My Personal Paso Doble: An Autoethnographic Performance “Starring” the Hidden Curriculum of Confidence Within International Latin DanceSport

Using an autoethnographic methodology in tandem with a social constructivist lens, the purpose of this study is to critically inquire into the implicit lessons learned by competitive Latin dancers from their participation in the hidden curriculum of DanceSport culture. Additionally, this research looks to outline the intrapersonal and interpersonal development experienced by DanceSport dancers. Doing so, I focus on the voice of the dancers in the exploration of International DanceSport studios and competition floors as sites of informal and non-formal education, particularly in relation to the hidden curriculum of DanceSport. My role as an autoethnographic researcher and participant in this study was to collect data through multimodal expression, as well as ongoing dialogue with participants. As researcher and participant, I completed the same hands-on task and interview questions as participants, and journaled to explore thoughts concerning my DanceSport experience. Information obtained from interview transcripts and journal entries has been organized, coded, and analyzed creating themes. A description and interpretation of the findings uncovers the unifying theme(s) of six narratives. Narrative inquiry reveals that the hidden curriculum of DanceSport is the awakening and development of dormant confidence as dancers acquire implicit lessons pertaining to the development of intra and interpersonal knowledge. A discussion exploring the unique ways this dissertation contributes to the DanceSport community and body of literature concludes this study. This is alongside an assessment as to the culture’s ability to meet current goals of formal education, and the potential Latin DanceSport has to be used as an educational tool in the development of student well-being