The Hidden Curriculum of Gender in Dance Education

Abstract

The concept of the “hidden curriculum” can reveal complex issues of gender in dance education, ones which often reinforce gender stereotypes in the larger culture. The hidden curriculum, referring to everything students are learning besides what teachers are explicitly teaching, is generated through the taken for granted structures and practices of educational institutions, including dance studios as well as schools. Current federal funding guidelines and focus on Outcomes Based Education (OBE) may be hindering the kind of research needed to more fully understand what gender lessons are being conveyed in dance classes, such as those having to do with gendered behavior and appearance. It is proposed that teaching practices embodying unwanted gender messages can be changed through a process that begins with awareness and critical reflection.