This article calls educators to continue using accessible language to support dancers with disabilities and promote disability esthetic in dance. I will draw from my experience working in "inclusive dance," a term that will be discussed and problematized. The article also challenges the idea of the "ideal" body in dance. It…

Dance-based interventions are offered to diverse populations experiencing various life challenges. A growing number of studies demonstrate how dance has an impact on different health parameters. However, there are a paucity of studies documenting the content and pedagogy of the dance for health programs. This study examines how six facilitators…

Forms of disability that are not noticeably embodied, known as invisible disabilities (ID), are a source of stress and stigma for individuals with such diagnoses. For dancers with dyslexia or other ID, the decision to disclose to a dance teacher, director, or choreographer can either reduce pressure for the dancer or create an adverse presumption…

There is a paucity of research focused on understanding the qualities which underpin dance artists' practice in working with talented young dancers with disabilities. This study investigated what informs how dance artists work in inclusive dance talent development contexts. Four dance class observations were conducted to provide evidence of dance…

There are few opportunities for young disabled dancers to develop their talents, and even fewer studies investigating their experiences of such opportunities. The aim of this study was to explore the perspectives and outcomes of an inclusive talent development programme, and how these were facilitated. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups…

This article provides an overview of a proactive approach to collaboration for both dance and teacher education. Collaboration was examined through the lens of assisting children with disabilities to reach their maximum potential in the art of dance. The purpose of the research project was to examine pre-service teachers, in both dance and…

Enactment of the "Rehabilitation Act of 1973" and the "Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990" expanded and clarified the rights of students with disabilities in higher education (Connor, 2011; Pena, 2014; Troiano, 2003). In the past three decades, the enrollment rate of students with learning disabilities (LD) in higher…

This article examines a culturally specific case study of integrated dance. While integrated dance must constantly combat what I termed as "disdance" to earn legitimacy, each project might do this differently in its particular context. Based on documentary analysis and ethnography, I argue that in the Israeli context, wheelchair folk…

This paper analyses "Bharatanatyam on Wheels" by Ability Unlimited Foundation, Delhi. It interrogates the possibilities and challenges that disability performance presents to codifications in the form and grammar of "Bharatanatyam," a "classical" dance form of India. The Indian classical scriptures of performance…

There are two different goals of multicultural dance education. First, multicultural dance education is a concept of teaching strategies to understand people's cultural productions using various dances. The main goal of learning various dances is to understand the people behind those dances. Second, multicultural dance education is a concept to…

Teachers are key players in creating inclusive dance education environments. Guided by a conceptual framework of relational ethics, this qualitative study explored the perceptions and practices of four elementary school dance teachers teaching in public schools in two large school districts in Western Canada. Data collection involved interviews,…

This study explored the perspectives of elementary school children with disabilities in inclusive dance education classrooms in two large school districts in Western Canada. A qualitative interpretivist approach facilitated understanding of the experiences of eight children with different disabilities between the ages 6 and 10 who participated in…