Born in 1918, the youngest of 12 children, Walker Calhoun describes growing up on the Cherokee Reservation in North Carolina. The schools turned the Cherokee against their old ways, but Walker learned many old songs and dances from his uncle, Will West. Since retirement, Walker has taught the dances and songs to children. His material has been…

This paper addresses factors to consider in establishing a healthy learning environment and a satisfying first-year experience for dance educators. Factors include establishing a positive working relationship with principals and teachers, considering students' physical and emotional development, using discipline, fostering self-management skills,…

Despite its relatively recent introduction as part of a liberal arts curriculum, dance education is beginning to be recognized as a serious discipline that fosters a more diversely developed mind and the ability to look critically at cultural symbols. (MSE)

Despite its small population, challenged economy, and rapid political development, Israel has been able to grow and achieve in sport and physical education. Israel's unique system fosters children gifted in sports, elite athletes, and persons with disabilities. Research and planning sport and physical education facilities are central to Israel's…

Six articles in this feature section emphasize the value of African dance in all levels of education. The articles address aspects of African dance ranging from its historical and philosophical underpinnings to applications from the elementary to the college level. (SM)

Describes PATRON (Performing Arts Teaching Resources ON-line) at the University of Surrey (United Kingdom) that was designed to deliver digital audio, video, music scores, and dance notation across a high-speed network to the desktop. The principle aim is to improve access to reserve materials for staff and students. (Author/LRW)

A three-week geometry unit at a Portland (Oregon) middle school integrated mathematics, dance, and visual art. Studying the graphic art of M.C. Escher and the geometric dance patterns of the dance company Pilobolus helped students appreciate the relevance of mathematics to art and life. Students then choreographed brief dances involving geometric…

Believes that Emile Jaques-Dalcroze is not the only person who has affected movement-based instruction. Highlights the history of movement-based instruction in elementary music education by addressing the influence of Isadora Duncan and modern dance, the efforts of Francois Delsarte and Rudolph von Laban, and the role of remedial perceptual-motor…

Explores kinesthetic and musical intelligences. Emphasizes the importance of understanding the physical reality of the body and sensory receptors as well as the dimensions of feeling and expression. Summarizes Tomatis's interpretation of the auditory and vestibular functions of the ear. Conveys the community and spiritual values of music, dance,…

Educators who want to make movement a part of their teaching must teach students the basic steps that comprise movement. This involves expanding students' range of locomotion, teaching spatial relationships, and exploring different body shapes. Literature references for teaching movement, a list of resources, and six teaching tips are included.…

Largely absent from the literature on adolescent girls' extracurricular activities is exploration of the process and effects of vying for entry to extracurricular activities that are competitive and selective. This qualitative study contrasted the immediate and longer term effects of auditioning for two high school extracurricular activities…

The ways in which seven private sector dance professionals in the United States perceive the impact of sexuality in contemporary culture and the choices that they make for their own schools of dance because of these perceptions are explored. This study was conducted through in-depth interviews and a survey instrument. The participants' narratives…

This paper describes new approaches to assessment in dance and dance education. The first part examines assumptions behind traditional models of evaluation in academic and performing arts contexts. I consider whether it is useful to understand human ability as unitary or if it is meaningful to evaluate people according to a single dimension of…

The numerous ways that postsecondary students benefit from experiential education across the academic disciplines have been well documented in the scholarly literature. One exception, however, is in the field of dance, where these effects have not been researched as extensively. Using a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods,…

One perpetual concern among Indigenous Australian peoples is authenticity of voice. Who has the right to speak for, and to make representations about, the knowledges and cultures of Indigenous Australian peoples? Whose voice is more authentic, and what happens to these ways of knowing when they make the journey into mainstream Western academic…