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Occurring widely at local levels, dance is a potential asset for the peacebuilding field especially as related to positive peace. The construct of positive peace is concerned with much more than the absence of war or direct violence, encompassing quality of life as a whole. Using an artistic and qualitative methodology, the authors discuss the politics of incorporating dance in peacebuilding programs as connected to quality of life. This chapter builds its case in two main ways: first, by identifying and mapping out some key ways dance is deployed in peacebuilding contexts; and second, by more deeply exploring an empirical case focusing on the dance experiences of peacebuilders in the southern Philippines. By engaging in a discourse from both international relations and dance studies, the authors seek to bring further light to the role of dance in peacebuilding. We propose that the personal, relational, and educational benefits participants described from involvement in creative dance and movement workshops show the intersections between processes of building positive peace and quality of life.

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