Body, Tradition, and the Future: Reimagining Dance Education in a Changing World

Abstract

This paper was prepared to reconsider the direction of dance education at a time when the dancer’s body, the traditions it inherits, and the technologies surrounding it are changing at different speeds. Using a qualitative conceptual approach, the study conducted a thematic review of 57 Scopus-indexed publications issued between 2001 and 2026, covering studies of embodiment, pedagogies of traditional and cultural dance, and the use of digital technology in dance learning. The review shows that the dance education literature remains divided into strands that rarely meet, namely a strand that defends the body and tradition as sources of knowledge and a strand that measures the success of technology through movement accuracy, motivation, and learning engagement. From this reading, the Body–Tradition–Future framework is formulated on three principles: the body as a source of knowledge, tradition as a living pedagogy, and technology as an extension of bodily experience. The framework can serve as a basis for designing dance education curricula and assessments, particularly in teacher education institutions, so that prospective dance teachers can master movement, understand the cultural meanings it carries, and use technology without losing their bodily presence.