Laboratory (DEL) 2008/2009

Dance Education Initiative Guide, 1993

The Role of Dance in Education Dance is a unique and active way for people to learn and to develop their understanding of life experience- Since we all live our lives through movement, it is natural for us to gather, assimilate, and express knowledge in this way. We believe that dance is for everyone, and everyone can participate in and learn through dance.

Dance is a significant part of human heritage. Because it is relevant to and enriches all human life and learning, we believe dance belongs in the education of all people.

Within the total spectrum of education, dance is

• an educational discipline with a body of knowledge to be learned. • a fundamental and unique way to give aesthetic form to human experience. • a medium for human communication. • an active way of learning through kinesthetic experience. • an art form to be enjoyed for its own sake.

Dance education develops creative and critical thinking skills along with physical and kinetic abilities. It includes creative, physical/technical1 intellectual, aesthetic, historical and social aspects of learning. Dance may be experienced and studied within many different contexts. Dance movement included in the ongoing curriculum and daily experiences of a school enhances student learning and achievement in a wide variety of subjects and areas of personal development.

Students benefit in many ways from their education in dance. They enjoy perceiving the variety and subtlety of human movement expression. They are called on to use and develop imagination and discrimination in doing, forming, and responding to dance as ways of coming to know themselves and their world. Some of the many skills and understandings to be fostered through dance experiences are imaginative thinking, exploring and discovering different possibilities in problem solving, recognizing connections, working both independently and cooperatively. creating responses which give form and meaning to experience, and appreciating the richness of human diversity. These skills and understandings will serve the student well in our changing and increasingly complex world.

A Vision for Dance in Education Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) 2008/2009

The vision of the Dance Education Initiative is to proceed toward the day when dance is an integral and important part of everyone’s education.

In an educational system realizing the hill potential of dance learning,

• schools and communities recognize and value dance as a multi-faceted art form and discipline and as an essential aspect of basic education leading to personal and collective growth and achievement.

• teachers throughout a school offer movement and dance experiences throughout the day to all their students as an essential mode of understanding, learning, and giving form to human experience.

• dance specialists and artists provide abroad view of the dance field and in-depth experiences in selected dance forms, challenging both students and teachers to an increased dance knowledge and expertise.

• dance is taught in ways that are appropriate and successful in a wide range of school philosophies and demographics including traditional, open and magnet programs in inner city, suburban, small town, and rural communities.

• dance is offered through developmentally sound experiences for all students.

• dance and movement experiences benefit all students of every age.

TEACHERS: In this vision where movement learning is a regular part of school life, teachers see the relevance of dance to their teaching process. to their subject areas, and to understanding their students and their own lives. They seek to know more about learning through movement, and seek further education in methods of teaching dance.

When dance is a valued and integral part of a school curriculum, classroom teachers provide students with a solid ongoing basis of dance and movement experiences, while dance specialists and dance residency artists challenge students to meet increasing technical demands and to gain greater skill and fluency in dance making, dance sharing, and dance inquiry. Dance specialists collaborate with Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) 2008/2009

other teachers to develop interdisciplinary and school-wide dance learning experiences. They also recommend resources that extend and enrich student learning across many areas of study.

It is not expected that every teacher becomes a dance/movement expert or specialist, but that each teacher in a school feels comfortable and knowledgeable enough about movement to include it naturally and creatively as a regular and recurring component of their students’ daily learning experiences. When a school is fortunate enough to have a dance specialist, students have the benefit of a rich dance environment where the specialist and many other teachers complement and support each other’s efforts in providing a full spectrum of dance learning

STUDENTS: In this vision for dance education, every student participates in dance movement learning experiences as a regular part of the school day, every day, from the time they first enter school to the time they graduate from high school. Through this continuous participation, they emerge as confident and creative dancers-

Participation in the full range of the dance discipline includes dancing and dance-making, as well as watching. responding to and learning about dance and its many contexts. In a progressive study over time, dance experiences range from simple movement explorations and sharing, to presentations involving increasingly accomplished movement, perceptual abilities, and creative processes. Inquiry about dance ranges from questions about one’s own personal experience in movement and dance, to dance in the wider community, and to dance and related movement forms in many cultures worldwide and throughout history.

It is not expected that all students have ambitions for dance careers, but rather that each student is challenged to his or her own individual potential and that expression through and response to movement becomes a natural and valued component of their lives.

Dance Education Vision Statements

When dance is an integral and important part of everyone’s education, people

• recognize and enjoy the many dimensions, the artistry, and the metaphoric implications of dance.

Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) 2008/2009

• dance and create dance as a medium of expression. understanding, cooperation and communication.

• participate in dance to promote their ph3-sical and emotional well- being.

• appreciate the depth of understanding and the diversity of communication about human life and culture that is afforded by dance.

THE MANY ROLES OF DANCE EDUCATION: Which is the best? Sue McGreevy-Nichols

The way dance is taught in a specific school should be appropriate to the age of the children and the philosophy and goals of the program. To help determine this one should ask some focusing questions. An examination of these questions will help you decide if your program needs a fresh look or a complete overhaul. Does the program meet the educational needs of the whole child? ls the program designed to satisfy local! National Standards in Dance as well as other curricular areas? Is the content age appropriate? Is the delivery of instruction appropriate, accessible, and non-threatening to all children?

Dance in the K-l2 educational setting (eg: a public school) can be delivered in a number of different ways. It may be through a traditional technique class in Modern. Jazz or ; folk, square or line as part of a curriculum; a dance residency with a guest artist, dance integrated into a theme-based project or into some other content area; or a child’s dance education can be delivered through the creative/choreographic process via dance making. This last method of delivery is what will be explored in this

Delivering dance education with the creative/choreographic process as the driving force allows students to create, respond and perform dance. These tenets are key elements of the National Dance Standards. Working through various projects which can range from a single Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) 2008/2009

lesson to a year long event, students explore these tenets. Here is how it can look.

Creating: Students or teachers choose a topic, idea, or concept which acts as their source of inspiration. The students research the source of inspiration. using the research to explore questions and solutions through movement problems. ultimately creating original movements. Movement phrases and eventually whole dances. Lessons to support this activity include the basics of choreography/Composition basic movement skills, movement elements and movement principles.

The cultural, historical and social aspects of dance can also be brought in through the creative/choreographic process. Students research on a specific culture, time in history or era, inspire them to create their own version of a cultural or social dance; or recreate a traditional dance or historical piece of choreography.

Responding: Feedback given by peers. teacher, external audience or self are essential to the creative/choreographic process. Input is used to rework and refine a piece encouraging students not to settle for anything but the best. Students define aesthetic criteria while they give and receive feedback; watching each performance with a critical eye and at the same time receiving new inspiration and ideas.

Performing: All work that is created is performed/exhibited. Whether that- performance takes the shape of an informal sharing to a fully costumed) lighted performance it can be viewed, analyzed and appreciated. Performance skills are honed and confidence increases with each experience. Students soon understand what makes a “good performance” and a “good performer”. During rehearsals/classes. warmup and safety techniques are emphasized as well as what it takes to be a healthy, sucessful dancer.

The whole process is documented in a student portfolio. This student portfolio may contain raw research, a formal research paper; idea~ for dances; peer. self and teacher evaluations of work; journal writings reflecting progress, ideas, revelations. etc.; video tapes of thei progress through the process; practice logs for skills and choreography-to be learned; critiques of dances viewed; audiotapes of inter views, thoughts, etc. This portfolio in conjunction with the actual student performance provides a excellent way to assess a student progress. Performance-based assessment at its best!

What about those students who want to study dance techniques seriously? the answer is partnerships! Form relationships with local schools of dance and encourage those students who want to refine and develop their technique to attend classes. Most dance schools are structured to satisfy this need and above all do it well. This separate role wi] also serve to alleviate the feeling of competitiveness that some dance schools have with dance programs in main stream education.

Is this the best way to deliver instruction? Yes, in settings where dance is for all children. Does this work? Absolutely! Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) 2008/2009

Dance taught this way: teaches more than steps is accessible to all children represents dance as a core subject Is non-threatening and non-elitist supports all aspects of the National Dance Standards helps parents really get it! Parents are really impressed as they leaf through student portfolios and realize that students are learning much more than steps. makes it really easy to justify the cost of the program- is the best of both worlds; students do learn skills and knowledge, but it is done more in context. makes students less stifled creatively - They don’t feel the need to reproduce taught steps when creating dances. Students also look much better doing movements that they have created. is supported by research which demonstrates that higher order thinking skills are introduced and reinforced through this approach. is fun! does a better job at educating the whole child

It is always wise to remember what our job is as an educator in the K-12 educational setting. It is to prepare a child for a successful life/career in what ever direction that may take them. This method of delivery develops thinker who have a great respect for the dance world, as well as become future dance audiences members. One of the greatests strengths of the arts is the creative process. Let’s use it to the fullest potential!