Creative Dance: Enriching Understanding

This book is a clear, coherent justification for the inclusion of creative dance in the educational curriculum. Sheryle Bergmann Drewe shows why creative dance in particular should be included in the curriculum, and what form creative dance education would have to take to provide educational value.

The chapters include examinations of creative dance's educational value, of aesthetics in general and how the aesthetic nature of creative dance can foster a unique and rich understanding of the human experience. The author also proposes a structure for creative dance classes in the curriculum, contrasting this with current approaches to teaching dance, and suggests that in order for teachers to fulfill creative dance's full educational potential, they must promote the creation of original works by their students at all levels. In support of this argument, she examines the differences between creative and imaginative activities, and describes how both are necessary for creating works which foster understanding of the human experience. Finally, the author considers the practical implications of including creative dance in the curriculum and of the understanding gained through aesthetic experience.