Pioneering visions for access and equity in dance education: inaugural symposium of the arnhold institute

ABSTRACT

This article describes the inaugural symposium of the Arnhold Institute for Dance Education Research, Policy & Leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City (USA). Titled ‘Pioneering Visions for Access and Equity in Dance Education,’ the symposium focused on seminal Black and African-American histories that, though they have largely been ignored, have shaped the field of dance and dance education at Teachers College and beyond. Four guest scholars presented research examining over one hundred years of history. The essay provides historical context for the symposium, a summary of the presentations, and reflections on the importance of this symposium for future research and educational policy.

KEYWORDS:

• Dance education
• dance history
• dance policy

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. The full asynchronous recording of the symposium can be viewed, or you can watch it in sections, at https://www.tc.columbia.edu/arnhold-symposium/.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Barbara Bashaw

Barbara Bashaw, EdD, is Director and Arnhold Professor of Practice in the Dance Education Program and Executive Director of the Arnhold Institute for Dance Education Research, Policy & Leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University. Bashaw’s career as a certified dance educator in the NYC schools distinguished her as an expert in facilitating children’s justice-oriented dance-making experiences. She later served in multiple leadership roles while pioneering the graduate-level dance teacher education programs at NYU and Rutgers University. Her research is thus committed to examining issues within PK-12 dance education from the vantage of teacher educator, teacher, and youth perspectives. She is particularly interested in dilemmas negotiated at the intersection of the multiple communities of PK-12 practice and policy and ethno-phenomenological description of dance practices from cognitive and socio-cultural developmental perspectives. Bashaw has served as a contributor for multiple PK-12 public scholarship projects and as the president of Dance New Jersey/NDEO affiliate. She is the recipient of several awards, including the NYU Teaching Excellence Award, an honorary DFA from SUNY College at Brockport, and the NDEO Emerging Visionary Award. Bashaw earned her master’s and doctorate degrees from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Matthew Henley

Matthew Henley, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Dance Education Program and Affiliated Researcher in the Arnhold Institute for Dance Education Research, Policy & Leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University. Henley focuses his research on describing cognitive and social-emotional skills associated with dance education. He takes a phenomenological approach, analyzing how dancers in diverse communities describe the experience of learning concepts in the dance classroom. Henley's related interests include enactive cognition in the arts, developmental and neuroscientific approaches to embodied knowing, research methods for pedagogy, and the pedagogy of research methods. Henley danced professionally in New York City with Sean Curran Company and Randy James Dance Works. Henley earned his doctorate in Educational Psychology: Learning Sciences from the University of Washington, and M.F.A. in Dance from the same institution. Previously, he served as Associate Professor of Dance at Texas Woman's University, where he coordinated the B.A program and taught in the M.F.A. and Ph.D. programs.

Edward C. Warburton

Edward C. Warburton, EdD, is Professor of Dance at the University of California, Santa Cruz and Senior Research Fellow of the Arnhold Institute for Dance Education Research, Policy & Leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University. Warburton received early training at the North Carolina School of the Arts and danced professionally with American Ballet Theater II, Houston Ballet, and Boston Ballet. His interest in arts education and policy began when studying for a doctorate at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Warburton has served as director of research for the National Dance Education Organization and president of the California Dance Education Association. A widely published author, Warburton is the recipient of several awards including the University of California’s Excellence in Research, the National Dance Education Organization’s Outstanding Researcher, and Teachers College’s Sachs Distinguished Lecturer.