Ethical Dilemmas in Dance Education Case Studies on Humanizing Dance Pedagogy

Winner, Susan W. Stinson Book Award for Dance Education—University of North Carolina Greensboro Winner, Ruth Lovell Murray Book Award—National Dance Education Organization “Original and groundbreaking…. This is a pivotal text to propel dance education beyond the status quo tenants of ‘best practices.’…This text may well be the driver moving personal, value-based pedagogies beyond methods-based instruction. An exciting read and an honest journey in meaningful decision making.”—Susan Kirchner, Towson University 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.