Cover image, and above: Team Projonmo from Bangladesh performing ‘Fireflies’, choreographed by Md Hanif, at Chayanaut Cultural Center in Dhaka. Photo: Yeamin Muzumde
Back issues of Channels can be downloaded from here. The archive of Channels dating back to 1996 is available from the Ausdance website.
Dance as practise is offered in degree or diploma courses in some undergraduate and graduate institutions in South Asian countries. In comparison, Dance Studies is not a commonly offered subject at all. Today three young faculty from different institutions in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and India discuss the scope, possibilities and challenges the subject faces as funds for arts education lessen all over the world, while the interest to continue dance education beyond practice increases within the performing arts ecology in South Asia.
The session is moderated by Urmimala Sarkar Munsi and promises to present a frank discussion between the three young people who navigate the terrain as faculty/ practitioners/ researchers of performing arts.
Participation is free. Only registered participants will receive the link to the Zoom discussion.
Moderator: Prof. Urmimala Sarkar Munsi Facilitated by: Bilqis Hijjas. Organiser: World Dance Alliance Asia Pacific.
Date: Thursday 27 June Time: 12:00 IST Find your time zone here Platform: Zoom Length of session: 90 minutes max
About the Speakers
Chamanee Darshika is a theatre practitioner, critic, and academic working at the intersections of Acting and Performance Studies. In 2023, she completed her postgraduate studies at the School of Arts and Aesthetics, JNU (India). She is currently reading for her MPhil degree on “Gendering Nurti and Sinhala Nationalism: The Emergence of Female Actors in the Early Modern Sinhala Theatre” at the University of the Visual and Performing Arts (Sri Lanka). She has also followed Kandyan dance, one of the local dance practices. She is a permanent faculty member in the Faculty of Dance and Drama at UVPA, and teaches Acting and Performance Studies-related courses. She is also a visiting lecturer at the Uva Wellassa University (Sri Lanka) and was a temporary assistant lecturer at the University of Kelaniya (Sri Lanka) in Drama and Theatre.
In her practice-based research, Chamanee explores the ways in which the actor’s body can be unlearned, and ways to reconnect with Indigenous practices and rituals in South Asian Cultures. Her research examines the relationship between personal and historical power relations to contextualize the historical construction of the gendered body and its performative elements. She was the curator of Movement Rhizome Atelier, and one of the panelists at the International Conference on Dance Studies, at the University of Peradeniya (Sri Lanka).
Zuairiyah Mouli has been pursuing dance for the last 18 years. In 2019, as an ICCR Scholar, she has completed her Masters in Performing Arts (Bharatnatyam) with Distinction from Bangalore University and completed her Diploma with Distinction from West Bengal Dance Group Federation’s Diploma, winning the gold medal. She has performed at prestigious dance venues in India, Bangladesh, Russia, France, USA and has been bestowed with Girnar Ratna and NatyaKalamani titles in 2019 from India. Her choreographed short productions “Endless Journey” and “Ardhanarishwara” were selected for the World Dance Alliance Global Summit 2017 and 2019. She has had the privilege to work in productions under internationally acclaimed choreographers Akram Khan (UK), Donald Byrd (USA), Kathleen Weitz (USA), and Urmimala Sarker (India). Currently, she is working as an Assistant Director (Program Production, Dance) at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. She has also worked as a part time lecturer in the Department of Dance, University of Dhaka and Tagore University of Creative Arts.
Currently an Assistant Professor of Performance at the Department of Arts, Media and Performance, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence, Delhi-NCR, Amritha Shruthi is a trained dancer-performer closely mentored by dancer Geeta Chandran, and is an empanelled ICCR solo artist and a graded artist by the Doordarshan. Amritha submitted her PhD thesis at the School of Arts and Aesthetics, JNU, wherein she maps the historical effectiveness of performance festivals in India – with specific reference to dance in an attempt to locate alternate approaches to analyse dance history and performance-making. Amritha has extensively worked in K-12 schools across India as an Art Integrated Learning consultant, and closely trains teachers to develop new methodologies to teach and engage with art and concepts in the classroom.
Moderator
Urmimala Sarkar Munsi is the current President of World Dance Alliance Asia Pacific. She is a Professor and Dean of at the School of Arts and Aesthetics in Jawaharlal Nehru University, India. She is a social anthropologist / performance studies scholar and a trained dancer- choreographer, with research in socio-political assertions of identity through cultural practices.
Asia-Pacific Dance Dialogues explore current issues and viewpoints in dance around the region and the world, with invited dancers, choreographers, scholars and other dance practitioners. This monthly online series is hosted by World Dance Alliance chapters from the Asia-Pacific region, and reflects on topics in education and training, research and documentation, creation and presentation, and support and development.
Join us with your questions, share your unique perspectives, and strengthen your professional networks, as together we gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for dance in our world.
In 2024, these sessions are free and open to all; registration is required.
Journal of Emerging Dance Scholarship (JEDS) calls for submissions for its 11th edition, inviting original scholarly articles and reviews that critically engage with the theme: Complexities and Challenges in Dance/Dance Studies.
The journal offers a supportive forum for emerging scholars engaged in research and practice of dance. All submissions are double-blind peer reviewed. Authors must be pursuing a graduate degree such as M.A., M.F.A., Ph.D., equivalent, or be within five years of having graduated (the degree does not need to be in dance, but the article must be focused on dance).
Submission deadline: 30 June 2024 Projected publication date: 15 Dec 2025
If you are an educator, scholar, or dancer concerned with the development of Asian dance cultures, this is the topic you are looking for. How have Asian dance cultures undergone transformations in dance higher education? The Asia-Pacific region is rich in dance culture history and resources. What are the implications of these historical legacies for contemporary dance culture and education? As the first state-owned dance school and the only higher education institution focusing specifically on dance in China, Beijing Dance Academy (BDA) will bring their years of experience in performance, academic research, talent training, and international cooperation on Asia-Pacific dance culture.
Zoom Session Time: 13:00-14:30 (1pm to 2:30pm) CST, Thursday 16 May 2024
Register now to join the discussion, and bring
us your questions about dance culture in Asia-Pacific, international dance
collaboration, and talent cultivation for dance higher education in China!
Participation is free. Only registered participants
will receive the link to the Zoom discussion.
Moderated by Lin Wang (Lynn) and organized by
Beijing Dance Academy.
Date: Thursday 16 May Time: 13:00 CST Find your time zone here Platform: Zoom Length of session: 90 minutes max
About the Speakers
Dr.
Xu Rui
is the President and Professor of Beijing Dance Academy, Doctoral Supervisor of
China Academy of Art. He is the Vice Chairman of China Musical Theater
Association, Vice Chairman of Beijing Dancers Association and Beijing Literary
Critics Association. He was selected by the National Ministry of Education for
the “New Century Outstanding Talents” program, and was awarded a full
scholarship by the Asian Cultural Council of America (ACC).
Across the field of
research and arts creation, he is the author of The Aesthetic And Self-Consciousness of Contemporary
Chinese Folk
Dance
Creation,
which is awarded the first prize of the Ninth China Federation of Literature
and Art Criticism. He has created more than ten famous dance dramas and
musicals, which have won the Wenhua Grand Prize, the highest honor for theatre
arts creation in China. He is the founder of the “ArtsCross”, the contemporary
dance creation and research program, which has a significant impact for the international
dance community.
Dr. Zhibo Zhao
is a highly trained dancer-choreographer and practice-based researcher who was
awarded National First-Rank Dance Artist by the Chinese government. She
received her professional training in Chinese Classical Dance at the age of 10
at the Affiliated Secondary School of Beijing Dance Academy (BDA) and later
obtained her BA and MFA degrees at BDA. As a leading dancer with the BDA Dance
Company, she performed Chinese dances in over 40 countries. Among these, she
has been an associate artist of the ArtsCross project, an international
intercultural dance research project, since 2009.
Zhibo moved to London in
2018 to pursue her PhD at Middlesex University, focusing on dance improvisation
in relation to Chinese dance and dancers, and was awarded her doctorate in her
viva with the proud distinction of having no corrections. In the UK dance
sector, she has worked tirelessly to deliver talks and workshops on Chinese
dance and created short and full-length works with her unique cultural
perspective. Not only that, but together with her partner, their short-dance
video account has created the miracle of having over 10 million followers on
social media worldwide.
Qin Yanxi,
Director of International Office of Beijing Dance Academy, member of
International Education Committee of Chinese Society for Educational
Development Strategy, council member of China Education Association for
International Exchange, Secretary-General of the China-CEEC Dance Culture
Union. She studied in the University of Reading and the University of
Westminster in UK as a visiting scholar. She has been engaged in educational
management and international cooperation and exchange in universities for many
years and has rich working experience in higher education administration,
international exchange and international student management.
Moderator
Lin WANG (Lynn) is PhD candidate at the University of Leeds, UK; Taipei Scholar of ArtsCross, an international dance research residency programme; Visiting Scholar at the School of Dance, The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts; she received her BA and MFA degrees from the Beijing Dance Academy; she published her academic translation in 2019, Body Space Expression:The Development of Rudolf Laban’s Movement and Dance Concepts; and the most recent result of her research is Tutorial for Analysing Dance Movements.
Asia-Pacific Dance Dialogues explore current issues and viewpoints in dance around the region and the world, with invited dancers, choreographers, scholars and other dance practitioners. This monthly online series is hosted by World Dance Alliance chapters from the Asia-Pacific region, and reflects on topics in education and training, research and documentation, creation and presentation, and support and development.
Join
us with your questions, share your unique perspectives, and strengthen your
professional networks, as together we gain a deeper understanding and
appreciation for dance in our world.
In 2024, these sessions are free and open to all; registration is required.
First Steps Towards Publication, for Emerging Dance Scholars
If you’re an emerging dance scholar, placing your first publication in a respected peer-reviewed journal can seem like an impossible hurdle. Which journals are appropriate for your topic? What are the processes for submitting a paper? What can you expect after your paper is accepted? And where do you go from there?
Join dance scholars Sumedha Bhattacharyya (India) and Shanny Rann Chuah (Malaysia) in an online discussion as they share their experience of publishing articles in the Journal of Emerging Dance Scholarship. Emerging scholar Al Bernard Garcia (Philippines) will contribute his perspective from within the Southeast Asian dance academe.
Register now to join the discussion, and bring us your questions about writing for publication, working with editors, the pressure to publish, or predatory journals – get the tools you need to dance confidently towards publication!
Register here: https://forms.gle/ezS9FdjYnjX2kxcB8 Participation is free. Only registered participants will receive the link to the Zoom discussion.
Moderated by Bilqis Hijjas (Malaysia) and organised with Joelle Jacinto (Philippines).
Date: Thursday 21 March Time: 5pm NZDT, 3pm AEDT, 12 noon CST, 10am BST, 9:30am IST, 4am GMT. Find your time zone here Platform: Zoom Length of session: 90 minutes max
About the Speakers
Shanny Rann is a dance anthropologist and PhD Candidate in Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies at Simon Fraser University (Canada). Her current research focuses on Taijiquan in diaspora from the women’s perspective. She has been training under Master Li Rong of Sanxing Taiji in Vancouver, Canada since 2016. She is also the editor of Dance Central, the founder of Choreo Dance Film Festival and the curator of Cross-Cultural Dance Resources.
Sumedha Bhattacharyya is an interdisciplinary dance artist, choreographer, researcher, and dance filmmaker. She is pursuing her PhD in Ethnomusicology in University of Music and Performing Arts Graz (Austria), studying maternal memories and their relationship with sound and movement, in the context of mass migration and displacement. Currently a faculty member at Jindal School of Liberal Arts and Humanities, and guest faculty at Ashoka University, Barnard College for Women, Columbia University, she is teaching Screendance and Interdisciplinary seminar courses. She is also the founder of a dance film production, curation, research and educational collective initiative – Duet with Camera.
As an Erasmus Mundus Scholar, with a focus on screendance filmmaking, dance anthropology, and visual ethnography, she traveled, lived together, and collaborated with a range of forms, communities, and dance-theatre makers across local, national, and international locations. She is an Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) awardee under Goldsmiths University (UK), for her project Water Nodes integrating motion capture technology with performance and intergenerational maternal memories.
Al Garcia is a Taiwan-based Filipino dance artist, choreographer, and educator. He received his MFA in Dance (Choreography) from Nanhua University, Taiwan and was awarded the 2024 Outstanding Alumni for Arts and Culture. He was previously a dance artist of Tjimur Dance Theatre (Taiwan). Al is a graduate of the Philippine High School for the Arts specializing in Philippine Folk Dance and received his diploma in dance from the University of the Philippines-Diliman. As an independent dance artist in Manila, he created choreographies for dance companies, theater productions, and cultural initiatives. Al also performs and does collaborative works in Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam, Singapore, USA and France. He won first prize at the WiFi Body Contemporary Dance Festival 2012 New Choreographers Competition (Philippines) and featured the winning piece at the Yokohama Dance Collection EX Showcase 2013 (Japan). His choreographies are distinct in integrating Philippine folk dance and contemporary dance idioms.
Al is also involved in education and community development work. He was part of the faculty and established the dance programs for Guang Ming College (Philipines) and Philippine High School for the Arts Senior High. He founded Guang Ming Dance Project in 2015 and is a member of the Contemporary Dance Network Manila.
Asia-Pacific Dance Dialogues explore current issues and viewpoints in dance around the region and the world, with invited dancers, choreographers, scholars and other dance practitioners. This monthly online series is hosted by World Dance Alliance chapters from the Asia-Pacific region, and reflects on topics in education and training, research and documentation, creation and presentation, and support and development.
Join us with your questions, share your unique perspectives, and strengthen your professional networks, as together we gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for dance in our world.
In 2024, these sessions are free and open to all; registration is required.
Happy New Year! The December 2023 edition of Asia-Pacific Channels is here. This biannual magazine of World Dance Alliance Asia-Pacific features reports from our executive committee, our organisational chapters and our partner organisation WDAAE.
If you don’t have time to read the whole thing, please do check out Stella Lau’s comprehensive summary of all the organisational chapter reports in her Vice President’s report on page 3, and flip through for the beautiful and inspiring images of dance from across the Asia-Pacific.
Cover image and above: ‘Treble Idea’, choreographed by Ethel Deidre Daniel and performed by students of the National Academy of Arts, Culture & Heritage (ASWARA), at Dancebox September 2023, Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre, Malaysia. Photo: Benedict Yee
Back issues of Channels can be downloaded from here. The archive of Channels dating back to 1996 is available from the Ausdance website.
The biannual magazine of World Dance Alliance Asia-Pacific contains reports from our executive committee, our network chairs and our organisational chapters.
Some highlights in this edition:
The upcoming Ocean Dance Festival in Bangladesh, which will also host this year’s WDAAP Annual General Meeting
Reports from WDAAP’s first participation at the famed Khajuraho Dance Festival in 2023
The proposed calendar for the next 8 months from the Support & Development Network
…as well as beautiful and inspiring images of dance from across the Asia-Pacific.
Cover image of this edition and above: The WDA contingent at daybreak at the UNESCO World Heritage Site Khajuraho temples, during the Khajuraho Dance Festival 2023, India. Photo: Dance Alliance India
Back issues of Channels can be downloaded from here. The archive of Channels dating back to 1996 is available from the Ausdance website.
Cover image of this edition, and above: Students of Peniel High School of Arts in ‘Rain on the Fresh Green’, a performance at the Young Dance Festival at the 2022 World Dance, Expo in Seoul, at Seong Center for the Performing Arts, 30-31 August 2022, produced by World Dance Alliance – Korea. Photo: Hanfilm.
Back issues of Channels can be downloaded from here. The archive of Channels dating back to 1996 is available from the Ausdance website.
The biannual magazine of World Dance Alliance Asia-Pacific contains reports from our executive committee, our network chairs and our country chapters, as well as reports from the recent World Dance Alliance Executive Meeting and WDA Asia-Pacific Annual General Meeting.
Some highlights in this edition:
A feature from the Korea chapter, including this year’s International Dance Day message by Korean dancer Kang Sue-Jin;
An announcement of the new website for JEDS, the Journal of Emerging Dance Scholarship;
A report from the World Alliance for Arts Education on recent activities celebrating International Arts Education Week;
…as well as beautiful and inspiring images of dance from across the Asia-Pacific region.
Cover image for this edition, and image above: Dancers from Pichet Klunchun Dance Company outdoors in Paris in December 2021, after the performance of classical Khon masked dance piece “The Combat of Rama and Todsakan,” at Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac. Photo: Korn Takang
Back issues of Channels can be downloaded from here. The archive of Channels dating back to 1996 is available from the Ausdance website.
The Research & Documentation network of World Dance Alliance has launched new website for the Journal of Emerging Dance Scholarship (JEDS).
JEDS is designed to serve the needs of international dance scholars who are currently enrolled in a graduate program or within 5 years of having graduated from a graduate program in dance or a related field. Articles featured in JEDS are selected through a double-blind review process by international reviewers with strong publishing records and established expertise in diverse fields of dance.
