An Issue of Dance Education In An Online Environment

During the pandemic and the general lock down, dance education, like all other areas of education, was forced to move to an online environment. From the very beginning, dance artists and pedagogues have been pointing out that a virtual dance studio is by no means an acceptable and comparable alternative to a study process carried out live. When we talk about the training of dance professionals or the level of education, which strives for quality in the study process as well as top results, the consideration of the implementation of distance learning programs is even more relevant. Despite the tempting online accessibility of dance classes and workshops led by prominent dance artists, choreographers and educators around the globe, dance is primarily an (artistic) activity that lives through our bodies, which therefore needs, if not requires, physical presence and proximity. In the spirit of maintaining positive motivation, a psychological sense of closeness and connection with peers and community, such a way of distance education definitely has its value. However, an efficient, high-quality and top-quality study process lacks direct supervision and corrections, which are only possible with the physical proximity of students and professors; a suitably large and equipped dance studio, which the students' home spaces are by no means; as well as peer social and physical interaction, which builds both the individual's interpersonal competencies and establishes a collegial dance community. With the help of SWOT analysis, the paper presents and evaluates the strenghts, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of online dance pedagogy.