Traditional Dance and Environmental Awareness: A Teaching Proposal

Abstract

This article suggests implementing a proposal on teaching folk dance in secondary education that takes a holistic approach, focusing on raising environmental awareness. It is mainly centered on Klidonas, one of the folk customs described and analyzed in Anastasia Hilari’s doctoral thesis. Klidonas, with its deep connection to the natural environment and folk beliefs about nature and water, emerges as a suitable field for educational exploitation in the context not only of learning the traditional dance included in the context of its performance, but also of awakening the interest and reflection of students for a better, modern and future environment. This way, students learn about Greek tradition and at the same time draw inspiration through it in order to shape their own futures. The educational proposal was based on ethnographic research. During the ethnographic research, participatory observation was used, through field notes and a work diary, ethnographic data collected by the students themselves through archival and biographical/experiential research, and ethnographic audiovisual evidence. The teaching approach is based on the “Meddler-in-the-Middle” teaching model, where both teacher and student are considered to be mutually involved in the learning process. The teaching program was found to have a positive effect on the acquisition of a holistic – comprehensive understanding of folk dance, while at the same time helping students understand the close and harmonious connection between folk traditional dance and their natural environment, namely water. The process followed on the basis of the teaching plan raised the students’ awareness, shaping their perceptions of respect for the environment.