Author Description

In April 2017, a landmark conference marked a 'moment in time' for Dance Studies, that acknowledged and celebrated its maturity as an academic discipline. The conference, Dance Fields: Staking a Claim for Dance Studies in the 21st Century, was co-convened by three leading centres for Dance Studies in the UK (Universities of Coventry, De Montfort and Roehampton). This book has emerged from the conference and whilst the chapters could never be fully representative of all that was shared, they capture something of the range and spirit of the presentations. The authors, based in the UK and internationally, write from their experiences as dance scholars, teachers and practitioners. Themes are very varied, including the documentation of overlooked or emerging histories; new critical insights, initiatives and perspectives (including inventive dissemination platforms); and fresh interdisciplinary exchanges. Together, the collection reflects developments within Dance Studies; developments that have responded to the impact of increased access to video, the internet and digital technologies, which have transformed the way that dance is documented, transmitted, studied and shared. At the same time, this expansion of media has stimulated a renewed focus on the knowledge that dancers carry and how research in Dance Studies can access and document that knowledge, as well as how dance products (performances, choreographies, films, and so on) have generated new insights about dance. As the book reveals, these developments are core to how Dance Studies has grown, influencing other modes of thought, and other disciplinary fields, whilst establishing Dance Studies as a vital discipline in its own terms.