Dance talent development across the lifespan: a review of current research

The aim of this study is to compile and synthesize empirically based articles published between 2000 and 2012 about the critical issues of developing dance talents across the lifespan of children, adolescents and adults. The present article updates and extends a review article related to the identification and development in dance written by Walker, Nordin-Bates, and Redding. In this present review, data from accepted studies of talented dancers were abstracted into evidence tables relating to: (1) abilities and traits, (2) creativity, (3) motivation and (4) support. The Talent-Development Mega-Model conceived by Subotnik, Olszewski-Kubilius, and Worrell is used to frame the discussion of the four clusters. Two PhD dissertations, one conference proceeding and 34 peer-reviewed journal articles met the inclusion criteria. The identification criteria of talented dancers, sampling type and methods used in these articles are discussed. The article concludes with recommendations to improve research in the development of dance talent.