Dance Education redefines the nature of dance pedagogy today, setting
it within a holistic and encompassing framework, and argues for an
approach to dance education from a soci-cultural and philosophical
perspective.
In the past, dance education has focused on the learning of dance,
limited to Western-based societies, with little attention to how dance
is learned and applied globally. This book seeks to re-frame the way
dance education is defined, approached and taught by looking beyond the
privileged Western dance forms to compare education from different
cultures.
Structured into three parts, this book examines the following essential
questions:
- What is dance? What defines dance as an art form?
- How and where is dance performed and for what purpose?
- How do social contexts shape the making and interpretation of dance?
The first part covers the history of dance education and its definition.
The second part discusses current contexts and applications, including
global contexts and the ability to apply and comprehend dance education
in a variety of contexts. This book opens up definitions, rather than
categorising, so that dance is not presented in a hierarchical form. The
third part continues to define dance education in ways that have not
been discussed in the past: informal contexts. The book then returns to
the original definition of dance education as a way of knowing oneself
and the world around us, ending on the philosophical application of this
self-knowledge as a way to be in the world and to engage with others,
regardless of background.
This textbook is a refreshing and much-needed contribution to the field
of dance studies by one of the most eminent voices in the field.
