Can We Share the Dance? Examining Embodied Knowledge in Children's Contact Improvisation

This article examines the pedagogical value of Contact Improvisation (CI) as a means of cultivating embodied learning in children in primary education. Within many contemporary schooling systems, where a persistent divide remains between intellect and emotion, there is an urgent need for pedagogies that recognise the body as a primary site of lived experience – essential for understanding the world and engaging with others. Drawing on progressive education, phenomenology, and cognitive science, this study highlights the impact of CI on children's somatic, social-emotional, and cognitive development. The findings contribute to current discussions in dance education, supporting the view that embodied knowledge enhances children's holistic development in democratic and socially responsive learning environments.