Dance education in colleges and universities is a key field for cultivating professional dance talents. Students’ artistic expressiveness, as the core soul of dance art, directly determines their stage presentation effect and professional development potential. At present, in the stage of cultivating expressiveness in dance education in colleges and universities, there are problems such as weak cultural cognition, insufficient coordination between body and mind, single practical scenarios, and rigid evaluation standards. As a result, although students have a technical foundation, they find it difficult to convey emotions and the connotations of works through their bodies. Based on this article, the cultivation paths for improving students’ expressiveness in dance education in colleges and universities are mainly proposed, aiming to provide a reference for relevant educators.