Abstract:
Dance as an academic endeavor has held a place in higher education since 1926. From its beginnings as a major of study under a department of physical education, dance in academia moved into departments of fine arts and flourished as an expressive art form in the mid to late 20th century. In the 1990s, dance in K12 education similarly moved from its beginnings in physical education into arts education. By 2002, the arts, including dance, music, theatre, and visual art, were named core academic subjects in national education policy. Dance educators and researchers encouraged departments of dance to include dance education as a degree program. How did higher education dance programs in Alabama respond to this new opportunity for their students? This case study investigated undergraduate dance education programming in Alabama from the perspective of current faculty. Interviews were drawn from faculty at the three universities in Alabama with dance degree programs, with additional data collected from current and former K12 dance educators. Document analysis included university mission statements and coursework along with state administrative code and standards related to dance educating. Informed by the theoretical lens of Giddens and the conceptual frame of Bolman and Deal, the study identified issues related to dance education degree programming and certification in Alabama. Keywords and Phrases: undergraduate dance education programming, public policy, K12 public education, organizational culture, structuration theory, four-frame model
