Reflexive turning in culturally pluralist pedagogy for dance education: A refractive prism of understanding

Abstract

In this article, drawing on data that I collected from teachers during a doctorate inquiry completed in New Zealand in 2010, I explore critically reflexive perspectives that could empower teachers to implement culturally pluralist dance education. Using the imagery of a single beam of light passing through a prism, I locate issues for reflexive examination that arise when considering how to make sense of pedagogy and praxis in teaching culturally diverse dances from contextual perspectives within culturally pluralist pedagogy. The beam captures dance education in a culturally pluralist pedagogical paradigm. In passing through a prism it is refracted, splitting into its spectral component rays, each containing a separate expectation for teachers and requiring its own reflexive turn of thought. Consideration of these expectations is timely in terms of respecting the people who own the traditions we include in dance education and the changing ethnic mosaic of nation states globally.

Dancing with Dolly: Linda Ashley’s enduring legacy

“…in terms of theory and practice was up for debate in Linda's view (Ashley, 2014b). "We privilege one over the other at our peril, for both seem, to me at least, to be in constant interactive flux.…”

“…Planning symposia, workshops, school tours … such activities were to be performed for the sheer pleasure of making something as dance educators, are doing, why we are doing it and how we may best provide culturally democratic dance education. (Ashley & Lines, 2016, p. 177) Linda's doctoral thesis, an ethnographic study on teaching about dance in schools from cross-cultural perspectives, became integral to this final text (Ashley, 2014a(Ashley, , 2014b. In her discussion on a range of challenges encountered during a course she led for dance educators, the published journal article "has significance for teacher education in countries that have multicultural profiles" (Ashley, 2014a).…”