Danças regionais brasileiras nos anos finais do ensino fundamental: análise de uma proposta de ensino em uma disciplina eletiva

Abstract

Addressing Brazilian regional dance in the school context is a journey that goes beyond bodily movements; it’s an immersion into the historical, geographical, and cultural riches that each region of Brazil carries. My experiences in organizing June festivals, Brazilian regional festivals, and sign language-musical theater have reinforced convictions about the importance of working with dance in the school environment. Imagine taking students on a journey through the rhythms, customs, attire, and flavors that are part of our country, all through dance... This integration has the potential not only to enhance the educational experience but also to promote the appreciation of our cultural roots. Thus, the objective of the research was to develop and analyze a didactic sequence of 18 classes on Brazilian regional dances, inserted in an elective discipline for the final years of elementary school. For this, a Pedagogical Intervention was used, involving 37 students enrolled in the elective discipline “Dance Brazil” at a State School in the interior of São Paulo State. Data collection included records of established dialogues and the description of the entire didactic sequence in a logbook. For data analysis, the development of coding categories was used, culminating in the following categories: A) Organizational and Pedagogical Factors of Teaching Practice; B) Interest in the Elective; C) Cultural Aspects of Dance; D) Attitudinal Aspects in Dance; E) Ludic Aspects in Dance; F) Protagonism of Participants; G) Learnings Provided by the Elective. The results revealed that dance can be a link between culture and education, providing a broader understanding of our cultural roots. Despite the challenges faced, such as the lack of interdisciplinarity in curricula and resistance to dance as legitimate school content, students experienced significant development, as they not only gained confidence in themselves but also learned to respect each other, work in teams, and explore different styles of dance and cultural manifestations. Dance practice also stimulated students’ protagonism, enabling them to take on responsibilities and contribute to the construction of more conscious, creative, and engaged actions. Moreover, the study of dance promoted an interconnection of content from different areas of knowledge, such as history, geography, music, and anthropology, further enhancing students’ educational experience.