The study follows the principles of practice-led research, where creative process is not the by-product of inquiry but the method itself.
Within this epistemological frame:

• embodied practice generates knowledge;

• persona construction functions as a somatic and narrative tool;

• performance becomes a structured encounter with emotional material;

• the researcher’s artistic experience is not a confound but a central analytic lens.

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2. Research Design: Mixed-Methods, Quasi-Experimental Pilot

The pilot adopts a two-phase, pre–post design, balancing feasibility with methodological integrity.

2.1 Duration

Total duration: 24 weeks (6 months)
Rationale: meaningful transformation in embodied processes requires sustained practice; shorter interventions risk superficiality or distortion of the artistic process.

2.2 Structure of the Intervention

Participants engage in a structured Burlesque-based programme including:

• persona development (identity exploration, symbolic meaning-making)

• movement-based embodied practice

• choreographic creation

• rehearsal processes

• three theatre-stage performances (solo/duet/small ensemble)

• regular intimate-space micro-performances

• reflective feedback sessions

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3. Quantitative Components (Psychometric Indicators)

A minimal but coherent battery captures psychological and embodied change without burdening participants:

• Trauma-related symptomatology scale (e.g., PTSD-8, PCL-5 short)

• Anxiety & depression measure (e.g., HADS short)

• Embodiment / body awareness scale (e.g., Experience of Embodiment Scale, Body Connection Scale)

• Resilience scale (e.g., Brief Resilience Scale)

Administration Points

Instruments administered at:

• T1 – Pre-intervention

• T2 – Post-intervention

This two-point structure respects the emotional sensitivity of trauma-related work while still allowing measurable change.

Purpose of Measures

These tools are indicative, not diagnostic.
They track:

• shifts in affective distress

• changes in embodied self-perception

• variations in resilience

• movement in trauma-related symptoms

Their role is to illuminate correlations, not to pathologise.

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4. Qualitative Components (Narrative & Embodied Data)

Qualitative data is continuous across the 24-week cycle:

• researcher field notes

• participants’ reflective journals (optional)

• semi-structured interviews at T1 and T2

• performance observation (symbolic content, narrative shifts, expressivity)

• persona-development trajectories

• rehearsal-room dynamics

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5. Research Team & Roles

Principal Investigator (PI)

• designs artistic & performative processes

• conducts persona and movement work

• observes embodied/narrative shifts

• performs qualitative analysis

• integrates artistic and theoretical interpretation

• maintains ethical oversight within the artistic space

Psychologist (Assistant Collaborator, Methological Consulatnt)

Role:

• advises on scale selection and adaptation

• ensures ethical compliance for psychometric use

• assists with quantitative analysis

• contributes to trauma-sensitive risk assessment

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6. Ethical Framework

Given the trauma-related dimension, the study follows a strict ethical protocol:

• informed consent with clear disclosure of emotional risks

• optional participation in reflective components

• confidentiality and secure data storage

• immediate referral pathways for distress escalation

• right to withdraw at any stage

• psychologist availability when needed

• separation of artistic pedagogy from psychological assessment

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7. Rationale for Pilot Format

A pilot study is appropriate because:

• the methodology is novel and requires validation

• sample sizes can remain modest (8–12 participants)

• psychometric tools need calibration for this artistic context

• ethical boundaries must be stress-tested

• findings will determine the structure of a later, larger-scale study

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8. Expected Contribution

This methodology will allow the study to examine:

• whether embodied, persona-driven practice influences trauma-related symptoms

• how artistic performance, Burlesque in particular,  supports resilience

• how performers narrate changes in their relationship to body, memory, and identity

• the potential emergence of a hybrid method: persona as somatic instrument

 

Authorial Methodological Note

This pilot study emerges from my lived experience as a Burlesque performer, teacher, choreographer, and facilitator of embodied artistic processes. Over the past fifteen years I have observed—and also experienced—how persona-building and aesthetic embodiment provoke shifts in confidence, emotional regulation, relational openness, and the capacity to inhabit one’s body differently. These insights come from practice rather than theory; they do not replace methodology, but they ground and animate it.

This experiential foundation shapes the study’s conceptual frame. The research is not an attempt to “prove” a predetermined hypothesis but a structured inquiry into phenomena repeatedly encountered in real embodied work—how movement, persona, and performance interact with trauma, resilience, and the felt experience of self.

The aim is therefore dual: to uphold academic rigour while honouring the nuance, unpredictability, and emotional complexity that characterise genuine artistic practice.