Crossing artistic modalities so that students respond aesthetically to dances rather than through written critiques can enhance the teaching of dance technique. This integrative method encourages the practice of artistry, the act of finding voice, along side the learning of technique. The use of a basic premise from expressive arts--that art…

Those who have advocated for dance in public education have also found their discipline to be easily malleable to fit whatever goals and values seem in style. In different times, dance education has been marketed as a way for students to become healthier, better adjusted, better problem solvers, better critical thinkers, better team players, more…

This article explores continuing professional development. I teach in a community college where 93% of the students are black and Latino. I am a Caucasian teacher, and my background is primarily modern and jazz dance. In recent years I have been studying African and Latin dance forms, so that I can address the deep hunger my students have to learn…

In the popular media, American cultural, educational, and political life is portrayed as ideologically split down the middle. The split is often framed in terms of opposites by using the ideas and labels addressed by the author in this paper--traditional versus nontraditional, experiment versus the status quo, diversity versus homogeneity, change…

The decisions related to the national curriculum are made at central level. The curriculum development is under responsibility of the National Institute for Education (organisation directly managed by the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic). "Zakladna skola" provides teaching of compulsory subjects, included separate compulsory…

University courses preparing elementary education majors to incorporate creative movement into their teaching methodology are becoming requirements in many schools of education around the country. The article addresses three questions pertinent to preparing upcoming teachers: 1. How can pre-service generalist teachers develop an appreciation of…

As issues of equity consistently surface as a fundamental concern for dance education's past, present, and future, this commentary is the first of a number of pieces that will focus on root common goals, new ways of seeing the field, and acting upon both of these realizations in one's own site. In this initial commentary, the author discusses…

The dance studio typically features a wall of mirrors; however, there has been little research on the pedagogical advantages and disadvantages of mirrors in the training environment. Psychological studies on objective self-awareness, the ability to see one's self as an object, suggest that the mirrors magnify this state. How this increased…

The tradition of using giant puppets in dance rituals is widespread throughout Africa. Huge puppets can communicate spiritual and moral authority, which is all the more easily accepted because it is delivered with a sense of playfulness. Giant puppets also create unique movement possibilities. This potent combination of symbolic meaning and…

The Research in Dance Education (RDE) project grew out of a long-term national need to know what researchers in dance and allied fields have studied over 80 years, what they learned, and how existing research impacted teaching and learning. The project set out to answer the following questions: (1) What research exists in dance education?; (2)…

Addresses pragmatic aspects of somatics in the public sector, investigating the fit of somatics within various institutions and settings, including universities, professional schools, and community programs. The article explores issues such as somatic movement approaches, certification, academic degrees in somatic study, confusions within the…

Presents a three-component instructional model to helpdance and movement educators compose dances with children. The paper discusses how to develop and expand the compositional base,select aesthetic content for children's dances, and compose dances using a sequential process. A curriculum theme, "The Praries," is used to illustrate the…

Examines educators' feminist pedagogical behaviors within a dance education community. Discusses the performance of pedagogical philosophy. Notes the communication in ethnographic research in dance education. Considers the Feminist philosophy of dance education. (SG)

In 2003, the Arts Education Partnership's Second National Forum on Partnerships Improving Teaching in the Arts recommends that Teaching Artists be trained to be advocates and to speak publicly to education stakeholders about what they do. The author agrees. However, she believes that Teaching Artists must familiarize themselves with the available…

This is a report on teaching the first semester of college-level choreography with an emphasis on elements of craft. The philosophical and aesthetic issues that lie behind this choice are described and an attempt is made to explain the sequence of coursework and the way choreographic skills are approached. Student comments are included to show the…