Creative Dance
CREATIVE DANCE
History of Creative Dance
Creative dance is perceived differently by different sectors of the education system. In many provinces, creative dance is part of the physical education curriculum. More recently, two provinces— British Columbia and Saskatchewan— have considered placing dance under the rubric of arts education. The aspect of creative dance that is emphasized reflects the position creative dance is assigned in the curriculum. When in the physical education curriculum, creative dance lessons typically focus on development of the motor skills involved, with little concern for the experience’s aesthetic potential. In arts education, the primary focus is creative dance’s aesthetic potential. Advocates view creative dance not only as having potential for developing motor skills or aesthetic sensibility, but as a means to improve students’ self-concept and as a valuable component of an integrated curriculum. Upon closer scrutiny, however, these different ways of justifying creative dance may prove contradictory.
“Creative dance” is a particular form of dance. This form is typically taught in elementary schools because unlike other dance forms, it does not require years of training. Basically, creative dance involves the use of movement elements to express thoughts and feelings. Dimondstein (1974) expands on this definition when she considers dance to be “the interpretation of a child’s ideas, feelings, and sensory impressions expressed symbolically in movement forms through the unique use of his body” .Creative dance teachers may suggest particular ideas or feelings they want their students to express through movement. Alternatively, they may provide a stimulus— for example, a piece of music, a poem, a painting— which they want students to interpret and express through the medium of movement. The medium of movement can be further defined using the elements of movement. Rudolf Laban (1975) has comprehensively analyzed movement and its constituent
History of Creative Dance
Creative dance is perceived differently by different sectors of the education system. In many provinces, creative dance is part of the physical education curriculum. More recently, two provinces— British Columbia and Saskatchewan— have considered placing dance under the rubric of arts education. The aspect of creative dance that is emphasized reflects the position creative dance is assigned in the curriculum. When in the physical education curriculum, creative dance lessons typically focus on development of the motor skills involved, with little concern for the experience’s aesthetic potential. In arts education, the primary focus is creative dance’s aesthetic potential. Advocates view creative dance not only as having potential for developing motor skills or aesthetic sensibility, but as a means to improve students’ self-concept and as a valuable component of an integrated curriculum. Upon closer scrutiny, however, these different ways of justifying creative dance may prove contradictory.
“Creative dance” is a particular form of dance. This form is typically taught in elementary schools because unlike other dance forms, it does not require years of training. Basically, creative dance involves the use of movement elements to express thoughts and feelings. Dimondstein (1974) expands on this definition when she considers dance to be “the interpretation of a child’s ideas, feelings, and sensory impressions expressed symbolically in movement forms through the unique use of his body” .Creative dance teachers may suggest particular ideas or feelings they want their students to express through movement. Alternatively, they may provide a stimulus— for example, a piece of music, a poem, a painting— which they want students to interpret and express through the medium of movement. The medium of movement can be further defined using the elements of movement. Rudolf Laban (1975) has comprehensively analyzed movement and its constituent