Dance pedagogy (DP), as a learner-centered approach, offers adults opportunities to engage with social aesthetics—how individuals perceive and interpret aesthetic experiences in social contexts (Berleant, 2023). These experiences include emotional, empathetic, and physical connections in communal settings, often manifesting in mutual awareness, rhythm, and resonance.
Drawing on frameworks in dance pedagogy (Mainwaring et al., 2010; Williams, 2013; Serrano & Martínez, 2017), social aesthetics (Berleant, 2023; McMahon, 2020; Cross, 2023; Nielsen, 2001; Martin & Merriman, 2015), and adult education (Knowles, 1980; Boateng, 2022; Weinberg, 1999), this pilot study examines how DP impacts adults’ social aesthetic perception and cognitive flexibility. The Social Aesthetics Perception Scale (SAPS) assesses emotional resonance, social connection, cognitive engagement, and bodily awareness. Items adapted from the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory address flexibility in embracing novelty, managing ambiguity, and adapting through embodied learning.
Thirty adults with no prior dance training participated in six months of improvisation, rhythm work, and choreography. A mixed-methods design combined SAPS data with interviews.
Findings suggest DP enhances adaptation to social-aesthetic experiences. SAPS scores rose moderately, especially in emotional attunement and connectedness (α = 0.76–0.84). Interviews confirmed sensitivity to body language, empathy, and collective movement, with participants reporting decision-making adaptability.
This pilot supports SAPS validity and highlights DP’s potential to foster social connection, communication, and cooperation.

Authors:
Aidai Salmorbekova, University of Pecs, Hungary

About the Presenter(s)
Aidai Salmorbekova is a lecturer and PhD candidate at the University of Pécs. Her research focuses on adult education, social aesthetics, and cognitive flexibility. She is currently developing a social aesthetic perception scale for adult learners.

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