Joyful, Expressive, Intentional: Reimagining Dance as a Pathway to Meaning, Connection and Well-Being

What if dance wasn’t about getting the steps right -- but about feeling, expressing, and connecting? In this session, we’ll reimagine dance as a powerful space for joy, self-expression, and well-being, rather than performance or perfection. Blending the Meaningful Physical Education (MPE) framework with Teaching Dance for Understanding, we’ll explore how to create inclusive, emotionally rich movement experiences that prioritize connection, play, and presence. By taking the “rules” away from dance and expanding how we define success, we can design environments where students experience dance as meaningful -- whether through shared rhythms, expressive movement, or creative exploration. Come ready to move, reflect, and leave with ideas to transform dance from a scripted routine into a liberating, community-building practice.