Creativity in Higher Education Contemporary Dance: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Creativity is an inherent element of contemporary dance and is frequently cited as a key pedagogical objective of higher education dance training. Nevertheless, there is little writing about the means by which dance teachers understand, recognize, and subsequently assess creativity at the higher education level. We undertook semistructured interviews with five creative practice teaching staff within a leading vocational higher education institution for contemporary dance. Participants predominantly emphasized creativity as the presence of originality, with a lesser discussion of usefulness. They understood creativity as evident in the process more so than the product but recognized the role of the product in shaping a creative career. They also identified creativity as more likely in students who are confident, open, and intelligent. The results offer an insight into the specificity of creativity in contemporary dance and raise awareness of the complexity surrounding creativity as a pedagogical objective in higher education contemporary dance.