Dance and Education

Folk dance and mathematics

Csilla Zámbó, Katalin Kulman, Ágnes Fejes, Mónika Bagota — Thu, 14 May 2026 09:31:31 +0000

The optional Dance and Movement curriculum framework for the 2020 National Core Curriculum considers folk dance and folk games as fundamental pillars of dance education. Meanwhile, they can also play a role in developing mathematical thinking. Our study examines how the integration of folk dance into lower-grade mathematics education can support students' creative problem-solving skills and their attitudes towards the subject. Our theoretical basis is movement-based learning and the flow experience, which connect folk dancing with the experiential foundation of mathematical concept formation. We present the organic connections between folk dance and certain mathematical topics (e.g., shapes, fractions, and number properties). In our action research, we conducted mathematics and folk dance lessons in a first-grade class of 26 students, along with related input and output assessments and supplementary classroom observations. Our results show that the students' creative rule-making improved significantly, and the movement tasks increased the observed students' willingness to participate. In other words, folk dance, as a complex environment and activity, can effectively support the development of mathematical thinking and positive student attitudes. Future studies are needed.

Play as a Support for Dancer Wellbeing: Between Performance and Playfulness

Beata Žitniaková Gurgová, Martin Urban — Thu, 14 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This article focuses on the potential of play as a tool for supporting the subjective emotional state of college students in pedagogical, educational, and therapeutic practice. The theoretical framework draws on the psychology of play and dance pedagogy. We understand play as a dynamic space in which a dancer can move freely between creation, expression, and regeneration. The practical section of the article presents specific forms of playful approaches, ranging from movement improvisation and group movement games to the integration of playfulness into daily training routines. The research section of the article presents a qualitative analysis of responses from 108 participants (college students) taking part in a game called Masquerade. The results highlight the participants’ experiences regarding both positive aspects and challenges. Key research findings include the benefits of this game for safety, relaxation, joy, and self-confidence. The article emphasizes the need to shift the perception of dance from a model focused exclusively on performance to a more mindful, playful, and sustainable approach that recognizes play as a legitimate and valuable means of fostering positive emotional experiences among participants.

The Examination of Dancers' Character Strengths Based on the VIA Model

Judit Pávics, Szidalisz Ágnes Teleki — Thu, 14 May 2026 09:34:33 +0000

Dance is a complex artistic and physical activity that integrates psychological, emotional, and social processes beyond its physical aspects, thus playing a significant role in personal development and well-being. The aim of this research was to examine which character strengths are more prominent among people with dance experience within the framework of the Values in Action (VIA) model and how these relate to dance activity. The research was conducted using an online questionnaire and a cross-sectional design, with 80 participants (70 women, 10 men; average age: 36.1 years; SD = 13.2). Based on the results, no statistically significant difference was found between the distribution of character strengths in the dancer and non-dancer groups. At the same time, creativity consistently appeared as the primary character strength in a higher proportion of those with dance experience, drawing attention to the self-expressive, creative nature of dance and the role of cognitive-emotional flexibility. The results of the study can contribute to a deeper understanding of the educational and character-building potential of dance and offer useful insights for dance education practice and strength-based developmental approaches.

Social dance as non-formal adult learning

Aidai Salmorbekova — Thu, 14 May 2026 09:36:14 +0000

This study explores social dance as a form of adult learning in Hungary, framed within adult education, non-formal learning, and community education perspectives. Using a mixed-methods scoping approach, it maps the SD ecosystem through content analysis of online platforms, focusing on international partner dance genres to capture contemporary urban trends. Programs with the largest social media followings were analyzed to identify popular dance types and the prevalence of for-profit versus non-profit institutions. The study also assesses the capacity of community-oriented, non-profit institutions to host programs for adults facing geographic or economic barriers. A convenience survey of 45 non-professional adult learners captured self-reported experiences of dance learning, providing insight into benefits. Findings show salsa, bachata, Argentine tango, and kizomba are the most popular, concentrated in for-profit Budapest institutions, reflecting urban demand. Mapping outside Budapest reveals latent non-profit capacity, suggesting opportunities for accessible programs. Survey results indicate participation enhances social connectedness, communal engagement, and personal well-being. These patterns highlight limitations of a profit-driven landscape and the potential of community-based SD programs to broaden access, foster inclusivity, and support adult learning in Hungary.

Dance in Literature

Hedvig Ujvári — Thu, 14 May 2026 09:37:48 +0000

At first glance, Weijie Ring’s monograph Tanz in der Literatur might appear to promise a philological survey of dance in literature between 1750 and 1850. From the opening pages, however, the book makes it clear that for Ring, dance is much more than a decorative motif or an occasional social scene. Dance, the author argues, constitutes one of the most sensitive cultural indicators of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries—an intermedial formation capable of registering, with particular precision, the subtle shifts that accompanied the emergence of modern European culture: new forms of social mobility, the reconfiguration of gender identities, transformations in the understanding of emotion, changes in body culture, and the loosening of boundaries between aesthetic forms. Drawing on the concept of the Sattelzeit, Ring approaches literature between 1750 and 1850 as if dance were a kind of “surface of sensibility” through which the period attempts to understand its own modernity.