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!

Register here: https://forms.gle/jWuZym7w43MToaGS8

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.

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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.

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Singapore International Dance Festival invites you to the vibrant and bustling city of Singapore. Organized by World Dance Alliance Singapore, the festival invites all to culminate in the port town to showcase, share and learn from one another. The festival envisions to be an interchange of exchanging ideas, knowledge, viewpoints, artistry and virtuosity through the language of dance.
SIDF will be combined with the yearly event of WDA – AP, which includes Key-note speeches, Academic seminars, Workshops, Performances and Lecture demonstrations, by participants from all over the Asia Pacific, concluding with the Annual General Meeting of WDA-AP.

Title : Singapore International Dance Festival
Date : 2nd-4th September 2024 
Time : 0900-1800hrs
Venue : Singapore, City Ballet Academy 

Fee : SGD 100 / Students SGD 70  FULL PROGRAM
please visit the official website to get further information: https://www.wdasg.com/

Eight choreographers have been selected for the 2024 International Young Choreographer Project. Congratulations to the following artists:

1. Callum Mooney (Australia, WDA Asia Pacific)
2. Maybelle Lek Shue-Qi (Singapore, WDA Asia Pacific)
3. Ma Sze Nga Alice (Hong Kong, WDA Asia Pacific)
4. Anandita Khan (Bangladesh, WDA Asia Pacific)
5. Mohd Nuriqram Bin Azhar (Malaysia, WDA Asia Pacific)
6. Hsiang-Yu CHAN (Taiwan)
7. Tung-Chun HSU (Taiwan)
8. Yu-Chi CHEN (Taiwan)

The total activity will be from June 30 to July 21. Dancers audition is on June 30, and the rehearsal will start immediately after, ending with the performances are on July 20 and July 21. The venue of the rehearsal and the performance are in the studios and the Experimental Theater at the Tsoying High School, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan.

Official Announcement

For more information, please contact 2024 IYCP Project Office: dance30@tyhs.kh.edu.tw or dance@tyhs.kh.edu.tw

CHOROEGRAPHIC OPPORTUNITY IN TAIWAN Working with eight choreographers in July 2024 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Registration Form to be sent to your chapter head

Three to four choreographers recommended by WDA Asia-Pacific , and one choreographer recommended by WDA-America or Europe will be selected to attend the Young Choreographer Project (IYCP) in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. An additional three Taiwanese choreographers will also be selected to join the event. The funding is supported by National Culture and Arts Foundation, Bureau Culture Affairs of Kaohsiung City Government, and the Chin-Lin Foundation for Culture and Arts in Taiwan. The project will be held in the city of Kaohsiung, south of Taiwan. The tentative dates for the 2024 event are from July 1st to July 19th, with two performances taking place in the main stage of the theatre in the campus of Tsoying High School from July 20th to 21st. Choreographers will be recommended by WDA (Asian Pacific, America or Europe) chapter heads. The deadline for the recommendation from each chapter head is January 21st with all documents required sent to Taiwan. The final eight choreographers will be provided with housing, local transportation, dancers, studios, publicity, production and office assistance. In addition, an honorarium will be provided: US$ 800 for four choreographers from Asian Pacific area and US$ 1200 for the choreographer from America or Europe. Participants are responsible for international airfare and local transportation between the airport and the site. The selected choreographers will set the dance on dancers auditioned in Taiwan. It is recommended that only young choreographers who feel they can meet the challenges of producing a work under unfamiliar circumstances and with unfamiliar dancers should apply.

Each WDA region office in Asian Pacific, America or Europe will facilitate the selection process in its own chapter and sent only one candidate from each chapter or country to the IYCP office in Taiwan. You need to be a member in order to apply to your chapter. Expressions of interest should address the following points and approach to your area chapter (http://www.wda-ap.org/chapters/):

A. What would you gain from a professional experience such as this? B. Why would you like to work in Asia? C. A brief concept of your work D. A 200-word autobiography and a resume/CV

If you are short listed in the final list in your chapter, you will be required to submit WDA (Asia-Pacific, America or Europe) a link to an online video (YouTube or Vimeo) of a work sample of your recent choreography, either with a single dance piece or several excerpts (less than 20 minutes). You may also be invited to send up to three photos of your work, which is not compulsory, but will give WDA (Asian Pacific, America or Europe) selection board more ideas about your choreography. Expressions of interest should EMAIL to the WDA (Asia-Pacific, America or Europe) office of each chapter by January 10th. Download Registration Form *Please send this registration form to your chapter head for their evaluation. The name and document of each choreographer recommended by the WDA chapters should be sent to Taiwan office by January 30th. Taiwan office will announce the result of the final eight selections for the 2024 IYCP by February 25th, 2024, on the WDA-AP website at http://www.wda-ap.org. Also, a letter of confirmation to each choreographer will be emailed from the office in Taiwan.  For information or any enquiry about the International Young Choreography Project, please visit http://www.wda-ap.org/projects or contact the Project Office at Tsoying High School (email: dance30@tyhs.kh.edu.tw). Mailing address: Chapter Head /Ms. Su-ling Chou, Tso’s Dance Association 55, Hai-gong Rd., Tsoying, Kaohsiung 81326, Taiwan

(Ocean Dance Festival has been postponed to Janurary, 2024. Please watch for the update news on WDAAP website).

The Second Ocean Dance Festival (ODF) being organized at Cox’s Bazaar, a breath-takingly beautiful beach city, in Southern Bangladesh, by Nrityajog, a conglomeration of forty dance organizations of Bangladesh under the umbrella of the World Dance Alliance – Asia Pacific (WDA-AP), from November 22 to 24, 2023, is envisioned as a showcasing of mainly Bangladeshi dance interspersed by performances from South Asia and the Asia Pacific. The organizers hope to make this a yearly event combining exciting tourism with dance. The Ministries of Cultural Affairs and Civil Aviation & Tourism, of Bangladesh, are the co-hosts.
The Second ODF will be combined with the yearly event of WDA – AP, which includes Key-note speeches, Academic seminars, Workshops, Performances and Lecture demonstrations, on a ‘theme topic’ by participants from all over the Asia Pacific, concluding with the Annual General Meeting of WDA-AP.

check the festival website at http://www.oceandancefestival.com/
Download the introduction in PDF version.

Organized by the School of Dance at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, held between 17 and 25 June 2022, SWEAT is specially curated for the international dance community to meet, innovate, research, share and dance. This year, leading dance academies, artists, scholars and other practitioners will “arrive” in Hong Kong to reconnect and explore new frontiers of dance and beyond.

Come meet creative residents at ArtsCross Hong Kong 2022 to explore dance & technology “in the clouds”; celebrate the re-connection of dance academies and talented students at the first Digital International Festival for Dance Academies (IFDA) with screenings and interactive student forums and selected commissioned dance films. Presented by the World Dance Alliance and co-presented with the Hong Kong Dance Alliance (HKDA), the World Dance Alliance (WDA) Global Summit aims to promote dance and wellness in response to the Covid-19 pandemic affecting the wellbeing of dance practitioners worldwide, with the theme Dance Offer/On New Energy. The sensational four-day virtual conference features a series of riveting and inspiring paper presentations, Pecha Kucha presentations, dance film screenings and more.

Watch the Festival Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCoJfm7nE2Y

Learn more: https://sweat-festival.hkapa.edu

Members of WDA can enjoy exclusive discounts, get your pass now at https://sweat-festival.hkapa.edu/ereg/newreg.php?eventid=100194209&

For more information, contact info@sweat-festival.com

2022 International Young Choreographer Project has been cancelled.

Because of the spreading of COVID-19 in Taiwan, we are sorry to announce that the 2022 International Young Choreographer Project has to be cancelled. Hopefully, the project can be held in 2023.

If you still need furthur information, please contact the Project Office at Tso’s Dance Association
Chief of Secretary/Ms. Su-ling Chou
55, Hai-gong Rd., Tsoying, Kaohsiung 813, Taiwan
Email: dance30@tyhs.kh.edu.tw

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 updates on upcoming events.

This edition features:

• A report on WDAAP’s project to raise and distribute funds for seed grants for dance makers in India & Bangladesh;
• More information about the upcoming SWEAT Hong Kong International Dance Workshop Festival in June, which will host the 2022 World Dance Alliance Global Summit;
• A discussion on abuse of power within the dance community, by Paramita Saha of unmute.help, reprinted from Narthaki.com;

…as well as beautiful and inspiring images of dance from across the Asia-Pacific region.

Download the magazine in PDF format.

Cover image for this edition: Erl Sorilla’s “Musa”, filmed at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Photo: Lester John Reguindin.

Back issues of Channels can be downloaded from here. The archive of Channels dating back to 1996 is available from the Ausdance website.