This doctoral research investigates the pedagogical potential of dance improvisation, understood as an educational paradigm and a tool for developing soft skills (or transversal competences) within contemporary formative processes. The methodological framework is grounded in a precise epistemological choice of embodied research: the study constantly dwells in the negotiation space between theory and practice, moving from the synergistic tension of three roles simultaneously inhabited by the researcher, namely artist, teacher, and researcher. The theoretical framework is organized into two interconnected macro-areas. The first part outlines a plural and inclusive genealogy of dance improvisation by drawing on US-based Critical Dance Studies—with particular reference to scholars Ann Cooper Albright, Melinda Buckwalter, Danielle Goldman, and Susan Leigh Foster—integrating key figures (Rudolf Laban, Anna Halprin, Judson Dance Theatre, Steve Paxton) with historically overshadowed and marginalized voices (the artistic duo Judith Dunn and Bill Dixon, Dianne McIntyre, Susan Sgorbati, Bill T. Jones), while also highlighting the contribution of non-European traditions in defining improvisation as a performative art form. This historical-critical reconstruction is coupled with an analysis of the twentieth-century corporeal turn, looking at philosophical currents (Nietzsche, Merleau-Ponty) and scientific paradigms (embodied cognition), further exploring the educational implications of Ivano Gamelli’s Pedagogia del Corpo (Body Pedagogy) and the somatic approach of Body-Mind Centering. The second part places these reflections within the Italian pedagogical tradition (from Dewey and Montessori to Malaguzzi, Munari, and Manzi) and explores the community dance movement as a plural, transformative, and accessible dance practice, documenting a first-hand experience conducted in November 2025 at the Potenza Prison (Casa Circondariale di Potenza). Furthermore, it traces the institutional and regulatory mapping of transversal competences (or soft skills) within the Italian school system, examining European and national documents up to Law no. 22 of February 19, 2025. The empirical and applied core of the thesis analyzes a twenty-hour curricular laboratory conducted during the 2023/2024 academic year at two dance high schools (licei coreutici) in the province of Salerno, involving fifty-six students. The data, collected and analyzed through a manual qualitative triangulation (comprising questionnaires, logbooks, verbal feedback, and audiovisual materials), confirm the effectiveness of this experiential and embodied approach: 92.9% of the participants expressed a positive impression of the laboratory, 78.5% reported an increase in the awareness of their transversal competences, and 75% recognize the transferability of the skills activated to face future challenging situations. The study concludes by putting forward the theoretical-didactic proposal of the teacher-improviser. By integrating Keith R. Sawyer’s concepts of "improvising teaching" and Laura Corbella’s "jazz competence", the research outlines a pedagogical posture founded on bodily presence, co-design, and the teacher’s ability to inhabit uncertainty and unpredictability within the educational setting, transforming them into generative resources.
La presente ricerca dottorale indaga il potenziale pedagogico della dance improvisation intesa come paradigma educativo e strumento per lo sviluppo delle soft skills (o competenze trasversali) nei processi formativi contemporanei. L’impianto metodologico si fonda su una precisa scelta epistemologica di ricerca incarnata (embodied research): lo studio abita costantemente lo spazio di negoziazione tra teoria e pratica, muovendo dalla tensione sinergica di tre ruoli simultaneamente ricoperti dalla ricercatrice, ovvero artista, insegnante e ricercatrice. Il quadro teorico si articola in due macro-aree interconnesse. La prima parte delinea una genealogia plurale e inclusiva della dance improvisation attingendo ai Critical Dance Studies di matrice statunitense – con particolare riferimento alle studiose Ann Cooper Albright, Melinda Buckwalter, Danielle Goldman e Susan Leigh Foster – integrando a figure chiave (Rudolf Laban, Anna Halprin, Judson Dance Theatre, Steve Paxton), figure storicamente oscurate e marginalizzate (il duo artistico Judith Dunn e Bill Dixon, Dianne McIntyre, Susan Sgorbati, Bill T. Jones), valorizzando inoltre il contributo delle tradizioni extraeuropee nella definizione dell'improvvisazione come forma d'arte performativa. A questa ricostruzione storico-critica si affianca l'analisi del corporeal turn novecentesco volgendo lo sguardo a correnti filosofiche (Nietsche, Merleau-Ponty) e scientifiche (embodied cognition), approfondendo le implicazioni educative della Pedagogia del Corpo di Ivano Gamelli e dell'approccio somatico del Body-Mind Centering. La seconda parte inserisce tali riflessioni all'interno della tradizione pedagogica italiana (da Dewey e Montessori fino a Malaguzzi, Munari e Manzi) ed esplora il movimento della community dance come pratica di danza plurale, trasformativa e accessibile a tutti e tutte, documentando un'esperienza diretta condotta nel novembre 2025 presso la Casa Circondariale di Potenza. Viene inoltre tracciata la mappatura istituzionale e normativa delle competenze trasversali (o soft skills) all'interno del sistema scolastico italiano, esaminando i documenti europei e nazionali fino alla Legge n. 22 del 19 febbraio 2025. Il nucleo empirico e applicativo della tesi analizza un laboratorio curricolare di venti ore condotto nell'anno scolastico 2023/2024 presso due licei coreutici della provincia di Salerno, che ha coinvolto cinquantasei studenti e studentesse. I dati, raccolti ed esaminati tramite una triangolazione qualitativa manuale (comprendente questionari, diari di bordo, feedback verbali e materiali audiovisivi), confermano l'efficacia dell'approccio esperienziale ed embodied: il 92,9% dei partecipanti ha espresso un'impressione positiva del laboratorio, il 78,5% ha riscontrato un incremento nella consapevolezza delle proprie competenze trasversali e il 75% riconosce la trasferibilità delle abilità attivate per affrontare futuri contesti di difficoltà. Lo studio si conclude avanzando la proposta teorico-didattica dell'insegnante-improviser. Integrando i concetti di "improvvisare insegnando" di Keith R. Sawyer e di "competenza jazz" di Laura Corbella, viene delineata una postura pedagogica fondata sulla presenza corporea, sulla co-progettazione e sulla capacità del docente di abitare l'incertezza e l'imprevedibilità del contesto educativo trasformandole in risorse generative.
Vitolo, R. (2026). Improving Soft Skills Through Dance Improvisation: Il corpo e le pratiche di improvvisazione della danza nei processi educativi del XXI secolo.
Improving Soft Skills Through Dance Improvisation: Il corpo e le pratiche di improvvisazione della danza nei processi educativi del XXI secolo
Rosaria Vitolo
2026-06-17
Abstract
This doctoral research investigates the pedagogical potential of dance improvisation, understood as an educational paradigm and a tool for developing soft skills (or transversal competences) within contemporary formative processes. The methodological framework is grounded in a precise epistemological choice of embodied research: the study constantly dwells in the negotiation space between theory and practice, moving from the synergistic tension of three roles simultaneously inhabited by the researcher, namely artist, teacher, and researcher. The theoretical framework is organized into two interconnected macro-areas. The first part outlines a plural and inclusive genealogy of dance improvisation by drawing on US-based Critical Dance Studies—with particular reference to scholars Ann Cooper Albright, Melinda Buckwalter, Danielle Goldman, and Susan Leigh Foster—integrating key figures (Rudolf Laban, Anna Halprin, Judson Dance Theatre, Steve Paxton) with historically overshadowed and marginalized voices (the artistic duo Judith Dunn and Bill Dixon, Dianne McIntyre, Susan Sgorbati, Bill T. Jones), while also highlighting the contribution of non-European traditions in defining improvisation as a performative art form. This historical-critical reconstruction is coupled with an analysis of the twentieth-century corporeal turn, looking at philosophical currents (Nietzsche, Merleau-Ponty) and scientific paradigms (embodied cognition), further exploring the educational implications of Ivano Gamelli’s Pedagogia del Corpo (Body Pedagogy) and the somatic approach of Body-Mind Centering. The second part places these reflections within the Italian pedagogical tradition (from Dewey and Montessori to Malaguzzi, Munari, and Manzi) and explores the community dance movement as a plural, transformative, and accessible dance practice, documenting a first-hand experience conducted in November 2025 at the Potenza Prison (Casa Circondariale di Potenza). Furthermore, it traces the institutional and regulatory mapping of transversal competences (or soft skills) within the Italian school system, examining European and national documents up to Law no. 22 of February 19, 2025. The empirical and applied core of the thesis analyzes a twenty-hour curricular laboratory conducted during the 2023/2024 academic year at two dance high schools (licei coreutici) in the province of Salerno, involving fifty-six students. The data, collected and analyzed through a manual qualitative triangulation (comprising questionnaires, logbooks, verbal feedback, and audiovisual materials), confirm the effectiveness of this experiential and embodied approach: 92.9% of the participants expressed a positive impression of the laboratory, 78.5% reported an increase in the awareness of their transversal competences, and 75% recognize the transferability of the skills activated to face future challenging situations. The study concludes by putting forward the theoretical-didactic proposal of the teacher-improviser. By integrating Keith R. Sawyer’s concepts of "improvising teaching" and Laura Corbella’s "jazz competence", the research outlines a pedagogical posture founded on bodily presence, co-design, and the teacher’s ability to inhabit uncertainty and unpredictability within the educational setting, transforming them into generative resources.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
