The present study uses a qualitative approach to focus on dance improvisation and flow. Dance instructors with wide experience in performing and teaching dance improvisation took part in semi-structured interviews that featured questions about dance improvisation and flow, including issues of flow in dance education with children. The data were…

Background: There is a global consensus that stimulating and fostering children's creativity in education is crucial. Addressing creativity has become an imperative in educational policies and in school curricula internationally. School-based physical education (PE), and specifically the teaching area of dance, has been identified as an important…

Postsecondary dance technique teachers negotiate extensive physical demands throughout their careers. As they rise through the academic ranks, their bodies age, and with age sometimes comes limited mobility, decreasing strength, and injuries. Further, mental and emotional processes and self-perceptions sometimes change in response to diminishing…

Creativity is an inherent element of contemporary dance and is frequently cited as a key pedagogical objective of higher education dance training. Nevertheless, there is little writing about the means by which dance teachers understand, recognize, and subsequently assess creativity at the higher education level. We undertook semistructured…

The extent to which creativity and perfection can be considered compatible aims for dancers was investigated. Also investigated were how creativity and perfectionism are (1) nurtured versus inhibited, and (2) related to basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, relatedness). Seventy-seven ballet students (12-19 years old) in Stockholm,…

The subject of the inseparability of music and dance in African artistic experiences has preoccupied scholars and researchers in the field of ethnomusicology, ethnochoreology, and musicology. Commonly, music is conceptualized as an accompaniment to dance. Moreover, the existing literary perspectives frame the inseparability of music and dance in…

"Professional performance experience versus pedagogical knowledge in teaching technique class as a creative process" is a qualitative examination of the practices of six contemporary technique teachers that identifies the ways in which their educational and professional performance experiences have affected their teaching practices.…

As school education systems worldwide adopt standardized performance measures, teacher effectiveness frameworks have become more influential. This article draws on Australian mixed methods research that aimed to understand the processes behind quality arts pedagogy. Following an in-depth quantitative study, nine high-performing case study arts…

This qualitative case study examined the definitions, structure and pedagogical approaches that constituted a creative movement program as part of an artist-in-school-scheme for pre-schools. Data was collated through audio-recorded interviews with teachers, the school principal and dance instructor. Creative movement classes were video recorded…

The Creative Learning Initiative (CLI) is a community-wide effort to bring creative learning and the arts to each and every student in Austin. Lead by MINDPOP, the City of Austin, and Austin Independent School District (AISD), CLI designs systematic and sustainable programs that integrate creativity, creative teaching strategies, and the arts with…

The Creative Learning Initiative (CLI) is a community-wide effort to bring creative learning and the arts to each and every student in Austin. Lead by MINDPOP, the City of Austin, and Austin Independent School District (AISD), CLI designs systematic and sustainable programs that integrate creativity, creative teaching strategies, and the arts with…

Classical ballet technique is commonly taught through the use of authoritarian practices and normalizing aesthetic values, but the construction of the ballet dancer as a docile subject in opposition to an all-knowing instructor might impede ballet's progression. In this article I explore my development of a feminist or democratic ballet…

When children create dances using their ideas, they are empowered to explore their thoughts, feelings, and perspectives. Through dance, they bring their inner self to the surface where they can express their dreams, fears, needs, and joys. Dance educators need to support children's ideas and trust the children's creative process, especially when…