Issues of race, class, gender and religion permeate the study of contemporary dance, resulting in cultural clashes in classrooms and studios. The first of its kind, this book provides dance educators with tools to refocus teaching methods to celebrate the pluralism of the United States. The contributors discuss how to diversify ballet technique classes and dance history courses in higher education, choreographing dance about socially charged contemporary issues, and incorporating Native American dances into the curriculum, among other topics. The application of relevant pedagogy in the dance classroom enables instructors to teach methods that reflect students' culture and affirm their experiences.

Winner of the 2021 Ruth Lovell Murray Book Award 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.

Issues of race, class, gender and religion permeate the study of contemporary dance, resulting in cultural clashes in classrooms and studios. The first of its kind, this book provides dance educators with tools to refocus teaching methods to celebrate the pluralism of the United States. The contributors discuss how to diversify ballet technique classes and dance history courses in higher education, choreographing dance about socially charged contemporary issues, and incorporating Native American dances into the curriculum, among other topics. The application of relevant pedagogy in the dance classroom enables instructors to teach methods that reflect students' culture and affirm their experiences.

Illustrated with abstract and imaginative photographs, this is a philosophical guide for the dance field about the art of teaching modern dance. Integrating somatic theories, scientific research and contemporary aesthetic practices, it asks the reader to reconsider how and why they teach.

Brenda McCutchen provides an integrated approach to dance education, using four cornerstones: dancing and performing, creating and composing, historical and cultural inquiry and analysing and critiquing. She also illustrates the main developmental aspects of dance.

With contributors from many fields and diverse cultural backgrounds, this book expands on the discourse and curriculum of dance in ways that connect it to the critical, political, moral and aesthetic dimensions of society, for example, examining choreography and issues of the self.

The first of its kind, this volume presents research-based fictionalized case studies from experts in the field of dance education, examining theory and practice developed from real-world scenarios that call for ethical decision-making. Dilemmas faced by dance educators in the studio, on stage, in recreation centers and correctional facilities, and on social media are explored, accompanied by activities for humanizing dance pedagogy. These challenges converge from educational policies and mandates developed over the past two decades, including teacher-proof "scripted" curriculum, high-stakes testing, standardization, and methods-centered teacher preparation; difficulties are often perpetuated by those who want to make change happen but do not know how.