Dance and the Community

A critical examination of the concepts and issues of dance and community, particularly dance, in relation to healing, social, educational, political and artistic functions.

This paper will analyse the role of dance in the community. It will analyse the conceptual framework of community dance and explore the relationship between dance as an artistic, social, educational and therapeutic practice within various communities. The notion of ‘community’ will be unpacked, with a particular focus on specific communities in respect to their identity and needs and involving participatory field work. A particular focus of the paper will include the role of dance in communicating eco-socio-political community issues and culture.