An Investigation Of Professional Ballet Dancers Experiences Of Flow and Motivations Perspectives

Fifty-four elite professional ballet dancers completed questionnaires measuring motivation and flow, and four participants were interviewed on their subjective experiences. The results demonstrated that intrinsic motivation was only weakly associated with the occurrence of this optimal state. The most self-determined form of extrinsic motivation, integrated regulation, was the most effective form of motivation associated with the frequency and intensity of the dancers’ experience of flow. Clear Goals, concentration on the task at hand, and autotelic experience were the most endorsed dimensions of flow, while challenge-skills balance, unambiguous feedback, sense of control and autotelic experience were the most representative characteristics of the interviewees’ optimal experience. Confidence was found to be the most influential psychological facilitator or inhibitor of their optimal experience. Lights, setting, floor, props, costumes, and musical conductor, were unique environmental and social inhibitors specific to the ballet world.

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The study outlined below investigates professional ballet dancers’ experiences of flow: an extraordinary state of consciousness, reached by the dancers when fully immersed in their performance, which allows them to function at the limit of their physical and mental abilities, enhancing levels of achievement. Dancers’ flow experiences and motivational tendencies were analysed by quantitative and qualitative methods in order to test the theoretical relationship between intrinsic motivation and flow, to understand the performers’ subjective experiences of this optimal psychological state, and to identify factors that may help or hinder the achievement of flow in ballet settings.

This study investigates professional ballet dancers’ motivational perspectives and their flow frequency, to determine which type of motivation was the most related to the optimal experience. Based on the theoretical relationship, promulgated in qualitative and empirical

literature between intrinsic motivation and flow , it was hypothesized that the professional ballet dancers reporting the highest incidences of flow would engage in dance for intrinsic reasons and personal satisfaction, such as enjoyment of the dance while performing, conquering and mastering challenges and perceived themselves competent in their ability as dancers. While dancers who engaged in their activity for extrinsic reasons, such as receiving praise, rewards and recognition, to outperform others to feel successful, or to avoid punishments and feelings of guilt were expected to rarely experience flow. A motivated dancers were expected to be unable to experience flow. Furthermore, it was also expected that the dancers would be familiar with flow experiences because, as in sport, dance “has rules that require learning a skill, it sets up goals, provides feedback and makes control possible”