In this study, we frame learning in the tertiary-level contemporary dance class as a process of developing culturally situated shared patterns of skilled action and attention through dynamic engagement with kinetic experience. Extending existing scholarship on dance learning, we adopt the framework of cultural affordances to understand the…

This article critically reflects on the pedagogical practices I explored, reimagined, and employed while shifting dance improvisation education from face-to-face lessons in a dance studio setting to existing online platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Through self-study research as a method of inquiry I analyse my experiences…

The purpose of this qualitative research was to analyze the career paths of principals working in dance education institutes and to increase understanding of the different careers of the managers and principals working in arts organizations. Very few studies have explored principals' career paths in art schools in Finland or abroad. The following…

Postsecondary dance programs in the United States have been called upon to reconsider their curricula and pedagogical approaches in relation to racial equity. Historically students enter university with the belief that ballet is the foundation of dance, which is devaluing to dance forms outside ballet. As academia looks to build more inclusive…

Background: Mental health concerns prevent positive well-being and are key challenges for Australian children and young people. Arts organisations play a role in enhancing the positive mental health of children and young people. This paper describes the involvement of young people and their parents in the development of a resource for arts…

This study employed a research and development method to design courses that enhance creative dance skills for students in Mathayomsuksa 1 (typically aged 12-13 years). Divided into four phases, the study used background information and input from students and teachers to design a dance course that addressed the neglect of Thai culture in the…

In 2022, many are coming to understand that racism is a proverbial pollutant in the water people in the U.S drink. Moreover, it is a toxin all members of a race-based society consume, and all must address. In this paper, I share my reflexive journey facing and dismantling racism in my own teaching praxis--examining ways I have upheld structures of…

The slogan "I can't breathe" reverberated in 2020 with the Black Lives Matter movement protests against police brutality and racial injustices in America. As much as there was an uncanny coincidence with that phrase and the root of the COVID-19 pandemic, the immediate association of those words for me, a dance educator in South Africa,…

From the rallying call of the USA's Black Lives Matter movement, three Australian university teacher educators present perspectives on First Nations dance in the school curriculum. The Australian education system has emerged from the devastating impact of European colonisation upon the continent's First Nations peoples resulting in trauma,…

Upon the convergence of the twin epidemics of COVID-19 and racial injustice in 2020, the Delaware Dance Education Organization (DDEO) responded by creating and presenting interactive professional development webinars that ranged from sharing how dance history is a microcosm of the world to the impact culture has on personal behaviors. Through the…

What is 'African dance'? Is the label 'African dance' representative enough of the diverse dance traditions in African communities, or is it just another form of tokenism? How is the term 'African dance' rooted in the histories of colonial racism against the African people? What are the dangers of using the same label as an attempt at instituting…

After what was eighteen months of isolation and remote learning for some due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, it is imperative that dance classroom spaces become community spaces united in solidarity for all. Calling attention toward the racism systemically ingrained in the American dance legacy serves as an impetus to eliminate that racism while…

"Q: "What time is it?" A: "Skin, past flesh, goin' on to bone."" As descendants of stolen Black bodies in the 'New World', many dancing Jamaicans have become living anachronisms, unconsciously embodying retentions of life-renewing cultural movement practices past spirit and bone, into flesh and skin. Jamaican tertiary…

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students everywhere are exhibiting gaps in their social-emotional development. Dance advocates propose the prioritization of dance classes as a way to facilitate social-emotional learning. This essay examines the logic behind these advocacy efforts, but also cautions readers that social-emotional learning, even in the…

Peers influence each other and learning can be shaped by shared processes. The purpose of this article is to pedagogically explore collective effort in the dance technique studio in a conservatoire setting. This practice-based research flows from the studio and has relevance for all higher arts education contexts. It is developed from the…