I enjoyed presenting at this event facilitated by lead researcher Dr Libby Worth from Royal Holloway University. A brilliant “Dancing Dialogues” conversation with community leaders, researchers and practitioners of community dances. Discussions flowed around negotiating embodied identity, “Englishness”, how folk dance is linked to territory, what consists of amateur V professional performers, and, of course, the eternal question of funding.
In the visible hierarchy of the dance sector, folk dances are perhaps a poorly watered root of a very big tree. More than ever, we realized the need for community, in a post-covid world. It's easy to forget that community groups are often the first point of contact towards developing a love for dance. Even top performers, like Marcelino Sambe - principal dancer at the Royal Ballet- had a brief passage with local traditional African dance group Batoto Yetu in Portugal. The generosity of time and knowledge, shared by these community dance groups leaders, is probably unmatched in a cut-throat "professional" dance space.
Acknowledging the importance of flexibility in discussions about territory and cultural ownership is vital, albeit we need to refrain from rigid perspectives while being cautious not to encroach upon cultural appropriation. It’s important to remember that even dance forms like the maypole dances that appear to be the epitome of Englishness only need you to delve into it a little further to discover its presence in various Caribbean traditions as well as in Congolese processions, as described by the late eminent researcher Robert F. Thompson. And, of course, the perennial issue of arts funding serves as a poignant reminder, as the latest policies from the Arts Council England (ACE) unveiled, that censorship is, once again, hitting the arts hard. It's time to get creative! For those who heavily rely on this funding to create art or express themselves, those community dance tree roots will be watered with a lot of…added chemicals.
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1moSo good to have you in the team! To many more wins!