Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
How do we make dance work?
The Thinking Dance symposium, supported by Yorkshire Dance and the Riley Theatre at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, will take place at the University’s Headingley Campus on 16 to 17 October from 9am-5.30pm.
Through a combination of presentations, performative papers, lecture demonstrations and panel discussions, the symposium will see revered academics at the cutting edge of contemporary dance practice explore the ways in which perceived boundaries between dance-making processes and performance are now blurred, and how this impacts on the way in which we navigate contemporary dance practice in the 21st century.
Dr Laura Griffiths, Senior Lecturer in Performing Arts at Leeds Beckett, explained: “Following the success of last year’s Dance Symposium, we are excited to further embed ourselves in the cultural landscape of Leeds, Yorkshire and beyond, by inviting scholars, practitioners and postgraduate students to discuss current cultural trends and practices in contemporary dance and choreography for the 21st century.
“With a focus upon notions of process and product in dance making and performance, a range of speakers will engage in discussions around topics such annotation, participation, marketing, dramaturgy, masculinity and many others, embracing and encouraging debates around international and industry informed dance research and practice.”
The event will include keynote presentations from Professor Susan Melrose, Professor in Performance Arts at Middlesex University and Dr Simon Ellis, Dancer, Choreographer and Lecturer in Choreography, Practice as Research and Dance-Tech at Roehampton Dance in London. Guest speakers from across a wide-range of higher education institutions will also bring diverse perspectives to the central theme across the two days.
Dr Ellis said: “I'm fascinated by the ways in which dance professionals and academics might understand and challenge the nature of choreographic practice and thinking. The potential for conversations between scholars and artists is vital and the Thinking Dance Symposium will act as a key opportunity for these to occur.
“My contribution to the symposium is a reflection on my experience of dramaturgy in contemporary performance making, and specifically in relation to the choreographic work of Igor Urzelai and Moreno Solinas.”
Included in the price of the ticket will be an exclusive performance of ‘A Room For All Our Tomorrows’ by internationally-renowned artists Igor and Moreno at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance on 16 October at 7.30pm. In their first full-length work made in collaboration with award-winning Irish choreographer and performer, Aoife McAtamney, Igor and Moreno explore the secret lives we all possess when we are close to others.
Full details of the symposium can be found at https://www.facebook.com/Thinking-Dance or for regular updates follow @QtheContemp on Twitter.