Emerging Critical Pedagogies of Dance Educators in an Urban STEAM After-School Program for Black Girls

• In Event: Our Stories, Our Spaces: Black Women and Girls' Experiences as Students and Teachers

Abstract

This paper examines the emerging critical pedagogies of pre-service dance educators who served as dance teachers in an urban STEAM after-school program for 7-12 year old Black girls. Although dance has historical roots in African Diasporic cultures, dance education is perpetually Eurocentric and dance instruction has been eliminated from urban schools overtime. University dance programs are also predominantly White, thus there is often a cultural incongruence between future dance educators and students of color. Rooted in a Critical Dance Pedagogy Framework, the findings of this phenomenological case study reveal that (a) navigating race, place and space (b) mentorship and practice, and (c) critical reflection and self-efficacy were critical components of dance educators’ emerging critical pedagogies.

Authors

• Ayana Allen-Handy, Drexel University

• Valerie Ifill, Drexel University

• Raja Schaar, Drexel University

• Monique Woodard, Drexel University

• Michelle Rogers, Drexel University