This symposium seeks to create dialogue about quality and assessment in Arts Based Educational Research (ABER) by grounding discussion in performance. The session begins with the staging of a research informed dance and theatre piece: “Chicago Butoh”. This performance will then be critiqued by Julia Grey and Graham W. Lea using different approaches to assessing ABER. Tabatha Dell’Angelo then examines the dance and the critiques. Opportunities for audience interaction and dialogue are woven throughout the session. By sharing multiple perspectives on quality assessment grounded in the physicality of live performance, we hope to help audience members envision "better" work and more powerful ABER practice.