“Here We Go ’Round the Mulberry Bush”: Problematizing “Progress” in Ontario's Elementary School Dance Curriculum: 1900 to 2000

Educational scholars agree that the relationship between curriculum development and practice is mitigated by complex political and cultural agendas (Goodson 1984; Vertinsky 2007). As a performing art form and physical activity, dance does not easily fit within the context of a typical school subject and is a site for ontological and epistemological debate. This investigation explores the evolution of elementary school dance curricula in the province of Ontario, Canada from 1900 to 2000. This article addresses three periods of curriculum reform: an emphasis on physical training for the purpose of physical skill, moral discipline, and fitness (1900s–1950s); an emphasis on “movement education” intended to promote individuality, creativity, and physical literacy (1950s–1980s); and a return to dance as exercise for the purpose of cardiovascular health and fitness (1980s–2000). As contemporary scholars, we must promote meaningful dance content in a context of cultural understanding and respect.