WDAAP is delighted to announce the establishment of a new Artists and Scholars Bursary Fund dedicated to supporting emerging artists and scholars in the Asia-Pacific region. This initiative aims to foster cross-regional exchange and active participation in WDAAP’s signature programs and events.

Starting in 2026, the fund will provide financial support of up to USD700 per recipient, assisting with international travel costs and, when necessary, accommodation or per diem expenses. Each year, one to two bursaries will be awarded to outstanding young participants who demonstrate exceptional potential in dance and related fields.

Through this bursary, WDAAP seeks to empower the next generation of artists by offering opportunities for international networking, learning, and cultural exchange within the global dance community.

The Executive Board will open calls for applications in alignment with WDAAP’s annual programs and activities. Both individual members and affiliated individual members under WDAAP organizational members are eligible to apply. Affiliated members must include a recommendation letter from their organizational member.

This year’s bursary call is directed toward the selected choreographers participating in the International Young Choreographer Project 2026. For more information about IYCP 2026, please visit the official announcement

SUBMIT APPLICATION : https://forms.gle/fwtb1UMPbD7Ez32A7

📢 2026 International Dance Conference Festival (IDCF) @ Taiwan
Official website is now LIVE! Registration opens April 20 on the official website!
👉 Website:

https://sites.google.com/gm.ntus.edu.tw/2026idcf-wda-taiwan/home

The site includes:
✅ Registration info
✅ Program schedule draft
✅ Accommodation & transportation details

Please help share with your dance networks!
Looking forward to seeing you at IDCF 2026!

Eight choreographers have been selected for the 2026 International Young Choreographer Project. Congratulations to the following artists:

Tegan Jeffrey-Rushton (Australia, WDA Asia Pacific)

Shruti Maria Datar (India, WDA Asia Pacific)

Poon Wai Shun (Hong Kong, WDA Asia Pacific)

Mohd Zhafir Muzani bin Mohamad (Malaysia, WDA Asia Pacific)

Luda Lee & Luma Lee (South Korea, WDA Asia Pacific)

S M Hasan Ishtiaque (Bangladesh, WDA Asia Pacific)

Wei-Po HSU 許瑋博 (Taiwan)

Han-Yu CHANG 張函瑀 (Taiwan)

The total activity will be from June 28 to July 19. Dancers audition is on June 28, and the rehearsal will start immediately after, ending with the performances are on July 18 and July 19. The venue of the rehearsal and the performance are in the studios and the Experimental Theater at the Tsoying High School, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan.

For more information, please contact 2026 IYCP Project Office:

dance30@tyhs.kh.edu.tw or dance@tyhs.kh.edu.tw

The December 2025 edition of Asia-Pacific Channels, the biannual magazine of World Dance Alliance Asia-Pacific, is here.

As usual, this edition features reports from our executive committee, our networks and our organisational chapters. Here are some highlights:

• A report on SWEAT International Dance Workshop Festival and World Dance Alliance Conference in Hong Kong in June 2025, together with photos from activities across the event
• Publication of a new volume of Journal of Emerging Dance Scholarship by the Research & Documentation network
• The announcement of the International Young Choreographers Project in Kaohsiung, in July 2026, organised by Tso’s Dance Association

… as well as inspiring images of dance from across the region.

Download the magazine in PDF format [3.84MB]

Cover image, and above: Chao Tingting (Taipei) performing KINGDOM at the DanceTECH Research Showcase: ‘Phygital Movement’: Fusing Technology and Dance, part of SWEAT Hong Kong International Dance Workshop Festival 2025. Dance & Technology Lab, TML Artist Block, 16 June 2025. Photo provided by The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.

Back issues of Channels can be downloaded from here. The archive of Channels dating back to 1996 is available from the Ausdance website. For larger printable versions of this magazine, please contact the editor, Bilqis Hijjas, at bhijjas@gmail.com.

Symbiotic Relations and the Sustainable Future of Dance: Bodies, Nature, and Creations in Motion

Deadline: February 15, 2026（The deadline has been extended to February 27, 2026）

Organizer: World Dance Alliance (WDA).
National Taiwan University of Sport, Dance Department.
Co-Organizer: Taiwan Dance Research Society (TDRS).
Sponsor: National Science and Technology Council.
2026IDCF Dates: June 23–27, 2026
2026IDCF Venue: National Taiwan University of Sport, Taichung City, Taiwan

■ Theme

Symbiotic Relations and the Sustainable Future of Dance: Bodies, Nature, and Creations in Motion positions dance as an interdisciplinary and intercultural embodied practice, examining its multiple roles and future possibilities within contemporary global contexts.

• Topics (including, but not limited to)
  (1) Indigenous and local knowledge: critical perspectives on dance and sustainable futures
  (2) Dance and ecological sustainability: symbiotic relations among body, environment, and society
  (3) Dance culture, rituality, and performance: cross-cultural and sustainable practices
  (4) Dance practice and global development: cross-cultural exchange, educational initiatives, and social engagement
  (5) Digital technologies and sustainable innovation: dance practice, new media, and cultural revitalization
  (6) Other research or creative works related to dance, performance, and sustainability
  

■ Submission Guidelines

The submission deadline has been extended to Feburday 27, 2026 (Friday), 23:59 (GMT+8)
Link to download detailed CFP files: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1V1top7v0g49il-esJ1SvDQjVhFEnIJhG?usp=sharing
Please submit your proposal using the attachment templates in the CFP files. Both Word and PDF files must be included. Please send your submission to the 2026 IDCF@Taiwan official email: danceconference@gm.ntus.edu.tw

■ Submission Formats

A. Academic Paper Presentation (Languages: English / Chinese)
A1. Individual Paper
A2. Organized Panel: Self-organized panel sessions consisting of 3–4 papers per panel.
B. Lecture Demonstration (Languages: English / Chinese)
Lecture demonstrations will take place in a dance studio with projection facilities. This format is suitable for research that requires the demonstration of bodily movement alongside scholarly presentation. 
C. Showcase Performance: Duration: within 10 minutes. Venue: Black Box Theater（Stage 13 m × 9 m，with Basic Lighting）
D. Young Artist Work-in-Process: Duration: within 10 minutes. Venue: Dance Studio. This format is designed for emerging choreographers with student status to present works in progress.

The December 2024 edition of Asia-Pacific Channels, the biannual magazine of World Dance Alliance Asia-Pacific, is here.

As usual, this edition features reports from our executive committee, our networks and our organisational chapters. Here are some highlights:

• Reports from the new Executive Committee of WDAAP, as voted in at the Annual General Meeting in September 2024, hosted by World Dance Alliance Singapore.
• Reports and beautiful images from the Singapore International Dance Conference Festival organised by WDA Singapore in conjunction with the WDAAP AGM last year.
• In memoriam for Fred Frumberg, stalwart WDAAP member and founder of Amrita Performing Arts, Cambodia, who passed away in December 2024.
• Announcement of call for proposals for SWEAT: Hong Kong International Dance Workshop Festival 2025 from 18 to 22 June 2025, which will include the WDAAP Annual General Meeting.

… as well as inspiring images of dance from across the region.

Download the magazine in PDF format [3.24MB]

Cover image, and above: Wushiren Theatre (Singapore) performing “I Am Finally in Love with The World”, choreographed by Ranice Tay, at the 2024 Singapore International Dance Conference and Festival, at LASALLE College of the Arts. Photo: Gnanesh Bhaskar Tilagavathy

Back issues of Channels can be downloaded from here. The archive of Channels dating back to 1996 is available from the Ausdance website. For larger printable versions of this magazine, please contact the editor, Bilqis Hijjas, at bhijjas@gmail.com.

The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts is excited to announce the launch of the website of SWEAT Hong Kong International Dance Workshop Festival 2025.

The Call for Proposals for SWEAT and other details of the festival are now available to read on the website:

• SWEAT homepage – https://www.hkapa.edu/dance/SWEAT2025 
• Call for Proposals Submissions – https://www.hkapa.edu/dance/SWEAT2025-call-for-proposals

The 2025 Annual General Meeting of World Dance Alliance Asia-Pacific will be held in conjunction with SWEAT 2025.

SWEAT builds on the success of its inaugural edition in 2022. Launched by the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) amidst the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the first festival provided a vital digital platform for artists to connect, share best practices, and engage in meaningful dialogue. Over two weeks, SWEAT brought together 640 arts practitioners from 23 countries through research labs, workshops, masterclasses, dance video screenings, and open discussions, establishing itself as a hub for innovation and artistic exchange.

In 2025, SWEAT will focus on the theme ‘Cultural Sequences: Asia Pacific Choreographic Discovery’ to celebrate vibrant dance expressions that transcend geographic boundaries. The festival will feature four key events:

1. Workshop Series
2. Dance Conference
3. DanceTECH Research Showcase
4. Choreographic Projects Open Studio Presentations

These events will enable participants to tailor their experiences and enhance their practices and research ideas. In our increasingly interconnected world, understanding cultural expressions through dance is essential for celebrating diversity and fostering meaningful collaborations.

Join us at the HKAPA campus in Hong Kong as we continue to innovate, inspire, and connect within the global dance community!

For more information, please refer to the SWEAT website:
https://www.hkapa.edu/dance/SWEAT2025 

Dear All,

I want to bring to your immediate attention a concerning issue. If you receive an email supposedly from Anna CY Chan, WDA President, from the emails: boardspresidentbox@gmail.com or executivestream2025@gmail.com or similar, requesting a transfer of funds to a vendor named WDAAP on behalf of the WDAAP Board, please be extremely cautious. This communication is a scam.

To clarify, the WDAAP Executive Board has never engaged any external vendor to execute our projects. As a recognized non-profit society, we pride ourselves on our strong governance and transparent financial practices. Additionally, each WDAAP Chapter manages its own finances independently.

We take our reputation seriously and are committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity in all our projects. If you have any doubts about a request for funds or related communications, please don’t hesitate to reach out directly to our official channels for verification at worlddanceallianceasiapacific@gmail.com or directly to me annacychan@hkapa.edu.

Thank you for your vigilance in safeguarding our community.

Anna CY Chan
WDAAP President & on behalf of the WDAAP Executive Board.