Educational Dance and Integral Education: Bodily Expressiveness as a Pedagogical Practice

Abstract

Abstract: Educational dance is a pedagogical approach that, unlike traditional methods, focuses on bodily expressiveness and individual creativity. Its main goal is to develop children's awareness of their body and movement as an expressive and communicative language. It requires no technical prerequisites, allowing each child to freely explore their possibilities and become the interpreter and creator of their own gesture. This method shifts the focus from execution to discovery, promoting learning based on direct experience. In the school context, educational dance is a powerful tool for the harmonious growth of the individual, stimulating emotional, social, and cognitive skills. It's not just about learning an artistic discipline, but about experiencing an educational process that fosters self-awareness and awareness of others, cooperation, and expressive autonomy. Based on an experiential vision, this approach views students as active participants who experiment, invent, and reflect on movement. This develops not only motor and creative abilities but also metacognitive, aesthetic, and relational competencies. In summary, educational dance is a complete and accessible formative experience that values the child's uniqueness and supports their global development, building an inclusive and stimulating environment where the body becomes a vehicle for knowledge, expression, and personal growth.

Keywords: Educational Dance; Bodily Creativity; Holistic Development; Experiential Learning; Inclusion.