Choreographer/researcher/teacher

Developing a/r/tography as an approach to dance pedagogy at Stockholm University of the Arts in a professional learning community of teachers

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7577/ar.5460

Keywords:

a/r/tography, higher dance education, professional learning community, expanded choreography, diffractive methodology

Abstract

This article follows the becoming a/r/tographic of four colleagues working within the field of dance pedagogy at Stockholm University of the Arts. The four colleagues – Tone, Camilla, Stina, Madelaine - are part of a larger professional learning community of staff that together have carried out a 3-year long change project restructuring the BA program in dance pedagogy. As a result, the BA has been given an a/r/tographic approach, emphasizing the entangled positions of the artist, researcher, and teacher in dance pedagogy. Another result is the open course A/r/tography in theory and practice in higher education (7.5 ects), which was developed to qualify staff to work through a/r/tography. The four authors of this article were all involved in the first round of the open course, Tone as course teacher, and Camilla, Stina, and Madelaine as staff-students. The course is the entanglement from which they have explored the question that guides this article: How is a/r/ography being developed for the field of dance pedagogy in the context of Stockholm University of the Arts in an ongoing collaborative learning community of teachers? Their exploration is based in a diffractive methodology, thinks-with theory from a/r/tography and expanded choreography, and has resulted in three a/r/tographic expositions on Research Catalogue. The insights arrived at are discussed as: values; performative pedagogy; expanded choreography; a researching approach as choreographers/researchers/teachers; and professional development of staff in higher dance education.

Photo: Camilla Reppen

Author Biographies

Tone Pernille Østern, NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology and Stockholm University of the Arts

Tone Pernille Østern (Dr. of Arts in Dance) is a Professor in Arts Education with a focus on Dance at NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology. She also holds a position as Visiting Professor in Dance Education in Contemporary Contexts at Stockholm University of the Arts.

Camilla Reppen, Stockholm University of the Arts

Camilla Reppen is Assistant Lecturer in Dance Pedagogy and project leader at Stockholm University of the Arts with a BA in Dance Pedagogy and MA in Educational Management.

Stina O’Connell, Stockholm University of the Arts

Stina O’Connell is Assistant Lecturer in Dance Pedagogy, with focus on vocational training, at the Department of Dance Pedagogy at Stockholm University of the Arts.

Madelaine Daneberg, Stockholm University of the Arts

Madelaine Daneberg is Assistant Professor in Classical Ballet at the Department of Dance Pedagogy at Stockholm University of the Arts. She also teaches at the Royal Ballet School in Stockholm.

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A drawing of some people in front of a sign showing the words choreograph andd research

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Published

2025-06-30

How to Cite

Østern, T. P., Reppen, C., O’Connell, S., & Daneberg, M. (2025). Choreographer/researcher/teacher: Developing a/r/tography as an approach to dance pedagogy at Stockholm University of the Arts in a professional learning community of teachers. Nordic Journal of Art & Research, 14(2), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.7577/ar.5460