Marco Grawunder

Marco Grawunder is a Lecturer at the Institute of Dance and Movement Culture, German Sport University Cologne. His work focuses on arts education, particularly in dance and movement, with an emphasis on personality development, participant empowerment, and teaching skills. He actively bridges artistic practice with social dialogue through research and community projects.

His research examines interpersonal trust as a constitutive element in artistic-educational processes using Movement Theatre methodology. Key interests include how improvisation fosters collaborative learning environments and the role of physicality in democratic education. Projects like Act 4 Democracy and Listen to Gym demonstrate practical applications of his theoretical work in social integration and language acquisition contexts.

Recent publications (2021-2024) reveal consistent focus on dance pedagogy's evolving methodologies, particularly addressing challenges in virtual teaching environments and group improvisation dynamics. His work consistently connects movement-based practices with broader educational frameworks and social cohesion objectives.

Scientific recognition includes:

• Three consecutive DSHS Cologne Teaching Awards for Practical Courses (2015, 2018, 2022)
• Brühl City's Sportlerehreplakette honor (2021)

Research funding supports significant initiatives:

• Act 4 Democracy (2024-present): Democracy education through movement-based formats
• Listen to Gym (2015-present): Second language acquisition via embodied learning
• Interpersonelles Vertrauen (2020-present): Trust dynamics in Movement Theatre pedagogy

Grawunder collaborates extensively within the Institute of Dance and Movement Culture, notably with Christian Büning and Claudia Steinberg. He co-organizes annual events including ITB tanzt performances and Fachtag Tanz in der Kindheit conferences, maintaining active connections between academic research and public artistic engagement.