One of my principle aims as a dance educator is to cultivate somatic-based learning environments so that students develop, integrate, and hone a holistic, embodied sense of self. In order to achieve this objective, I strive to help students connect their movement to their ongoing thoughts, sensations, and perceptions. In this article, I describe…

Ensemble Thinking (ET) is a toolkit of movement scores developed by dance-maker Nina Martin in the 1980s in New York City. The scores of ET arose out of a confluence of Martin's choreographic and improvisational performance practices. The impetus for developing ET was to develop a technical language for creating and discussing improvised dance.…

In this student reading, I use examples from dance technique classes to bring attention to the choices that students make when learning new movement via observation and repetition. Based on these examples, I frame learning in technique class not as a process of imitation but a process of translation. In doing so I hope to advocate for the…

Teaching Odissi in the university space is not new to me. However, as a dancer-scholar located in India, teaching this dance form in a university in the United States expanded and deepened my understanding of this dance form and the ways it can be taught. This encounter, a collision of cultures, beliefs, and movement practices in the dance studio,…

This research explores the question: How do students describe their own sensemaking practices in the postsecondary modern dance classroom? Based on semi-structured interviews with three postsecondary dance students at the first author's institution, this article presents individual accounts that capture students' perceptions of making sense of new…

Laban Movement Analysis is a common resource used in dance education curricula in the United States. When used to analyze dance forms that are created outside the Eurocentric lineage, the application of this system must be contextualized as a perspective stemming from beyond the mores of the cultural creators of that dance form. This article…

This article follows a university dance educator's journey through shifting pedagogy to create a more equitable learning environment, turning traditional didactic dance education models inside out. Inside-Out Prison Exchange Pedagogy, designed to facilitate dialogue across differences, was utilized for a movement-based course of university…

Teaching dance technique in academic environments can be problematic in that many Western practices are rooted in traditions that contradict contemporary educational theory. This can create a disconnect between maintaining time-honored traditions and developing more student-centered class structures. This article questions the importance of…

This practice-based article illustrates how dance education pedagogies can help refugee youth adjust to new settings. To support refugee youth in narrating aspects of belonging in their everyday lives, this article offers pedagogies for creative movement that unfold through multiple stages. As developed in the first author's dissertation study and…

This study investigates opportunities for and challenges faced by Chinese dance and movement educators at the higher education level in the United States, drawing from interviews with seven influential Chinese dance and movement academics. The article probes the boundaries of what is considered Chinese dance in the US context, including Chinese…

This paper introduces a reflective methodology of the body as a resource for reflective practice based on an analysis of my personal response and experience of autobiographical narrative. It offers an approach in which the movements and markings of the body serve as important sites for collecting additional evidence of the daily practices that…

This article discusses a pedagogical and creative approach to designing a mixed-media, live dance performance. By involving undergraduate students in the process, the authors were able to examine the contemporary phenomenon of selfies and the effect of the "online self" and "mediated self" on dance performance. The performance…

Dancers in India come from a background that focuses on performance and are trained to teach the way they were taught. When such dancers join a K-12 space as dance educators, they need to find new ways of teaching dance and movement. The teaching strategies employed in a dance studio, institute, or under a guru vary immensely from the strategies…

Elin Lobel has been teaching dance to physical education and dance education majors since 1994. This particular course has been taught in both a large state university in the Midwest and in a large metropolitan university on the east coast. She focuses on teaching dance forms that allow the learners to appreciate their moving bodies, and their…

It is clear that the relationship that dancers have with the mirror, the reflected image, and the accompanying perceptions (and often, distortions) is complicated. One area that is quite complex involves the development of a student's ability to sense movement, which directly connects to other issues involving body image, self-perception,…