Abstract

Drawing inspiration from the controversial U.S. legislative policy No Child Left Behind, this article seeks to raise questions about how we may perceive ourselves as dancers, especially within systems of hierarchical thinking, how such perceptions impact what we believe is possible in and through dance, and how we have responsibility for shaping a “dance world.” By examining ways in which a survival of the fittest mentality may lock us into patterns of separation, hierarchical structures, and resistance in both perception and action, our pedagogical practices offer the potential to not only make dancers aware of these systems existing in the field, but also empower dancers to change such dynamics in the larger world.