From the editor

From where we sit with our close historical associations and common language it might be easy to imagine that dance in Australia would have followed roughly the same trajectory as our own. In the series of articles curated by Kath Papas in this issue, whilst recognising some of our common threads they gives us an insight into how dance in Australia has found its own pathways built on very different histories, landscapes and the cultures of its population. I'm delighted that we can share in some of this practice and its underpinning values and ideas in order that individually and collectively we can reflect on our own.

This issue also adds to the growing evidence base that demonstrates the value of dance in a range of health contexts, dealing specifically with work being developed across the UK with people with Parkinson's Disease and an example of dance being used successfully with people recovering from strokes.

Ken Bartlett, Creative Director, Foundation for Community Dance