The dance of the magic dragon: embodied knowledge in the context of transformative learning theory

Abstract

This paper describes a dance-based research project conducted at the Department of Early Childhood Education of the University of Thessaly. The main aim of the project was to explore the possibilities of dance in understanding the self in relation to the world, under the perspective of the transformative learning theory. The methodology applied for this purpose is qualitative and combines collaborative action research, practice-as-research in dance, and hermeneutic analysis of the data. The findings of the study indicate that the students who participated in the dance project assessed and reframed their previous views in three main conceptual areas relative to the body-self, to the others and to the notion of space.

Keywords:

• Dance education
• embodiment
• critical reflective thinking
• transformative learning
• practice-as-research in dance
• teachers’ education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. A part of the study entitled Body -City -Memory: A Phenomenological Exploration of the Concept of Space through Dance (2013) has been published in Greek, in Choros International Dance Journal.