Abstract
An introduction to the community dance topics within this issue At no time in history has there been more emphasis on community and culture than now—as we witness communities torn apart by war and the destruction of habitat. Suddenly, the terms social justice, ethical practices, indigeneity and cultural practices have become part and parcel of our conversations around community dance participation. How, we ask, can dance play a meaningful role in fostering healthy communities while also maintaining its status as a contemporary art within the wider community? The Moving Communities International conference on Community Dance, hosted by the Dance Studies programme at the University of Otago in November 2015, both embraced the diversity that is community dance and offered meaningful re-evaluation and critique of the profession as defined by writers such as conference attendee Diane Amans (GB) and the British Dance council. This issue contains a selection of articles arising from the conference presentations.
Highlights
The conference provided a vital opportunity for community dance practitioners, researchers and administrators to come together to strengthen the profession and practice of community dance in Aotearoa; to re-define what might constitute community dance and to reinforce links with dance workers around the world
The four-day Moving Communities conference began with a pre-conference master class that explored the senses with 2005 CP Fellow Professor Petra Kuppers
The conference opened with a Māori pōwhiri at the Otakou Marae, a key note by Ralph Buck (University of Auckland) and a panel titled Community, Practice and Place—where Lyne Pringle (2010 fellow), Alys Longley and Rachel Ruckstuhl-Mann outlined recent place-based projects
Summary
The Moving Communities International conference on Community Dance, hosted by the Dance Studies programme at the University of Otago in November 2015, both embraced the diversity that is community dance and offered meaningful re-evaluation and critique of the profession as defined by writers such as conference attendee Diane Amans (GB) and the British Dance council. The conference provided a vital opportunity for community dance practitioners, researchers and administrators to come together to strengthen the profession and practice of community dance in Aotearoa; to re-define what might constitute community dance and to reinforce links with dance workers around the world.
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