Dance as expression in physical education? Aesthetic experiences, identities and unusual learning processes

Dance has been a part of physical education (PE) in several countries for a long time. Dance is marginalized in PE in Sweden and there is a gap between the ambitious goal in the curricula and the actually teaching in dance. Many PE teachers generally feel uncertain about the role of dance in their subject and are insecure how to teach it. PE appears to be dominated by a multiactivity model, underpinned by discourses ofhealth and fitness alongside the logic of sport as bodily movement practices aimed at competition. The aim is to discuss whether dance and aesthetical experiences can help broaden understandings of the body and the use of the body within the subject as a part of an identity process. Such a discussion can also add new dimensions to the debate on the nature and purposes of PE. The theoretical references draw on the pedagogue John Dewey's (1934/2005) concepts of experiences and aesthetical judgements. The sociologist Thomas Ziehe´s (1982/1986) concept of unusual learning processes is also used to discuss challenges for students' learning. An intervention study, consisting eight PE lessons with dance inspired by Rudolf Laban (1948/1988), was carried through in three classes on high school level in the compulsory school. The empirical material consists of videotaped lessons and students' written narratives. The results show that aesthetical dimensions of movements and dance as expression challenge students in PE and offer new learning experiences and therefor is a part of an identity process. Instead of imitating and reproducing movements the students have an intention to express feelings through dance and create unpredictable movements. The PE teachers use more student centered teaching instead of using direct teaching with specified movements as a form of social control. New dimensions of subjective experiences and the sensual body are given space in PE as a counterweight to sport-related physical activities