Symposium abstracts: Pace, penalty and pirouette: the sociology of physical culture

Pace, penalty and pirouette: the sociology of physical culture was an event organised and hosted by PhD students Victoria Palmer (Glasgow Caledonian University) and Bethany Whiteside (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland). Funded by the British Sociological Association as a Postgraduate Regional Event, the day was primarily designed to be a supportive platform for postgraduate students from across Scotland and further afield to unite, discuss, present, and share their research with academics with similar interests. The event focused on aspects of ‘physical culture’, attracting scholars from several areas of study including dance, leisure studies, outdoor activity, physical activity, physical education, physical theatre, outdoor activity and sport. Broadly speaking, those who study physical culture are interested in the ways in which individuals engage in (or do not engage in) physical practices and how these individuals are affected by, or influence their social and cultural environment.

by, or influence their social and cultural environment.
The event aimed to explore and unite the various practices of physical culture and to interrogate how they intersect with sociological issues such as ageing, class, disability, gender and race.Moreover, an uneasy relationship has traditionally existed between sport and dance, with the latter often subsumed into the former in myriad ways (for example, through the necessary physicality and the adoption of competition formats).However, as this event demonstrated, the methodologies and approaches adopted across these disciplines highlight the compatibility between them when the focus is on the moving body.
Through a formal review process, eleven speakers were invited to present their research from institutions across the UK and Europe.Structured around three panels focusing on 'Sport and Physical Activity', 'Dance and Physical Theatre' and 'Gender and Physical Culture', scholars spoke about such diverse subjects as the place of white masculinity in the fitness arena of 1930s and 1940s America (Conor Heffernan), 'body-mapping' as a technique in physical theatre devising (Vanessa Coffey) and the concept of the 'ridiculous' in clown performance (Lucy Amsden).In addition, we were delighted to be joined by two keynote speakers: Dr Emmanuelle Tulle (Glasgow Caledonian University) focused on the portrayal of ageing elite athletes in the media and Dr Laura Bissell (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) presented on the exploration and framing of the daily commute as 'Rhythmanalysis' (Lefebvre, 1992).presentation aims to answer these questions and more.
JAMES BOWNESS is a PhD student within the Social Sciences and Media Journalism department, part of the Glasgow School of Business and Society at Glasgow Caledonian University.His research interests surround the sociology of sport and in particular, the various avenues of ageing research.

CONOR HEFFERNAN
Charles Atlas and American physical culture in the early twentieth century contend that Atlas's business came at a profound juncture in US history during which there was a perceived crisis of white masculinity by both the public and elites.Atlas's business was successful because it asseverated that it could provide qualities men believed they needed and wanted at this time.In arguing this, I will firstly give a brief historical background to establish the crisis of masculinity that existed.Atlas and Roman themselves will be studied briefly to establish their public personae.The product, and more importantly its advertising, is studied to elucidate the marketing campaign utilised.Lastly, I examine the qualities which Atlas's product purported to provide, namely a sense of control, increased sexual vigour and attractiveness, and a strong personality.Such qualities, it is argued, were taken to represent the cornerstones of American white masculinity at this time in response to a perceived crisis of masculinity.ways their body can be used to make people laugh.The social environment of the clown workshop is an international and multilingual one, which may have an impact on the extent to which physicality is used (more than language) to generate laughter.This paper draws on data collected through the work of various dance historians and theorists (Burt, 2007;Daly, 1987;Hanna, 1988;Kraus, 1969) to give an overview of the alterations in Western theatrical dance between the sixteenth and twentieth centuries.It particularly describes the socio-cultural and economic conditions of that time and will refer to the most important transformations that affected ballet (among others, the introduction of point shoes and lighter costumes, the danseuse en travesti and the idea of narrative), to sociologically explain how they influenced the participation as well as representation of female and male dancers in dance performances.In this shared cultural space we are able to not only embody a variety of Indian, Arabic and Latin dance styles free from a critical eye or judgemental gaze, but also escape from the (often) disempowering environment outside.
Angela McRobbie (2005) argues that dance remains a complex and powerful manifestation of women's identity.
The function of this class goes beyond that of an exercise class and establishes a nurturing place for female

VICTORIA
Lost Times or Time Regained?Numbers and ambiguous narratives of ageing in media reports of elite athletesThe presentation will engage reflexively on the ambiguity of the scientific project which on the one hand provides the means to more effectively develop physical capital, on the other hand contributes to the discourse of ageing as decline.To explore this conundrum I will focus on two high-profile male athletes-Lance Armstrong and Roger Federer-and show how their ageing is foretold in media and personal accounts of their achievements.What is striking in these documents is how numbers and a specific conception of time informed by science are deployed to construct a truth of the athletes' elite status as well as their ageing.The athletes are prematurely aged and subjected to the dominant discourse of ageing and old age as decline, which puts their reputational capital at risk.Supported by Foucauldian theoretical and conceptual tools, the analysis reveals strategies the athletes themselves use to attempt to protect their reputation, their futures and social position.
Much academic work has been done on the structural influences which generate such dispositions.However, more work is needed in understanding the effects of ageing on the identity of an athlete, how they fit into the aged social field and how they encounter societal marginalisation.To illuminate such theoretical queries, an interesting group of athletes will be utilised.Masters athletes involved in the Highland games movement will meet in Inverness this September for the World Highland Games gathering, an event steeped in masculine identity.How do older women experience these practices, being both deviant to the stereotypes of their age and their gender?Furthermore, research into physical activity and age has found strong links between increased levels of activity and prolonged longevity.How do the Highland games athletes experience mundane tasks and how has their participation in a highly strength-based event aided their successful ageing?This

Fitness
and the fitness industry are relatively unmined topics for historical research.Such research as exists tends to focus on biographies of famous figures in the industry, rather than the analysis of societal trends and identity formation.I intend to juxtapose both approaches.In the early twentieth century, Charles Atlas and his business partner Charles Roman created a mail order workout course that continues to this day and has had over thirty million customers.By focusing on the early years of the Atlas business, specifically 1929 to 1948, I look at what the success of Atlas's business tells us about constructions of white masculinity during this time, along with exploring what Atlas's business meant for American physical culture.I person attends a dance performance.What is the point?Sometimes theatres provide live audiodescription, via earpiece, commentating on what is seen.Through considering the history, philosophy and embedded ideology implicit in audio-description as a tool of access, this presentation asks: what makes a dance?What is being described?Tensions between what is described, listener expectations and who is 'interpreting' make this contentious territory.Dissatisfied with the basic premise of an audio-description as translation of visual to verbal, I question how a critical appraisal of the current practice of audio description in dance, and the function of the audio describer can provide a foundation for new choreographies.I explore the artistic potential of access 'tools' as creative media in themselves and alternative approaches to what constitutes an experience of live dance performance.This presentation will reflect my search for alternative bodily presences in performance and new communicative processes which emerge out of the encounter between artistic production and social inclusion.How can choreographic practices centralise a diversity of sensory perceptions as a steering artistic tool during the making of new work?Just as the ramp has become a design feature of award-winning recent architectures (think Tate Modern and Laban Centre, London), can access 'problems' allow cultures to think differently about who is participating in art?What kinds of new work can be created through an encounter between artistic production and social inclusion?Can new dance be made that doesn't need 'translating' at all? SUE SMITH is a choreographer, RayneFellow (2006)  and PhD candidate at Falmouth University.Her practice includes dance in elderly care, with cancer patients and Royal Marines.She believes that the potential for accessible, quality dance lies in the most unexpected places.She believes in reinterpreting 'dance' to reflect and reveal real lives across the broadest spectrum of experience.LUCY AMSDENRidiculous physicality in clown workshops at Ecole Philippe GaulierThough the word 'clown' might conjure up a generic image, each clown student at the Ecole Philippe Gaulier looks different, wearing a costume that can elicit laughter or make their body ridiculous.My paper examines how students of the clown workshop develop ridiculous physicality, using the social exchange of laughter.Clown physicality depends on contrast, partnerships and contradictions.A clown is a skilled performer, using physical skills in service of gags, with the direct intention of laughter.Ridiculousness is closely associated with ineptitude, and laughter can be generated by failure to function according to social expectations.As a result, clowning has the potential to highlight, challenge or enhance social norms.I explore this relationship using a case study of a clown act in Cirque du Soleil's Varekai, performed and directed by participants of Gaulier's workshop.This act includes a variety of physical and social ineptitudes and contrasts.I explore the term 'ridiculous' to examine how clown performance has been understood as personal to the performer, in some way dependant on the performer's own body.I suggest that Gaulier teaches students to find what is ridiculous about their own body, or in other words, in what ANDRIA CHRISTOFIDOUA historical account of genders in ballet Ballet, a dance genre with a long history, emerged as an activity by and for men.However, since the eighteenth century it has became an activity associated with women and femininity which has resulted in ballet's transformation into a low-status activity and profession.It turned into a scrutinised field for men to get involved in and those who chose to practice it often risked being characterised as feminine and/or homosexual.
JOSEPHINE LEASK Shimmying hips and rotating wrists: the transformational room of the Bollywood dance class I participate in a local Bollywood dance class for mothers at my children's inner city London school.In this class, I am in a minority together with the teacher and one other mum, as being the only white, non-Muslim women.The majority of the other participants are migrant Bengali or Arabic women.In spite of our very different backgrounds and ages what we share in addition to being mothers is a joy of dancing, learning new choreography and sweating within the safe confines of a supportive group.
Ageing, the Body and Social Change: Running in Later Life(Palgrave,  2008)and with Dr Cassie Phoenix is currently co-editing a collection entitled Physical Activity and Sport in Later Life: Critical Approaches.
Twonarratives emerge: one of active retirement which is described as socially desirable (Lance Armstrong), and a narrative foregrounding of age as a positive process of discovery (Roger Federer).athletes.She has also cast a critical eye on the legacy implications of large sporting events and the role of sport science in legitimating the turn to physical activity in later life.Tulle is currently examining the science of sedentary behaviour and is the author of a monograph, 'through the creation of ideal, or aspirational, kinds of femininity which can be viewed and imagined by all women' (p.371).From a feminist perspective, this discourse is problematic due to its pre-occupation with the inequity of the sexes in all aspects of life, and the negative impact CONOR HEFFERNAN has recently completed a bachelor's degree in History and Political Science at Trinity College, Dublin.His historical interests focus primarily on health and fitness and American culture in the twentieth century, but also includes areas such as consumption politics in Nazi Germany and identity formation in Zaire.He plans to enter postgraduate research next year.LAURA BISSELL is a lecturer in Contemporary Performance Practice within the School of Drama at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.Laura is a visiting lecturer on the MRes in Creative Practices programme at the Glasgow School of Art and has presented her research on contemporary practices at conferences nationally and internationally.DR DAVID OVEREND is a freelance director and lecturer in contemporary theatre and performance at the University of the West of Scotland.He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and was associate artist at the Arches,Glasgow (2007Glasgow ( -2010)).His current research focuses on performance and mobilities.COFFEY is a theatre-maker who makes work through her company Down the Rabbit Hole, which focuses on mental health issues using physical theatre.In addition to the work she undertakes with her company, Vanessa also works independently as an actor, dancer, choreographer and dramaturg.Vanessa teaches at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in several capacities: as a tutor on the Masters (Acting) programme, a tutor on the undergraduate Acting degree, as well as teaching young people from the age of five through to adults in the Short Courses programmes through the Conservatoire, particularly the Junior Conservatoire of Drama's movement modules.
LAURA BISSELL & DAVID OVERENDRhythmic routes: developing a nomadic physical practice for the daily commute How can the contemporary performance practitioner maintain a deterritorialised, nomadic existence within the regulated systems of twenty-first century mobile life?Elliott and Urry (2010) argue that 'life "on the move" appears to unfold faster and faster in the early days of the twenty-first century, as people become more reliant upon interdependent, digitised systems'.In contrast, the nomad is DR VANESSA She was also employed by Sense Scotland as a drama tutor where she worked with adults with profound mental health concerns, and physical and learning disabilities.Her undergraduate degrees are in Law and French and she has a specific interest in the ethics of performance.KIRSTY KAY is a second-year, part-time PhD student in the Central and Eastern European Studies Department of the University of Glasgow.Her academic work focuses on the reinvention of traditions in national contexts in East and West Europe, using multimodal methodologies to elicit non-elite experiences of embodied nationalism.Kirsty also works as a freelance writer and editor and, having lived and worked in Central Europe and Scotland for over a decade, writes about both regions online.
LUCY AMSDEN is a third-year PhD student in Theatre Studies at the University of Glasgow.She has presented research at postgraduate colloquia nationally, was part of the Performer Training Working Group in TaPRA 2013 at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and performs in Glasgow and Edinburgh with Bright Club, presenting research through stand-up comedy.
The talk presents how females were introduced and established into what used to be a male-dominated field, as well as how males slowly disappeared from it.Overall, this paper is a presentation of how the dance emerged in its various forms, how it resulted in what is today known as ballet, as well as how it became established as a female-concentrated, yet not dominated, activity and field.ANDRIA CHRISTOFIDOU is a PhD candidate at the University of Glasgow looking at masculinities in the field of theatrical dance.She has a BA in Sociology and an MSc in Cultural Sociology.Andria is mostly interested in gender studies, masculinities/femininities, queer theory, cultural and dance sociology.