Author: Hagood, Thomas K.

Publication Year:

Media Type: Periodical (article)

Summary:

Abstract:

A dance educator, Hagoods essay is a call-to-action for the field to refine strategic vision for the future of dance in American education.

Dance is a late bloomer and is the field most in need of connection, development, and linkage. It is ill-prepared to develop the theory-building or theory-driven experiments to verify dances educational merit and worth. The Reviewing Education and the Arts Project (REAP) report proves that the field has not owned up to the responsibilities of defining what a dance-arts education is and discovering how it benefits student achievement, learning, and quality of life.

Despite the field having little background in developing scientific methodologies, it is known that when students are taught in and through dance, they bloom. However, it is not known how or why this occurs. Hagood presses that the field must work together to:

1.  negotiate a common definition for dance-art education;.
2. stick to that definition, understand, and implement tools of evaluation for dance curricula; and
3. seek expert help in developing theory-building or theory-driven experiments.

He concludes that the time is ripe for field consensus on these matters.

Arts & Intersections:

Categories: Arts Education