The aim of this research was not to examine or to test students’ abilities and skills, but to take a ‘holistic’ view of dance as an aesthetic, artistic, cultural and educational phenomenon that can reinforce human development and understanding. The approach focused on students’ perceptions and experiences. It is premised on a belief in the value of dance as a discipline in its own right, worthy of a place at the highest levels of education and across national borders and certainly in terms of equity across the European Union. Exploring experiences from dance students provides one way in which to explore similarities and differences in order to gain new insights into dance education