Experiments in Interdisciplinary Arts Research and Education

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This research group, led by Professor Sue Miller (music) and Dr Sarah Bowen (film/animation), began informally in 2021 and later became a research cluster Musical Synchronicities, now renamed Experiments in Interdisciplinary Arts Research and Education to reflect the scope of the group. It explores the relationships between music and movement in dance, animation, experimental film, and creative technologies within an interdisciplinary arts framework.

The aim of the cluster is to foster collaborations within Leeds School of Arts, produce high quality publications in written and multimedia form for the next REF and beyond, and develop an international network of academics interested in these research areas.

The core members of the cluster are listed below and a wider international network of practitioners, scholar-practitioners and interdisciplinary arts academics is gradually developing as we grow in terms of publication, impact, engagement and dissemination of our work.

Core members

Professor Sue Miller

Music and lead
Dr Sarah Bowen

Experimental film and animation, co-lead
Ashley Dean

Creative digital technologies and animation (performance related)

Core members

Professor Sue Miller

Music and lead
Dr Sarah Bowen

Experimental film and animation, co-lead
Ashley Dean

Creative digital technologies and animation (performance related)
Tim Blackwell

Broadcast media, interdisciplinary arts education, video making
Shambik Ghose

PhD student, professional dancer, choreographer
Mitul Sengupta

Dancer and choreographer

Animators: Ged Haney, Elroy Simmons, Guillermo Davis (also a dancer), Robert Poller
Independent scholar: Dr Will Barker (creative technology and audio engineering applied to the arts)

Activities and Publications

April 2022:

Miller, S, Guillermo Davis and Sarah Louisa Bowen. A Musico-Choreographic Analysis of a Cuban Dance Routine - A Performance-Informed Approach in Ethnomusicology Forum - a special issue on practice research 2021 and Vol 31/1, 2022. DOI: 10.1080/17411912.2021.1978305

Abstract: McKerrell, in 'Towards Practice Research in Ethnomusicology', advocates for performance to be used as 'a central methodology', as a 'translation of artistic performance aesthetics' and as a 'research outcome sited in original performance'. The translational role for performance is demonstrated in this article through a practice-led investigation into the dynamic relationship between improvised music and dance. The research is based on the analysis of a live performance on Cuban television of 'Los Problemas de Atilana' by Orquesta Aragón in the early 1960s, where musical gestures are shown to be embodied in the flute and dance solo 'duet' performed by Cuban flautist Richard Egües and dancer Rafael Bacallao, revealing the shared memories of a community bound by common cultural experience. Interdisciplinary in nature, analysis is undertaken by a musician-scholar, a film scholar-practitioner and a professional Cuban dancer-animator in order to unearth details of this embodied repertoire, thus translating and making overt culturally implicit knowledge for those outside of the artistic community of practice, and, in some cases, within it. Through re-performance and re-presentation in the form of a recording and animations, the many meanings embodied in the original performance are examined through analytical text, musical notation, visuals, recordings and animation film.

July 2023:

'Los Problemas de Atilana': animation by Elroy Simmons to Sue Miller’s flute solo illustrating research by Guillermo 'El Iyawo' Davis, Dr Sarah Bowen (Northern Film School) and Sue Miller.

March 2023:

'Hermoso Ernesto': animation by Ashley Dean to music by Sue Miller and her Charanga del Norte.

July 2022:

'Los Problemas de Atilana': animation by Ged Haney to Sue Miller's flute solo illustrating research by Guillermo 'El Iyawo' Davis, Dr Sarah Bowen (Northern Film School) and Sue Miller.

Animation screenings (engagement and impact)

26-27 June 2025: University of Surrey, Guildford: Panel presentation at the conference Broadening music performance: New approaches and possibilities for higher music education. Conference Organisers: Dr Georgia Volioti (University of Surrey) and Prof. Sue Miller (Leeds Beckett University). Panel: Prof. Sue Miller, Dr Shambik Ghose, Ashley Dean and Dr Sarah Bowen
29 March 2023: Leeds School of Arts Theatre Charanga del Norte performance
2022: Conference panel presentation for the Royal Musical Association annual conference at Durham University: Musical Gesture - an interdisciplinary exploration of synchronicities in music, dance, animation film, sound and creative digital technologies. Panel: Prof. Sue Miller, Dr Will Barker, Ashley Dean and Dr Sarah Bowen
5 May 2019: Hyde Park Cinema: Screenings of Cuban dancer and animator Guillermo Davis' animations with Charanga del Norte performance: Hyde Park Picture House, Leeds

Performance at Yorkshire Dance

14 November 2025: Shattered Silence - A Rhythmosaic Performance. Choreography by Shambik Ghose, Dance by Mithul Gupta and Projections by Ashley Dean.

Cluster activities 2026

The first set by Sue Miller and her Charanga del Norte is from their new album Havanaise inspired by the Latin music of Serge Gainsbourg (it also draws on Sue's research on Gainsbourg and Cuban music in Paris) and the second set features new original material and Cuban charanga classics from Havana and New York. The music performance features work by cluster members Ashley Dean (live projection/animation), Tim Blackwell (film short based on his live music filming experience and research) and Cuban dancer turned animator Guillermo Davis (animation screening).

We are collaborating with Leeds International Piano Competition (Creative Learning and Engagement), to produce an educational animation film resource, based on their successful live-performance schools projects. Working with their scriptwriter, the research cluster consults with the Leeds International Piano Competition Creative Learning and Engagement team, to provide an animation and advise on interactivity and musical-gesture. Dr Sarah Bowen is project lead and works with Shambik Ghose as dance consultant, Ashley Dean as animation and creative tech consultant and Prof. Sue Miller as music consultant. This has also involved a professional animator Robert Poller as part of the pre-production work.

Working with insights generated from our published research, this project adapts Leeds International Piano Competition's successful schools educational project to a digital platform with international outreach. The research cluster applies the notion of musical synchronicities and gestures, to simultaneously produce an educational resource for young children internationally and also to investigate the potential impact of our published research on musical gesture to date. Funding from the Research Cluster has supported the pre-production phase in which drawings and animatics have been produced.

Professor Sue Miller

Professor / Leeds School of Arts

Professor Sue Miller is a leading scholar in Cuban and Latin music studies, performance practice, improvisation and music analysis. She is Course Leader for the MA in Popular Music and Culture and teaches on the BA Performance and Production course.

Email Professor Sue Miller

01138121840

Dr Sarah Bowen

Senior Lecturer / Leeds School of Arts

Dr Sarah Louisa Bowen is Head of Animation at the Northern Film School, teaching Animation, Experimental Film, research-based filmmaking practices and Moving Image Theory.

Email Dr Sarah Bowen