Dance, participation and well-being: preparing for the future

At different times the arts in formal and informal education have been justified in ways that reflect the social and political concerns of the time. Among current concerns is that of well-being. In September 2014 the report of an All-Party Parliamentary Group on Wellbeing Economics described well-being as ‘an important government goal’. The report valued the role that the arts, and participatory dance in particular, can play in promoting positive well-being. Moreover, it suggested that the enhancement of well-being should help to set strategic priorities for arts and culture subsidy in the future. Whilst there is considerable evidence to suggest that participation in dance can have a positive impact on physical, psychological and social wellbeing, the pedagogy that delivers it is relatively under-researched. This paper identifies aspects of dance pedagogy that appear key to enhancing subjective wellbeing, drawing on the author’s recent research in this area. The paper then seeks to identify emerging opportunities for dance in higher education by considering the implications for preparing University dance students for a future in which teaching and leading dance in educational and community settings may place increased emphasis on the promotion and assessment of well-being.