Articulating dance knowledge

a study investigating aspects of knowing when performing a parallel pirouette

Sammendrag

In this article, we describe the results from the dance section of a ULF project. ULF is an abbreviation for Development, Learning, Research (Swedish: Utveckling, Lärande, Forskning). Dance is a school subject at upper secondary level in Sweden with its own curriculum and grading criteria. Previous research has problematised teachers’ diffi­culties in verbalising and articulating their grounds for assessment. The research model used, a learning study, with its methodological and theoretical implications, is intro­duced. The model is collaborative and iterative and is combined with teaching practice. The results, presented as three categories of description in an outcome space with critical aspects, answer the research question: How can qualitative aspects of delimited subject-specific dance knowledge, namely, to perform a parallel pirouette, be articulated? We discuss the project’s results, gains and challenges and argue that the model used can be a way to gain knowledge about knowing expressed in a physical form, knowledge which is described as partly tacit. Considering the notion of tacit knowledge can be a way to understand the formation of dance knowledge and how it can be researched, in order to develop a subject-specific language.