The Dance of Difference: The Tripartite Model of Disability and the Cultural Heritage of Dance

Cultural heritage is widely discussed in the dance community. It is argued that, by its very nature, dance cannot be captured, that its essence exists in an embodied moment that cannot be accurately recorded. The desire to hold on to normative dance experiences that prioritise traditional aesthetics can be deemed problematic for all dancers and is particularly detrimental to the advancement of what is sometimes termed disability dance. Our proposition is that understandings of the role of dance in cultural heritage can be enhanced by consideration of the tripartite model of disability that is based on a conceptual distinction between ableism and disablism