Dancing Across Cultures: Exploring Intercultural Pedagogy through Kecak Dance Experience for Malaysian Dance Teachers

This study explores how Kecak dance training contributes to embodied learning, intercultural pedagogy, and professional identity development among Malaysian dance teachers. Situated within Southeast Asian dance education, the study responds to the need for culturally responsive teachers’ professional development that moves beyond technical mastery toward intercultural awareness, empathy, and reflective pedagogy. A qualitative case study was conducted at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Malaysia, involving ten dance teachers who participated in a Kecak training program. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, participant observation, reflective responses, and documentation, then analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. The findings reveal that Kecak training fostered embodied intercultural learning through collective rhythm, vocal interaction, circular formation, and synchronized movement. Participants developed deeper cultural sensitivity, collective awareness, and confidence in adapting intercultural dance pedagogy for multicultural classrooms. The study also shows that Kecak functioned as a symbolic and pedagogical bridge between Eastern embodied philosophies emphasizing harmony, spirituality, and collective embodiment and Western intercultural pedagogies emphasizing inclusion, critical reflection, and democratic learning. These findings contribute to scholarship on intercultural pedagogy, dance education, and professional identity by demonstrating how traditional performing arts can support transnational teacher learning, empathy, and Southeast Asian cultural dialogue.