Virtual Communities on Instagram

Identity Formation, Discourses, and Social Practices of Dancing Mothers

Abstract

Virtual platforms such as Instagram have significantly transformed the way dance is perceived, transmitted, and discursively shaped by introducing new forms of interaction and participation. These changes call for a deeper discussion on how knowledge about dance is produced within and through ‘virtual’ communities. This paper examines how shared learning experiences and interactions contribute to the formation of collective knowledge about dance. It further investigates how dancer identities are constructed on social media by both professional dancers and their followers, particularly in relation to social and bodily norms. By focusing on Instagram posts by ballet-dancing mothers using hashtags such as #momdancer or #ballerinamom, this article illustrates how comments and replies foster community building, offer encouragement, expand traditional notions of the ‘qualities’ of dance, and challenge prevailing body ideals linked to artistic dance on social media. Using an ethnographic approach, this research demonstrates how knowledge production occurs as collective practice and provides new insights into the formation of virtual ‘communities of practice’ and how these online spaces shape contemporary understandings of dance and its dissemination.