In many dance competitions in North America, performances of sexualized choreography have become normalized. One result is that bodies of girl dancers are increasingly constructed as sexual objects. Sexual objectification is highly problematic for the development of girls' self-identities, body image, psychological health, and overall wellbeing.…

This article examines how the philosophy of Ubuntu is reflected in assessment and feedback provision systems of Indigenous dance education in African communities. In environments where urbanization, globalization, digitalization, and existing traces of colonialism are contesting Indigenous epistemologies, examining how communities value and…

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…

This study compares two methods of teaching a dance technique class to determine which yields a greater increase in high school students' technical skills. The historic, widely accepted method of teaching a dance technique class is through direct, teacher-centered instruction. However, current research, largely on undergraduate college students,…

In her seminal text, "Feminist Theory: From the Margin to the Center," bell hooks calls attention to the "transformative impact the eradication of sexist oppression could have on all of our lives." She goes on to say that "challenging sexist oppression is a crucial step in the struggle to eliminate all forms of…

As an artist/academic, I discuss my pedagogical interventions in teaching Odissi through studio, theory, and praxis courses to populations across university students and professional artists. Through interdisciplinary research, I work at the confluence of historical and contemporary forces. Casteist, fundamentalist, racist, sexist, ablist, and…

Classical ballet training has been criticized for prioritizing technical excellence over creativity, despite 21st century dancers needing to be strong in both aspects. The aim of this study was to investigate professional choreographers' views on (a) how ballet training inspired vs. inhibited their creativity and (b) potential gender differences…

The research outlined in this article offers a systematic training methodology for students and licensed Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioners to learn the clinical art and science of pulsology through dance. One of the greatest hurdles in learning pulse palpation is a TCM practitioner's inability to feel the pulse with a degree of…

In this article, two pedagogical approaches intended to foster social inclusion in school-based dance programs are described: inquiry and reverse chronology. The inclusion of inquiry and reverse chronology as featured pedagogies in Queensland, Australia's statewide General Senior Dance Syllabus is discussed, including the combined use of these…

The Feldenkrais Method® (FM) is a form of somatic education aiming to increase brain-body communication, reportedly via interoceptive mechanisms. Although empirically proven to improve perceived interoceptive ability and psychological well-being in adults, feasibility in adolescents remains unclear. We therefore used a combined randomized…

This case study focuses on the lived experiences of participants in a Danish community dance program for dancers over sixty years of age and centers on how dance in this setting contributes to building affectivity; that is, what motivates participants' movement and "moves" them. Participants describe their affective experiences as…

This study examined the impact of an in-school dance curriculum on the social-emotional development of at-risk preschoolers in a southern California public preschool program. The preschoolers (N = 69) participated in dance for thirty minutes, once a week, over an entire academic year. We compared the Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP)…

Practitioner Exchanges (PXs) at Luna Dance Institute are casual community conversations co-facilitated by dance educators around a topic of dance teaching inquiry. With the physical disconnection of the COVID era, these in-person roundtables shifted to Zoom, and became even more essential in bringing teaching artists together. Educators from all…

Authorizing student voice to examine what facilitates motivation, interests, and learning has shown potential for supporting students in taking ownership of their educational contexts. This study was conducted as participatory action research to co-construct an after-school middle school dance club in a southwest border town. The purpose of this…

This article communicates a study on dance for people over 65 in Sweden. Earlier studies on dance for elderly people have primarily focused on treatment and wellbeing. The current study centers on the right to make oneself heard in and through contemporary dance as an artistic form of expression, regardless of age, gender, or geographical context.…