Inspired by Harney and Moten's (2013) description of study in the undercommons, I bring the perspective of a dance teacher to a conversation about educational equity. Dance is an important method of study and a form of knowledge. It shows up in the undercommons (Harney & Moten, 2013) and in students' at-home educations (Shujaa, 1993).…

One of my principle aims as a dance educator is to cultivate somatic-based learning environments so that students develop, integrate, and hone a holistic, embodied sense of self. In order to achieve this objective, I strive to help students connect their movement to their ongoing thoughts, sensations, and perceptions. In this article, I describe…

High school dance students are at an age where they can process challenging technical concepts with an anatomical lens. One of these concepts is turnout, an essential joint action used in a variety of dance contexts and disciplines. As this joint action is not always well explained or well understood, many students try it without adequate guidance…

Ensemble Thinking (ET) is a toolkit of movement scores developed by dance-maker Nina Martin in the 1980s in New York City. The scores of ET arose out of a confluence of Martin's choreographic and improvisational performance practices. The impetus for developing ET was to develop a technical language for creating and discussing improvised dance.…

This work aimed to outline the first stages for the development of a pedagogical model for teaching-learning of expressive content within physical education (creative body movement). Drawing on several suggestions from previous models' conceptualizations, we explore and present the theoretical foundations, practical considerations, and assumptions…

The beauty of the sound is not only due to advanced singing voice but also depends on breathing techniques. This paper aims to study knowledge about the physiology of breathing and singing, including the effectiveness of conscious control in vocal training and innovative technologies. The authors used observation methods to achieve this goal. They…

Environmental characteristics of kindergartens are important for the development of kindergarten-aged children. However, knowledge of the role of kindergarten play environments in developing children's fundamental movement skills is limited. A pilot study was carried out to compare the fundamental movement skills of 3.5- to 5-year-old children in…

Research suggests that providing children with activities that involve using their bodies to form the shapes of letters can help them acquire pre-reading skills. Little is known, however, as to the extent to which such embodied learning interventions are superior to more traditional pencil-and-paper activities, which of specific arm or body…

The aim of this paper is to suggest perspectives on movement capability and movement skill learning that take into account the intrinsic, meaningful value of moving in terms of the experience of the mover as a learner and a knower. Two perspectives on movement capability and movement skill learning will be presented and discussed here:…

This article debates how muscles happen in early childhood education. Drawing on post-developmental pedagogies and feminist science studies, this article integrates moments from a pedagogical inquiry with movement in early childhood education to trace how muscles matter as complex and active ethical, political, and pedagogical concerns. After…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how elementary school teachers in Germany described their experience with movement method with respect to students' mental health and stress levels. The theoretical framework was Ryan and Deci's self-determination theory. The two research questions were: How did elementary school…

Although there is a research base for incorporating movement into teaching and classroom lessons, there currently is a lack of research on incorporating movement into school counseling practices. The present mixed methods exploratory study aimed to identify school counselor attitudes, beliefs, and practices regarding the use of movement in…

In this student reading, I use examples from dance technique classes to bring attention to the choices that students make when learning new movement via observation and repetition. Based on these examples, I frame learning in technique class not as a process of imitation but a process of translation. In doing so I hope to advocate for the…

There has been a continuous focus on developing quality physical education (PE) experiences that empower students to understand movement and engage in physical activity. This article describes a pedagogical approach that was developed to assist the PE student in understanding more about their own and others' physical activity capacities. This new…

The Waldorf schools, founded by Rudolf Steiner, are today among the most successful alternative schools that have emerged in the context of the "Reformpädagogik" (progressive education movement). Despite the increasing number of schools being founded as well as critical comments occurring from time to time in the public, the interest in…