Critical Issues in Pedagogy and Research: Perspectives on Dance Education Theory and Practice

From a Scandinavian perspective, the current scenario for dance education practice and research appears quite challenging. One great challenge seems to be preserving the basic values of democracy, equity, and access of the Nordic educational system that is being contested by neoliberal policies, much like elsewhere in the Western world. I am echoing Sue Stinson about the concerns that accountability and standardization have generated in preparing future dance teachers. The restraints seem to creep in from all directions. From the European Union and the Bologna process, higher education is affected by directives that compel us to reformulate the program goals in terms derived from Bloom's taxonomy (Bloom 1956). On the national level, increasing governmental regulations regarding higher education have altered the criteria for allocating funds, and beginning in January 2010 the whole system will drastically change toward privatization. Another significant national development is more difficult to discern but is even more disturbing.