This research highlights a K-5 dance artist-in-residence as a form of democratic and exemplary dance education that ignited collaboration, promoted equity, fostered student autonomy, and demonstrated rigor in school curriculum. Through examining observation, interview, and performance-based data and calling upon critical, democratic education…

There are many reasons to teach dance as part of the broader curriculum. This article focuses on using dance as a way to foster critical thinking. In this conceptual article, I draw from the National Standards goals that were in line with my own framework of dance as uniquely engaging the three different sensory systems of exteroception,…

The purpose of this paper is to examine nine Australian young women's embodied experiences of dance. The young women were all amateur dancers involved in weekly jazz, tap, and ballet dance classes at the same dance studio. In this paper, embodiment is defined as multidimensional (Burkitt 1999). The authors explore the ways the corporeal and…

The Pilates method as Joseph Hubertus Pilates originally defined it in the early 1920s, was called "Contrology," or the art of control, based on the ideal of attaining a complete coordination of body, mind, and spirit. Joseph Pilates's early writings emphasized the value of controlling the body rather than attending to the process of body…

Although contemporary dance improvisation techniques and comedy improvisation are seldom linked, the two forms evolved around the same time and have many similarities. Both forms exist in the moment, share a highly ephemeral nature, and make use of physical games and structures. Both forms teach students the skill of being present, so essential to…

Effective teaching of dance skills is informed by a variety of theoretical frameworks and individual teaching and learning styles. The purpose of this paper is to present practical teaching strategies that enhance the mastery of skills and promote self-esteem, self-efficacy, and positive self-image. The predominant thinking and primary research…

"Standing down straight" means to stand on two feet with both stability and relaxation. Using standing down straight as the foundation of class work, Jump Rhythm Technique offers a fresh alternative to conventional systems of dance study. It bases its pedagogy on three behaviors: grounding the body so that it can move with power and efficiency,…

In this action research study, the author examines her teaching a unit of study focusing on the dance "Outside In," choreographed by Victoria Marks in 1994. Aided by an analysis of multiple forms of data collected from her high school dance students in response to the unit, the author identifies and then reflects upon two important themes, one…

This topic stems from the author's experience in the technique classroom, and from her training in Laban Movement Analysis. The three fundamental branches of Laban's system--Body, Effort and Space--offer an opportunity to approach teaching through these separate, yet inextricably linked, lenses. This article defines each of the three categories in…

Based in bodily awareness, somatic education has many points of relationship with dance education. Body-Mind Centering[R] (BMC), with some of its roots in Laban Movement Analysis/Bartenieff Fundamentals (LMA/BF), has a particularly easy link to dance. When studying Body-Mind Centering, the theoretical components are often taught through dance…

Explores applications of somatics to school and university curricula, addressing somatic knowledge as content and methodology in dance education, proposing strategies for bringing the body back into dance and dance curricula, exploring cultural diversity issues within dance and somatic education, and concluding that somatic knowledge and practice…

Addresses pragmatic aspects of somatics in the public sector, investigating the fit of somatics within various institutions and settings, including universities, professional schools, and community programs. The article explores issues such as somatic movement approaches, certification, academic degrees in somatic study, confusions within the…

Provides a transcultural perspective on somatics, reflecting on the evolution of somatics in different dance communities around the world, noting shifts that have occurred within specific cultural contexts, and discussing the presence of somatics in academia with the challenge of conducting research that retains somatic integrity. The article…