Exploring core practices for dance educators: towards a practice-based pedagogy in Korean dance education

Background Traditional Korean dance education has long relied on a master–apprentice model centered on tacit knowledge. As global physical education (PE) curricula increasingly prioritize ‘pedagogies of embodiment’, emphasizing sensory awareness and relational attunement, there is a critical need for systematic frameworks that translate specialized dance expertise into transferable pedagogical tools.Purpose This study aimed to identify and categorize the core practices used by Korean dance educators to develop a practice-based pedagogical typology designed to inform expressive movement teaching in PE and Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE).Methods A collective case study design was employed involving 12 experienced educators and 6 adult practitioners. Data were collected through surveys, a 28-item core practice checklist, and semi-structured interviews. Analysis was guided by Heimann's Didaktik Triangle, focusing on the relational dynamics between teacher, learner, and content.Results Fifteen core practices of Korean dance (CP-KDs) were identified and categorized into three pedagogical types: Transmission, Facilitation, and Co-construction. This typology represents a non-linear continuum where educators fluidly transition between modes to scaffold embodied learning, providing a sophisticated alternative to purely directive pedagogical models.Conclusions The findings provide a systematic framework that makes the ephemeral nature of dance pedagogy observable and repeatable. This study offers a practical bridge between dance pedagogy and contemporary PE, supporting the professional judgment of educators by operationalizing ‘embodied’ theories into teachable, concrete actions.