Traditional dance, pedagogy and technology: an overview of the WebDANCE project

Abstract

With few exceptions, dance, and traditional dance in particular, has received little attention regarding the development of technological tools that can support teaching. The WebDANCE project was a pilot study with a European scope that aimed to experiment with the development of a web-based learning environment for traditional dances. The final tool included teaching units and 3D animation for two dances, Karsilamas from Greece and Valentine Morris from England, and was evaluated before (front-end), during (formative) and towards the end of the project (summative evaluation). Experience from the WebDANCE project has shown that (1) the same conceptualisation schema can potentially be used to document different European traditional dances, (2) web-based tools can be used to create attractive and functional dance resources, and (3) these tools can support the teaching of traditional dances to young people. As the interest from teachers/trainers and traditional dance experts for such tools is growing, further work is required in order to increase the flexibility and functionality of these tools, and make them more easily accessible to teachers and students in school environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]. Copyright of Research in Dance Education is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts)