Experiencing Dance: From Student to Dance Artist, Third Edition, is a best-selling high school text for students who have completed an introductory dance course and want to further expand their dance knowledge and skills. Geared toward students in dance II, III, and IV classes, this text places teachers in the role of facilitator and opens a world of creativity and analytical thinking as students explore dance as an art form.

Designed to meet national and state dance education standards, Experiencing Dance offers a complete and flexible dance curriculum that will allow students to understand dance through creation, performance, analysis, and response. Whether as performers, choreographers, or observers, students will cultivate a deeper appreciation of dance as they delve into major topics such as these:

Recognizing movement potential as a dancer
Understanding dance science and its application through studying basic anatomy and injury prevention in dance training
Developing proper warm-ups and cool-downs
Integrating fitness principles and nutrition information into healthy dancing practices
Exploring dance as an art form—the roles of the dancer, the historical and cultural heritage of the dance, and the dance’s connections to community and society
Choreographing dance in a variety of styles and forms and incorporating various production elements for the performance
Preparing for a future as a dancer or choreographer or for a career that is otherwise connected to dance


Experiencing Dance engages students in learning with a mixture of movement and written, oral, and multimedia assignments. Each of the text’s 15 chapters offers at least three lessons, each containing the following sections:

Move It! introduces students to the lesson through a movement experience; the web resource supplements some activities with video examples.
Vocabulary provides definitions of key terms.
Curtain Up offers relevant background information.
Take the Stage presents dance-related assignments for students to produce and share.
Take a Bow gauges students understanding of the assignment.
Spotlight introduces a person, thing, event, or place aligned with the topic.
Did You Know? offers additional information to enhance overall knowledge.

The web resource contains extended learning activities, worksheets, handouts, and additional resources. With tools that fully immerse students in the world of dance, Experiencing Dance is the ideal textbook to help students develop interactive dance portfolios and gain perspective of dance as an art form.

Note: A QR code for accessing the web resource is included with all print books.