement as a part of theological teaching about bodies at a small women’s college. I aim to conduct a deep dive into joyful movement practices and theology before hosting weekly Zumba classes, open to the larger campus community, throughout the 2025 Spring semester. I will track my own reactions and ideas about teaching through this time of incorporating intellectual and physical instruction, and will invite participants to share their beliefs about body-related theologies through surveys after each joyful movement class. Ultimately, my reflections and this data will be used to adapt my Bodies in Christian Theology course towards more holistic methods of teaching. Learning will also be shared with relevant on-campus partners, such Occupational Therapy, Kinesiology, and Nursing, to identify ways in which participation in joyful movement might affect a person’s regard for their own bodies and the bodies of others.
Learning Abstract :
Goal 1: to engage in substantive learning about joyful movement and its intersection with Christian theologies while earning a Zumba certification with a focus on adaptive, inclusive, and accessible movement for a variety of bodies
This goal will require both the formal online licensing in Zumba and a deep dive into literature around joyful movement, the health at every size movement, and adaptive and inclusive exercise. Because this learning is both intellectual and bodily, I plan to take a two-day retreat to a location where I can focus fully on creating inclusive and easy-to-learn choreography that would be appropriate for my campus community. This goal may also include consultation with on-campus partners regarding their knowledge of our students or the concepts of joyful movement broadly.
This goal will be met after I develop a reading and resource list and engage with all the included texts, and completed my Zumba licensing and choreographed a "set list" of music and dances to introduce to faculty, staff, and students at the College of St. Mary.