Dance Research Using Online Qualitative Research Methods

Last Updated on July 13, 2023

Table of Contents

Skype for Research Paper

I have recently published a paper on the academic peer-reviewed journal Sociological Research Online (SRO).

The title of the paper, which I have co-written with two colleagues (Paul Symonds and Dr David Brown) is “Skype as a Tool for Qualitative Research Interviews” and the whole article is now readable online at https://www.socresonline.org.uk/21/2/12.html.

I thought that I would also give you a quick introduction about the purpose and value of this paper, for those of you who research dance forms because VoIP software (such as Skype and Facetime) offers us some great opportunities.

In particular, if you are researching dance as a form of cultural heritage, the way dance heritage spreads around the world is an important topic to study and Skype can be a very useful tool.

Why VoIP Can Be Useful for Dance Research

Dance has always been and is even more now, because of globalization and modern technologies, an international phenomenon.

For example, ballet is danced all over the world and so are other dance forms such as Egyptian belly dance, Bharathanatyam, hip hop, and more.

For this reason, it can be useful to study dance trans-culturally and our research participants may be located all over the world.

Reaching them though is not always financially and logistically viable, so Skype, FaceTime, and other VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) methods can be invaluable tools to allow us to connect with practitioners all over the world.

Hence, the opportunity to do qualitative sociological research for dance using online interviews is now possible with real-time synchronous audio and video feeds using software such as FaceTime and Skype.

Even when we are studying dance forms which are localized in one area, trying to spend as much as in the field studying dance at close quarters as an anthropologist to study dance forms such as Cocolo Dance from the Dominican Republic, Rabinal Achí dance from Guatemala, or some other dance form, it is not always possible in person.

We may start researching in the place but, if we need to do some follow-up interviews, online methods can be very useful.

The good news these days is that VoIP is making it easier than ever for us to undertake global research using online methods.

For dance specifically, we can teach, do interviews, collaborate on choreography projects, exchange files, view dance and much more via live video feeds.

VoIP can never completely replace in-person interaction, but, if anything, it can complement the opportunities we have as dance researchers.

Benefits of Using Skype in Dance Analysis

Consider the following with dance and Skype as a research tool, with the chance to:

Have truly international and global research samples.
Interview dancers from remote locations or places you simply cannot afford to visit in the short-term.
Use online initial interviews to assess the viability for future visits to certain locations for their regional dance form/s.
Stream live dances to view them for research.
Network with other dancers worldwide.
See the performers in their own environments, which sometimes can provide us as researchers, with new clues about how the interviewee chooses to represent themselves.

In the article, we also look at key research method issues, particularly the issues of

Rapport
Ethics
Democratizing the research process
Non-verbal clues

Reading the Skype for Research Paper

**CLICK THE BANNER ABOVE TO READ MY PAPER ON SKYPE METHODS**

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Valeria

Hi - I'm Dr Valeria Lo Iacono and I am a dance researcher with a PhD in dance as a form of living heritage. I also teach belly dance and love to travel to discover new dances around the world. I have worked also as an academic and in the UK and in Korea. Thank you for visiting my site.