How Contemporary Dance Training Programmes Available in Higher Education in the United States and United Kingdom Develop Creative Dexterity in Dancers / Shannon Oleson (2020)

Previous research on creative dexterity is limited and involves one study of four institutions by Rowe and Zeitner-Smith. Thus more research is needed to further define the term and see where and how creative dexterity is embedded in dance training in Higher Education. How contemporary dance training programmes available in Higher Education in the United States and United Kingdom develop creative dexterity in dancers is a research project led by Shannon Oleson. Understanding where creative dexterity is in the curriculum and how creative dexterity is taught will help programmes better equip dancers for the professional dance world. This research involves a twopronged study.

Interviews were conducted with senior faculty at Juilliard, Tisch at NYU, State University of New York at Purchase, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and London Contemporary Dance School. Analyzing these interviews for common themes shows where creative dexterity is embedded in their curricula. Secondly, the physical investigation reflects on creative dexterity and the dancer-choreographer roles in the professional projects that the researcher participated in during this research period. The major finding of the study suggests a reframing of creative dexterity into four subsections of self-awareness, safe environment, technical diversity and creative collaboration. The institutions interviewed are supporting the aspects of creative dexterity in similar ways both in the UK and the US, showcasing the globalization of arts education, the continual relevance of social issues in the dance world and the importance of Higher Education developing complete dance artists.

Keywords: contemporary dance; choreography; collaboration; education; creative dexterity; conservatory pedagogy; dance graduates; institutional strategy; didactic spectrum