Feature article in Journal of Dance Education

Ecosocial Care Ethics in and through Dance Education

Raisa Foster, PHD & Wilhelmina Ojanen, MA

ABSTRACT

Building on the critical ideas of feminist and posthuman care ethics, this theoretical study presents three practical approaches to dance education that foster deeper care and connection with the more-than-human world. We propose that through dance education, it is possible to 1) practice presence, 2) revitalize embodied empathy, and 3) imagine more responsible relationships with all living beings. Grounded in somatic practices and movement improvisations, these approaches encourage students to deepen their relational awareness and ethical engagement with the ecosocial community. By integrating our perspectives as dance practitioners with existing scholarship, we elucidate how these practices can inspire transformative shifts toward a more sustainable future. Ultimately, we propose that by nurturing responsible multispecies connections and a culture of ecosocial care, dance education can serve as a potent force for cultivating environmental ethics in the face of escalating social and ecological crises.

Read full article here.