The Practitioner's Essential Guide to Teaching Seated Dance Across the Lifespan

Take Your Seat!

Samantha Jennings

• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• Year: 2025
• eBook ISBN: 9781040333334
• Edition: 0
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Dance

This book is a seminal seated dance guidebook for global dance and health practitioners. Seated dance is an inclusive and diverse form of physical activity, suitable for all, regardless of age or disability.

The book offers valid advice, inspiration and a wide range of tried and tested teaching and learning approaches to help practitioners succeed in the seated dance classroom, covering all ages and settings. This book introduces a potted historical journey of seated dance and subsequently guides the professional practitioner through the critical stages of setting up professional, safe and creative seated dance sessions. Research and evidence are gathered 'in and on practice' through the author's dedicated dance career and teaching reflections as a Royal Academician of Dance (RAD) teacher and are underpinned by a theoretical background in mental health and wellbeing in education. It contains contributions by valued peers and professionals and extracts from research theorists in the field. 'Take Your Seat' is a career professional development Group-approved text (CPD) enabling the reader to claim personal and professional development points. The author places the art of seated dance at the centre of dance education, making it inclusive, diverse, accessible and justifiable in today's various dance arts and health settings.

This book integrates the author's extensive experience in dance, contemporary mental health and wellbeing research and insights from esteemed peers. It empowers practitioners to embrace diverse perspectives, fostering an inclusive and forward-thinking dance environment.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Endorsement Page
• Half Title page
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Exercise Disclaimer
• Information Disclaimer
• Foreword
• Preface
• About the Author
• About the Contributors
• Acknowledgements
• 1 Seated Dance Unveiled: A Rich History and Essential Background
• 2 The Three P’s of Seated Dance – People, Place and Posture
• 3 Mastering Seated Dance: The Art of Great Teaching
• 4 Structuring Your Seated Dance Class (Part 1)
• 5 Structuring Your Seated Dance Class (Part 2) – Introducing “AMBLE”
• 6 Harmonies of Movement: The Vital Role of Music in Seated Dance
• 7 Props That Pop: Elevate Your Seated Dance Class
• 8 Dance in Mind: Mental Health Awareness in Seated Dance
• 9 Flourish! Optimum Wellbeing in the Seated Dance Classroom
• 10 Harmony in Motion: Engagement, Flow and Relationships
• 11 Unlocking Optimum Wellbeing: Exploring Meaning and Accomplishment in Seated Dance
• 12 A Lesson Plan Exampling Mindfulness Practice with an Ocean Theme
• 13 Unleashing Imagination: Fostering Creativity in Seated Dance
• 14 Refining Your Craft: Evaluation and Feedback in Seated Dance Classes
• 15 Professional Excellence in Seated Dance Instruction
• 16 Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the Seated Dance Classroom
• 17 Embracing the Digital Dance Floor – Navigating Seated Dance in hybrid times
• 18 Unlocking the Rhythm: Overcoming Barriers to Seated Dance
• 19 Seated Dance: Research and Innovation
• Appendix A Educational theories and Evaluation Models
• Appendix B Seated Dance Teacher’s Lesson Template
• Appendix C Sample Lesson Plan – theme of Swan Lake
• Appendix D Sample Lesson Plan – Halloween
• Appendix E Risk Assessment Form for Seated Dance
• Appendix F Seated Dance Practitioner Evaluation Form
• Teachers’ Resources
• Career Professional Development – Seated Dance
• Index