Choreographers working in an educational setting often use student dancers as the instruments of their art. The inherent power dynamic of this relationship generates ethical issues that can affect the choreography and the learning experience of the student. At what point do choreographic decisions infringe upon goals for a moral, student-centered…

This article illustrates the author's discovery that the key to any successful dance unit is finding ways for students to make connections and want to dance. While reflecting on the purpose of dance in the curriculum, the author identified important skills and concepts he wanted his students to master, such as rhythm, balance, and…

In this article, the author introduces the Beijing Contemporary Music Institute where more than 3,000 undergraduates study music and dance. In a country where most music departments and conservatories are dedicated to teaching classical Chinese and Western music, the institute is breaking new ground. The college, which opened in 1993 with just 100…

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 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…

This article presents a collection of shorter pieces from current and former dance chairpersons which addresses concerns and questions about sexuality in dance education from a variety of perspectives. Although each essay stands alone (and was written as such), the conversation that develops helps one to see the larger geography mapped by…

The present study aims to investigate the relationship between the rhythmical and the kinetic parts of the Hasapikos dance--both slow and fast--so that, after their relation is determined and recorded, the authentic form of the dance can be formally expressed with rhythmical numeration for teaching purposes. The collection of the data was based on…

This paper is a study of the impact movement education has had on prospective dance and theatre practitioners--how they think about, perceive, and experience movement. The purpose is to discuss the concept "experience" as it relates to phenomena being considered during classes in dance improvisation and movement for theatre with the objective to…

This study proposes a new paradigm for the learning and teaching of choreography in the tertiary sector. It is based on the rationale that the choreography curriculum for the twenty-first century should be broad and balanced, and that tertiary students will benefit from a range of skills, knowledge and understanding germane to possible future…

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…