From 28 February to 1 March 2026, FICUS ETS took part in the Study Visit of the project Dancing with STEAM, funded by the Erasmus+ KA210 YOUTH programme (Project Number: 2025-1-FR02-KA210-YOU-000349743).
The activity was hosted by CIE ESSEVÈSSE at KLAP Maison pour la Danse and brought together 10 youth workers — 5 from Italy and 5 from France — for an intensive exchange focused on interdisciplinary methodology and embodied experimentation.
Dance as a Tool for Inquiry
At the heart of the experience was dance — not merely as an artistic practice, but as a method of investigation. Movement became the medium through which scientific principles were explored and translated into lived experience.
Gravity, energy and rotation were examined through choreographic tasks; balance and transformation emerged in relational movement processes; regulation and synchrony became visible in collective listening and group dynamics. The body functioned as a laboratory — a space for observation, experimentation and pedagogical reflection.
The Contribution of Theatre
Alongside the choreographic work, theatre played a complementary role in analysing and structuring collective processes. Image-based composition and performative framing supported reflection on social systems, roles and interaction patterns within the group.
Dance led the exploration; theatre sharpened the analysis. Together, they created a coherent framework where STEAM concepts could be embodied, questioned and reinterpreted.
Strengthening Innovation in Youth Work
For FICUS ETS, the Study Visit represented a strategic step in consolidating an integrated STEAM approach within non-formal education. The continuous alternation between embodied practice and reflection ensured that artistic experimentation was translated into transferable tools for youth work.
Marseille marked an important milestone in the European journey of the project — a space where art and science met within a structured, collaborative and forward-looking process.
Dancing with STEAM continues to evolve, fostering interdisciplinary methodologies that make learning experiential, inclusive and transformative.
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