“Dance & Peacebuilding:” Developing Nonviolence Practices in an Interdisciplinary Course

This chapter explores the methods and impact of Dance and Peacebuilding, an interdisciplinary course that asks undergraduates to study peacebuilding research while also strengthening their nonviolence skills through embodied dance practices. Taught at the University of Rochester in New York, USA, the course attracts students from all over the world who build their capacities for self-reflection, empathy, listening and tolerance by making and sharing dances within the multi-cultural classroom community. Students learn to analyze conflicts, to design dance-based interventions for specific community needs, and to recognize their own biases in interpreting others’ movement—a perennial cause of conflict. Through witnessing their peers’ “Dances of Identity,” students come to understand the complexity of identity—how what is perceived outside differs from what is felt inside—expanding their ability to approach “the other” with curiosity rather than prejudice. This chapter provides peace educators with pedagogical ideas for enhancing students’ nonviolence skills through embodied dance activities and highlights the art-form’s strengths and limitations for peacebuilding. African dance traditions are a particularly rich, yet underutilized, resource for peacebuilding as they often carry important spiritual significance and local community knowledge. Thus, this chapter also proposes future possibilities for peace work using dance within African contexts.