Appraising the role of the dance ensemble of the University of Luxembourg for developing interpersonal and intercultural skills

Changing patterns of global migration and new social configurations are challenging social cohesion in many places. In higher education, this situation has given new urgency to the question of how to deal productively and creatively with the dynamics of cultural diversity. Of all activities that have the potential to promote competencies increasingly relevant in our interconnected world, participation in artistic and cultural activities is said to be particularly effective. The role of the arts and culture in mainstream higher education settings is, however, largely unexplored. This study thus wishes to expand current research by employing the dance ensemble “DanceCluster” of the University of Luxembourg as case study. Situational ethnographic observations and a content analysis of five semi-structured interviews, conducted with current and former members of the DanceCluster and the coordinator of the university’s cultural office, highlight that: (a) practical aspects of the DanceCluster are crucially important for the individual’s acceptance of the offer; (b) the DanceCluster clearly offers opportunities for its members to come peacefully together, foster openness to difference and develop social bonds; (c) open-mindedness towards and tolerance for difference is a precondition rather than a mere consequence of participation in the dance group; (d) active and sustained involvement in the DanceCluster offers benefits that may have repercussions on the wider environment. While the study offers only a snapshot of the many ways cultural ensembles, and the DanceCluster in particular, influence the private and, presumably, the public sphere, it provides a first step towards evaluating the role of university ensembles in the context of higher education’s challenge to bring forward individual and societal development.