Editorial

Abstract

Welcome to this issue of Research in Dance Education. The journal continues to thrive with global engagement from the readership and authors. I wish to thank all the reviewers that support the journal on a voluntary basis. I am pleased that the call for papers for the next special issue of Research in Dance Education: Leadership in Dance Education, guest editor Edward C Warburton, is out now. The articles in this issue represent work from the US, the UK, China, Japan and New Zealand. Themes of inclusivity, support, challenge and ownership, whilst developing an enabling, culturally responsive and democratic teaching environment for all to thrive in dance, are important takeaways from this issue. I am reminded of the value in choice of pedagogy in the teaching and learning relationship. I open this issue with Nyama McCarthy-Brown and Karen Shupp’s article “Gatekeepers to gateway-makers: reimaging partnerships, collaborations, and celebrations of the many movers of university campuses”. The authors reveal the inclusive range of extracurricular dance clubs that exist across college campuses and outside the embodied Whiteness of dance major courses in the US. Such extracurricular activities embrace a broad range of dance styles and cultural contexts that welcome all students to engage with dance. Using Critical Race Theory in relation to where, how, why and what dance occurs across campus, this article asks dance educators to carefully consider if we are gatekeepers or gateway-makers when it comes to providing students access to professional aspirations via a college degree. The research recognises the power and value of culturally responsive dance opportunities, as a way of building social connections and community, through performance and dance events. The authors suggest that there are ways of harnessing the interests of those engaging in dance across university campuses, by opening possibilities for shared studio spaces for example, to celebrate more people dancing. This article is relevant to dance educators working in university/dance contexts beyond the US. Next, Nico Kolokythas et al., in “Growth, maturation, and overuse injuries in dance and aesthetic sports: a systematic review”, undertook a database search using standard methods for article identification, selection and risk of bias appraisal. The eligibility criteria for inclusion in the study consisted of peer-reviewed articles using any type of study design. Twenty-three studies were selected that were cross-sectional in design and that focused on dance, gymnastics and diving. Of the 23 studies, 19 indicated a positive association between growth, maturation and overuse injuries, and a further 6 reported a positive association with training load. However, it is acknowledged that there were inconsistencies in associations of growth and maturation, and high or unclear risk of bias. It is suggested that there is a lack of reliable and valid research available on growth, maturation and training load in association with overuse injuries in dance and aesthetic sports. RESEARCH IN DANCE EDUCATION 2023, VOL. 24, NO. 2, 97–98 https://doi.org/10.1080/14647893.2023.2213089