Dance education in the twenty-first century has started to shift with the evolution of contemporary dance techniques and the introduction of more holistic somatic practices into dance training. Nowadays, the idea of developing 'professional self-sufficiency' is at the heart of the learning experience for young dancers. We believe that in response…

Dance holds a unique place in academia. The creative, embodied, collaborative activities typical to dance learning offer fresh insight to cross-disciplinary literature on the graduate attributes -- both visible and 'invisible' -- all graduates from a given institution are expected to hold. This article presents findings from the research project…

A high frequency of mental health challenges and injuries in professional dancers necessitate a better understanding of the complexity of such symptoms, and to explore differences according to sex, academic year and performance levels. Professional dance students were recruited to evaluate symptoms of depression and anxiety (SCL-10), resilience…

With Higher Education moving toward a student as consumer model, the future of dance in this context requires a more collaborative and innovative approach. One way to achieve this is to find new teaching methods that use class time in a more meaningful way. This qualitative research project used a guided and cognitive-specific imagery intervention…

Different types of dance initiatives are being designed for people across their entire lifespan, and implemented in a wide range of health and well-being settings. The aims of these initiatives are to improve their physical and mental conditions. Research on the use of dance for health and well-being is also rapidly gaining momentum which suggests…

Dance -- created by a moving body over space and time -- creates space for non-verbal communication and self-expression. Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder may particularly benefit from the use of their bodies to convey their needs and desires. This research presents the experiences of individuals involved in two recreational dance programs…

What constitutes African dances as valid knowledge? Do the learning processes of African dances in local communities entail rational consciousness and epistemological interpretations of the learner? How do the processes of dance practice double as frameworks of construction of meanings? The foregoing questions provided parameters for critical…

As a burgeoning academic field in the UK, dance is seeing an increase of emerging scholars entering the sector from different contexts. This article examines qualitative data from four early career dance academics from different UK institutions, all of whom took part in the DanceHE Early Career Mentor Scheme. DanceHE is the representative body for…

This paper argues that Liz Lerman's and Larry Lavender's approaches to mentoring student choreographers denote a shift in the philosophy of choreographic mentorship in higher education, because they reflect current concerns in critical pedagogy. My particular interest is in the relationship established between student artist and educator when a…

This ethnographic case story aims to illuminate the instructional practices and decisions of an exemplary ballet teacher, Minna Stenvall at the Finnish National Opera Ballet School. Minna is considered to be exemplary in her field because she received the Best Ballet Pedagogue Award in 2014. Spurred on by the literature on the significant role…

The aim of this paper is to present the design and evaluate the impact of a Laban Notation-based method for Teaching Dance (LANTD) on novice dancers' performance, in the case of Greek traditional dance. In this research, traditional dance is conceived in its "second existence" as a kind of presentational activity performed outside its…

Studies indicate that female dance students are more preoccupied with weight, eating habits, and body image than girls in the general population and are in greater danger of developing eating disorders. In this study, questionnaires were distributed to 90 females aged 15-30; 47 dancers or former dancers and 43 non-dancers. Consistent with prior…

The results of the 2016 British referendum on membership of the European Union and the presidential election in the United States of America initiated political changes that will arguably have resounding impacts, within and beyond the UK and the US for years to come. Much of the rhetoric accompanying these political victories appears to confront…

This article identifies the student's perceptions regarding the lack of inhibition, spontaneity and codification of the tasks associated with corporeal expression. The aim was to identify the positive and negative feelings of the students regarding the expressive activities involved in the three phases of the exercise: exploration, expression and…

Validity is a key concept in qualitative educational research. Yet, it is often not addressed in methodological writing about dance. This essay explores validity in a postmodern world of diverse approaches to scholarship, by looking at the changing face of validity in educational qualitative research and at how new understandings of the concept…