Nordic Journal of Dance – Practice, Education and Research (NJD) attempts to support the dissemination of a wide range of themes related to dance in the Nordic countries.
It invites dance professionals working in the fields of practice and research to contribute to a shared discussion on what is going on in dance particularly in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. NJD volume 3 continues the format set up by volume 1 and volume 2 that were published in 2010 and includes both practice-oriented and more scholarly papers. For the first time this volume also comprises a book review on a new Nordic publication in dance research.
The theme suggested for NJD volume 3, by the editorial board was "Fostering Growth: Motifs and Values for the Future through Dance Education." Among other things, the topic relates to discussions on the value of the creative subjects in school contexts and aesthetic learning processes, but it also touches upon the reasons as to why dance is important for the growth of children, youngsters and adults alike.
The papers in NJD volume 3, consider these themes through different lenses highlighting especially the experiential significance of dancing in educational settings involving children and physical education students as well as spiritual environments and practices of Christian worship. In her practical paper, Lene Bonde offers the reader insight into how to foster a state of flow in a dance class for youngsters and argues for its relevance to teaching dance.
The research papers by Hilde Rustad and Hildegunn Schuff take a phenomenological perspective when investigating diverse experiences of dancing. In so doing they highlight an emergent trend in Nordic dance research; it often relies on and further develops phenomenological dance research and is interested in dance professionals, students and lay people's experiences in dance and dancing. Rustad illuminates how dance improvisation and contact improvisation are experienced by a group of physical education teacher students and ponders on the position dance has in the curriculum of physical education. Schuff, in turn, explores how dancing is experienced in the Christian contexts of worship in Norway and shows that here participants consider it as a form of prayer and spiritual growth among other things. Finally the book review introduces and evaluates a newly published anthology entitled Dance and the Formation of Norden: Emergences and Struggles. From the perspective of NJD this is a very welcomed edition as it focuses specifically on dance in the Nordic countries in the 20th and 21st centuries. In their respective papers, seven dance scholars from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden discuss the role of theatrical, folkloric and social dancing in the formation of the canons and democratic practices in the arts in the mentioned North European geopolitical region. We, the editorial board, hope you find Nordic Journal of Dance volume 3 informative.
Leena Rouhiainen
Issue Editor