Dance and Education

Visual Aesthetics of Hip-hop Dance Movements in a V-shaped Stage Setup

2025-05-09T09:42:42+00:00

This study investigates the aesthetic perception of V-shaped stage setups with 11 dancers performing different Hip-hop movements. It aims to determine whether observers evaluate these setups differently in terms of aesthetic appeal and whether expertise influences judgments. Understanding these evaluations is essential for enhancing the impact of dance performances. The study recruited 182 participants, including experts and non-experts. All participants rated five video stimuli showing 11 dancing avatars in a V-shaped stage setup based on their aesthetic perception. Participants completed an online questionnaire, and data were analyzed using Friedman ANOVA. Significant differences were found in aesthetic ratings across the stage setups. The stage setup featuring the Kick Ball Change Side movement received the highest rating. No significant differences were found between experts and non-experts in their aesthetic evaluation of the stage setups. The results suggest that specific dance movements, particularly the Kick Ball Change Side, are universally perceived as aesthetically pleasing. These findings offer valuable insights for choreographers seeking to enhance the visual aesthetics of dance performances. Future research should explore additional stage setups and context factors.

Factors Influencing Digital Text Creation Skills in Dance-Related Higher Education

2025-05-09T09:42:42+00:00

This study investigates the factors influencing digital text creation skills among dance students in higher education. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of digitalization in dance education, a field traditionally less impacted by technology. Despite the increased use of digital tools and AI, improvements in writing and text creation skills are not automatic. This research aims to identify the underlying causes of low-quality written work among dance students, hypothesizing that factors such as vocational art education background, the demands of elite dance training, the fast-paced nature of digital culture, and the uncritical use of technology contribute to poor writing performance. An online questionnaire was administered to 170 graduate students, revealing challenges in time management, understanding thesis requirements, and the need for basic word processing and reference management skills. The findings suggest that integrating writing skill development into theoretical courses and providing targeted support can enhance students' academic writing abilities. The study underscores the need for a comprehensive educational development plan to address these issues.

‘What Are You Willing to Give Away?’

2025-05-09T09:42:42+00:00

This paper discusses selected findings from Moving Online: Ontology and Ownership of Internet Dance (funded by AHRC AH/W01002X/1). Dances are frequently copied, reperformed, and adapted with or without permission, raising important questions about ownership, appropriation, and acknowledgment. Through interviews with three Hip-Hop artists who share their work online, this study examines the ontological foundations of dance created for online consumption. In addition, the creative, socio-cultural, financial, and legal implications of online sharing on artists’ ownership are also discussed. Initial findings show that while understanding ownership and the nature of the ‘thing’ (creative output) that is created varies from artist to artist, there are genre-specific determinants, such as the Hip-Hop ‘sampling’ culture and the generation-based etiquette around ‘biting’ that has developed. This variation, specificity, combined with the complexities of online sharing, can lead to ownership disputes, particularly when financial stakes are involved.

The Symbolism of Historical Dances in the Music of Tchaikovsky's Ballet Sleeping Beauty

2025-05-09T09:42:42+00:00

The music of Pyotr Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty has always played and continues to play a significant role in the success of ballet. The Russian composer has gifted the dancers with spectacular scenes, solos and duets. In addition to these, historical dances also appear in the score, such as the archaic sarabande, which seems a rather unusual choice for a 19th century Romantic composer.

In the first half of the paper, I will give a brief historical overview of the role of the suite in Tchaikovsky's compositions, and then seek to answer the question of whether his œuvre contains antecedents for the various dances, especially the sarabande of Sleeping Beauty. For Rudolf Nureyev, one of the greatest ballet artists of all time, Sleeping Beauty accompanied him throughout his creative career. He danced many of its characters, one of his favourite roles being that of Prince Désiré, and as a choreographer he staged it no less than seven times. Nureyev understood the dramaturgical significance of the sarabande and, unlike many 19th-21st century directors, he did not omit the dance from his choreographies.

Dance Science Research

2025-05-09T09:42:41+00:00

In many areas of dance research, there is a notable lack of background literature. The two volumes discussed here, Introduction to dance research methodology [Bevezetés a tánccal kapcsolatos kutatások módszertanába] (2020, edited by Lanszki), and Research methods in the dance sciences (2023, edited by Welsh, et al.), aim to address this gap, providing guidance on both theoretical and empirical research in dance studies.