Dance as a Method for Improving Social Integration

Abstract

This study examines the effects of Balinese dance as a method for improving social integration in diverse communities. Taking a socio-cultural perspective, the study investigates different dance events which took place in Tainan City in Taiwan over the past five years. This study will demonstrate the invisible power of dance in building mutual understanding between the participants, which include university dance majors, community children and community adults, in three different educational settings. The results of the study suggest that applying dance as the method for the study of social issues encourages meaningful discussions and builds useful integration practices. In order to elaborate details of the new practices, I have also applied participant observation and semi-structured interviews for my research. The achievements demonstrate that dance is an efficient method that mediates the relationship between the new immigrants and the local communities.