dance the Ph.D. in Connecting Theory with Practice 2013 World Dance Alliance - Americas Conference & Festival Evolve + Involve: Dance as a Moving Question… July 29 – August 4, 2013 Scotiabank Dance Centre, Vancouver, BC, Canada What are your questions for dance in the 21st century? With Evolve + Involve: Dance as a Moving Question… as the focal point of the event, WDA-A encourages broad investigations into the following questions: How is dance evolving in the 21st century? How are we as artists, educators, and researchers engaged with these emerging developments? With whom and how will we be involved as new practices emerge? How might these new engagements and involvements open further questions for dance’s future? With these questions in mind, we urge participants to propose new possibilities for the many different modes of presenting, experiencing, producing, and teaching dance. Proposals need not be limited to or by the Conference and Festival’s theme, which should be considered as a catalyst for discussion rather than a restraint. This event is hosted by WDA-A in conjunction with the 2013 Dance Critics Association Conference with support from Texas Woman’s University Department of Dance, University of Wisconsin-Madison Dance Department, and the Scotiabank Dance Centre. 2 Table of Contents Table of Contents…………………………………………………. 3 Introduction………………………………………………………… 4 General Schedule…………………………………………………. 9 Opening Ceremony & 20th Anniversary…………………………. 17 WDA-A Meetings……………………………………………......... 23 Panel Presentations………………………………………………. 25 Scholarly Research Presentations……………………………… 41 Classes…………………………………………………………….. 67 Choreographic Labs……………………………………………… 89 Performances……………………………………………………… 95 Dance Critics Association………………………………………… 113 3 Dear Participants, It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to the 2013 World Dance Alliance - Americas (WDA-A) Conference & Festival and General Assembly in the magnificent city of Vancouver, Canada. Summer here in Vancouver is beautiful and pleasant. With a top- notch dance culture, Vancouver has long been on the priority list for a WDA-A annual event. We are thrilled this year’s event has been realized here! The Assembly organizers have put together a rich program of events with scholarly presentations and panels on cutting edge research, a lively range of movement classes by outstanding instructors, five evenings of performances by emerging and established dance artists, and three Choreographic Labs. These presenters represent individuals and groups from North, Central, and South Americas, as well as international visitors. We are deeply indebted to the Chair of the Conference Committee, Scott Martin, who has spent numerous hours working on the coordination of events. The wealth of options will oblige you to make tough choices during the week as to what you wish to participate in. Based on the successful collaboration with Dance Critic Association (DCA) during the 2010 World Dance Alliance Global Event in New York, WDA-A is pleased to again work with DCA by combining our conferences. Through this continued collaboration, WDA-A hopes to engage further conversations on dancing and dance writing. As part of this year’s coordination, you will also have access to the events organized and sponsored by the Dance Critics Association later during the week. This is a very special meeting of the World Dance Alliance - Americas, celebrating 20 years since our first Assembly was held in New York City in June 1993 under its founding president Genevieve Oswald. To mark the occasion, several of the founding members and all but one of the past presidents are present in Vancouver. You will have the opportunity to hear from founding president Gigi, the past presidents Ruth Abrahams and Grant Strate, and the current president Jin-Wen Yu. Past President Adrienne Kaeppler is unable to attend but sends her best wishes. Additionally, we are delighted to present this year’s WDA-A Genevieve Oswald Award to Grant Strate. Grant is one of the founding members of WDA-A, an original member of the National Ballet of Canada, and the founding Chair of York University's Department of Dance. We congratulate and thank Grant for his significant contributions to Canada and the dance world. 4 If you are new to WDA, you may not be aware of our wider links with other regions. The World Dance Alliance was originally founded in Hong Kong in 1988 as the Asia Pacific Dance Alliance. Then in 1993 it became the World Dance Alliance-Asia Pacific under its founder Carl Wolz and the Americas was founded as the second world region. Looking ahead to next summer, you will be able to connect with our third region, Europe, by attending the 2014 Global Assembly that will bring all the regions together in Angers, France. In addition to the numerous events you can take part in throughout the week, there are several scheduled WDA-A Network Meetings for everyone who wishes to involve themselves with the ongoing growth and planning of WDA-A. We remind you that we are a member-driven organization which relies on its individual members to help carry out our mission. We encourage you to get involved, to bring your ideas forward, but most importantly help us carry through on your suggestions. In doing so, you will experience the true strength and potential of the World Dance Alliance - Americas. While looking back last 20 years' challenging yet exciting journey, we are also looking forward to the future. We appreciate all that has been accomplished by our predecessors and invite you to join us for the next 20 years and beyond… Enjoy the Assembly and the new friends you will meet during the week! Best Wishes, Jin-Wen Yu, President & Mary Jane Warner, President Elect 5 ANNOUNCING THE 2014 WDA GLOBAL SUMMIT 6-12 JULY IN ANGERS, FRANCE “Contemporising the Past: Envisaging the Future” The WDA Executive met in Paris over two days to report on 2012/2013 activities, discuss future initiatives, and importantly to progress plans for the 2014 WDA Global Summit to be held in Angers 6-12 July next year. WDA Executive Committee present comprised WDA-Asia Pacific representatives Yunyu Wang and Anis Nor, WDA- Americas representatives Jin-Wen Yu, Mary-Jane Warner and Hazel Franco; elected member Julie Dyson and myself as Secretary General (with apologies from Urmimala Sarkar). On Monday, 3 June we were generously hosted by the CND (Centre National de la Danse) and welcomed Laurent Van Kote, Director of Dance at the Ministry of Culture who generously stayed for the morning in order for us to discuss how the initial plans for the Summit could be progressed. Zoe Simard, Events and Program Coordinator for ITI-UNESCO also joined us later in the morning for a very productive meeting, that had been preceded by discussions between myself and the Director General of ITI-UNESCO Tobias Biancone over several months. As a result of the Paris meeting we are pleased to announce that Prof Mohd Anis Nor was unanimously voted as the WDA nominated representative on the International Dance Committee of ITI-UNESCO. We also furthered our discussions for an ongoing partnership with ITI-UNESCO. The entire day of 4 June was spent in Angers with WDA executives above and the key staff from CNDC (Centre National de la Danse Contemporaine) who will be hosting the 2014 WDA Global Summit; CNDC Deputy Director Claire Rousier; Director of Production and Communication, Arnaud Hie; and Sandra Bony, Manager of Artist Residencies. The CNDC Director Robert Swinston joined us for the first part of the meeting on Skype from Munich to particularly discuss the Choreolab which he will be directing for the Summit. The meeting was honest and fruitful, and despite some budgetary concerns, it was agreed that the proposed program was both achievable and exciting as well as very much in line with what is expected at our WDA global events. In order to let up and maintain effective communication with CNDC for such a complex event, each of the executive committee members have been appointed to Chair and form a sub-committee comprising network chairs and other willing WDA members (tbc) as follows: International Conference: • Chairs: Cheryl Stock in liaison with Claire Rousier, with key input from Urmimala Sarkar and Anis Nor along with Mary-Jane Warner, Linda Caldwell, and Stephanie Burridge, as well as European scholars and researchers. The conference is the largest and most time-consuming of the activities resulting in on-line proceedings and will of course require an editorial team of French and English speakers. 6 Choreolab: • Chairs: Jin-Wen Yu in liaison with Robert Swinston, and Nanette Hassall, Sabrina Castillo along with co- opted members. Workshops: • Chairs: Hazel Franco in liaison with Sandra Bony, with Zihao Li, Nirmala Shesadri and co-opted members from Europe. Workshops will be in two streams: professional master classes; and youth, community, education and special interest classes. Showcase Performances: • Chair: Yunyu Wang in liaison with Arnaud Hie, Susan Roberts and other co-opted members including from Europe. These will comprise short works from both student groups and independent / project artists. Website & Communication: • Chairs: Julie Dyson in liaison with Arnaud Hie and Support & Development Chairs Bilqis Hijjas, Jeff Hsieh and Scott Martin. Global Assembly and Network Meetings: • All WDA members. The sub-committees will develop calls for submissions, short listing processes (including selection criteria relevant to each program component), handle enquiries, and liaise with CNDC and web managers re on-line applications and registrations. Plan for your trip to Angers now! It is an enchanting mediaeval city with a spectacular fort in the middle of the town in the heart of the Loire Valley and only 90 minutes by train from Paris. The newly built theatre Le Quai Vivant is right on the river overlooking the fort and comprises four theatres from an intimate studio through to a 900 seat venue, with three studios in the complex and another three studios only a five minute walk away.