Call for Proposals for Symposium

Dance Routes – Danced Roots: Connecting the Local and the Global

Seoul, Korea – 2016

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: JANUARY 10, 2016 Extended to February 10, 2016)
(You will be notified in six days after application)

ACCEPTANCE NOTIFICATION: MARCH 10, 2016

The Symposium theme focuses on the idea of global and local connectivity through dance, looking at roots as well as routes that dance and dancers negotiate in different cultures of the contemporary world. While the rootedness of the dance traditions remain as important an area in dance research, the emerging and ever-changing routes like migration and diaspora, inter-culturalism, technology, media, and expanding scope for dance as a tool for wellness and somatic well-being are becoming essential focuses in dance research. As a result danced and dance generated dialogues in social, cultural and political milieus has expanded the current research in dance studies in the contemporary times.

The paper presenters are encouraged to think of some important questions connected to the local issues and the global negotiations in the ‘world’ of dance:

  • How does dance connect global and local communities and how is the dance community connected to and through important global issues and trends? These trends could be related to the environment, global economy, public health, international conflicts, understanding and embodiment of gender, issues around well-ness and so forth.
  • What does the community of dancers have in common with other communities around the world – in terms of similarities in resources (both natural, economic and social), and dissimilarities rising out of ethnic and cultural diversity, natural resources, geographic location, and so forth.
  • What are some of the familiar aspects of dances in all cultures, and how are they addressed similarly or differently in our community and in communities around the world?
  • How are personal/ local/ culture specific experiences in and through dance in our community connected to universal experiences? These could include challenges such as violence, poverty, migration, and homelessness or positive experiences such as artistic traditions, rituals, festivals, celebrations and ever-increasing possibilities of cross-cultural collaborations.
  • How do the corporeal connect to the sensorial in dance practices in a fast changing and increasingly technology-reliant world of the dancer?
  • Where do dancers find connections between the local and the global concepts of space and time?

Abstracts/Proposals addressing the theme of the symposium Dance Routes – Danced Roots: Connecting the Local and the Global will be considered for the following presentation modes:

Scholarly presentations:

Scholars are invited to send paper abstracts (maximum 250 words) of original research, within the 10th of January, 2016, which will be double blind refereed by an international review committee as per academic research conventions. Authors of the selected papers will be invited to present their papers.

Performative presentations:

This format is designed to privilege the voice of practitioners through showing digital footage of a choreographic work or a community/teaching/video project they have undertaken. Performative Presentation submissions must include a Proposal comprised of a 250-word concept statement of the practice/project, together with a 10-minute maximum online (Vimeo/YouTube) excerpt of recent work. Promotional footage will not be considered.

Pecha Kucha style presentations (Students doing their Masters Degree, MPhil or PhD and emerging scholars):

Pecha Kucha is a presentation format in which 20 slides are timed to be shown each for 20 seconds (not more than 7 minutes in total). Research students are encouraged to present in this format. Initial submissions are in the form of a 250-word Abstract summarising the topic, methodology and summary of the research to date, with an extra page of no more than 7 contextual/bibliographic references in APA style.

All submissions will be peer reviewed by an international WDA committee. Besides the requirements for the respective presentation modes stated above,  papers and presentation applications are to be submitted online and should be in the form provided below.  

Please note:

    • Only WDA members in good standing as of February, 2016 will be permitted to present.)
    • Only one abstract may be submitted for the symposium (separate applications for other events, such as master classes, choreolab, showcase will have to be applied for in the necessary format provided by the different committees
    • Paper presenters will have to register for the conference
    • Paper presenters will acquire all licensing agreements – music and otherwise – necessary to present it
    • The paper presenter will have to be present in person to present the paper.

Click Here to download the abstract submission form with information about submission.