Editorial

Abstract

Welcome to this issue of Research in Dance Education. The journal continues to thrive with an increase in international reach and submissions. It is an honour to lead as Editor and I am grateful to all the reviewers who give of their time voluntarily. I am always in search of new reviewers so if you are interested in becoming a reviewer, do get in touch. The first article is by author Sarah Matzke entitled: Traversing the succession of space to place to home: a kinesthetic comprehension of the body as it forms an epistemology of space. A Practice as Research (PAR) methodology was used with professional dancers and University students and the ‘thinking’ body was at the core of the research. Underpinned by experiential theories, choreographic and improvisational movement devices were used to trace cognition in participants’ home environment. These devices included haptic and visual perception tasks, spatial behaviour, spatial patterning, and habitual movement analysis. Findings reveal how closely aligned the participants became with the kinaesthetic/somatic experiences of the body in space and how this shaped their understanding of the space and environment around them and, what Matzke terms ‘environmental mindfulness’. Next, Disturbed eating attitudes, social physique anxiety, and perceived pressure for thin body in professional dancers by Stavroula Kalyva et al used The Eating Attitude Test questionnaire (EAT-26), the Social Physique Anxiety Scale (SPAS), and the questionnaire for thin body by significant others, with 108 professional dancers of ballet (n = 37), Latin (n = 31) and traditional dance (n = 40). The results found that seven dancers had an EAT26 score ≥ 20, indicating abnormal eating behaviour. There were no statistically significant differences found among the three dance groups in any assessment tool, even after controlling for age, sex and professional experience. However, when Body Mass Index (BMI) was added as a potential confounder in the model, significant differences were revealed. It is suggested that BMI is an important contributing factor, rather than the dance genre, for both self-control of eating and the perceived pressure from co-dancers and choreographers. Applications in the dance studio based on findings from the study are the need to focus on maintaining healthy dancers through enhancing positive relationships within professional dance environments. Authors Ralph Buck et al undertook an interview study underpinned by the threshold concept theory, with eight Chinese students undertaking postgraduate study in New Zealand in Opening the fan: Chinese postgraduate dance student’s experience in New Zealand. The study was a useful way to reflect and evaluate the student experience and found that the students were challenged by teacher/learner relationships, academic research in dance studies, and classroom communications. Recommendations are made that are useful to the two institutions involves but also have potential applications for others developing postgraduate programmes. Another interview study using grounded theory with experienced dance teachers working in performing and teaching dance improvisation: Teachers’ perspectives RESEARCH IN DANCE EDUCATION 2023, VOL. 24, NO. 3, 197–198 https://doi.org/10.1080/14647893.2023.2240635