The Tarantella dance is an art form that was traditionally performed as a healing ritual for spider bites and is also seen as a symbol of liberation. In the play A Doll’s House, Nora, the protagonist, performs the Tarantella dance towards the end of the play, symbolizing her cathartic moment, healing from ignorance, and liberation from socially imposed constraints. As part of the IB DP Year 2 syllabus, DP2 students performed this dance during the English Week celebrations and communicated their reflections. They were able to understand the healing experience of the fast-paced dance and reflected on its contextual importance, empathized with the protagonist, and appreciated her actions. This activity enabled the students to become caring, as they were able to understand and empathize with the protagonist; reflective, as they compared different contexts; and creative, as they modified the dance form according to their needs and physical abilities. While this activity allowed the students to explore the transformative, adaptive and communicative aspects of the play, it also enabled them to experience how personal and shared knowledge interact, and how knowledge can be constructed and transformed through embodied knowing and affective engagement with the text.
