A new network project ‘Dancing Dialogues’, funded by the AHRC (Arts & Humanities Research Council), is inviting collaborative contributions from folk dancers and dance groups.
The project aims to research traditional, folk and national dance groups of all cultural identities, and to facilitate discussion and sharing between dancers and academics.They are working directly with groups in the South East, Midlands and South West, but for activities and events they welcome participants from any part of the country, or internationally.
The intention is to create a dialogue between dancers and dance groups about their practice, and create greater visibility for their work through placing the groups on a map of the UK.
The three academics on the project are Dr Libby Worth (Royal Holloway), Professor Jerri Daboo (University of Exeter), and Dr Rosa Cisneros (Coventry University).
The English Folk Dance and Song Society and Creative Lives are partner organisations.
The three main research questions are:
- What role do distinct traditional and national dances play for groups and communities in negotiating embodied identity in England today?
- How are notions of regional location, site, and geography central to extending our understanding of dance as contextual to the idea of ‘Englishness’?
- How have groups adapted, created, and survived during and post the pandemic?
You can participate in several ways:
- Filling in a questionnaire about your dance group and their practice
- Placing your dance group on a map
You are welcome to email questions to [email protected].
Find out more about Dancing Dialogues