Dancing With children or dancing for children? Measuring the effects of a dance intervention in children’s confidence and agency

Dance has benefits in children’s development, including increased self-confidence, physical and mental growth. While much research explores preschool children’s experiences in dance courses, most studies involve pre-designed choreographies led by adults. Some argue that young children have limited ability to create their own choreography. This research challenges that by giving children the opportunity to co-create choreographies, with practitioners, using music of their choice. A new dance framework, Dancing with Dr E, was implemented over 5 months in five preschool classrooms in London. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with practitioners. The findings revealed numerous instances where children’s participation increased, showing excitement and multimodal communication. There was a noticeable increase in children’s confidence, by becoming more vocal about their needs and ideas. Due to the limited number of participants and the absence of a control group, further research on the effects of dance education in children’s confidence and agency is recommended.