Dance and Belonging: Implicit Bias and Inclusion in Dance Education

This book details how bias affects the brain, perception and decision-making--and identifies how these factors affect the field of dance. It applies social psychology to the events, communities, and teaching strategies in dance classrooms of all sizes and age ranges.

Using critical theory as a framework, chapters define implicit biases and explore the power dynamics on and off the dance floor. Various examples of bias in dance education are examined in detail, as are the ramifications of prejudice and inequity. The book sets out the mechanisms that both exacerbate and disrupt the effects of biases, ultimately exploring practiced solutions for addressing bias in the dance classroom. It is intended to inspire dance students, teachers, administrators and arts stakeholders to begin new conversations that will allow dance classrooms to become more welcoming, inclusive spaces.

Crystal U. Davis, CLMA is a dancer, movement analyst, critical race theorist, and an assistant professor of Dance at University of Maryland, College Park. She has over twelve years of experience teaching in P-12 dance education. Her research exploring implicit bias in dance education and how privilege manifests in the body has been published in the Journal of Dance Education and included in a volume of the Palgrave Handbook of Race and the Arts in Education.