DanceHE

Keep Listening, Keep Talking was a partnership initiative by Dance HE, Independent Dance (ID), Centre for Dance Research (C-DaRE) at Coventry University and Centre for Performance Philosophy at the University of Surrey, for artists/teachers working in the academic sector.

​

Stemming from an HE Round Table led by ID and Dr Adesola Akinleye in 2020, Keep Listening, Keep Talking will take the form of three peer conversations, held online in January, July and March 2021. Each conversation will start with a short provocation by a guest speaker with lived experience of racism in HE contexts and each provocation will relate to specific teaching, learning and research issues.

The first conversation, on 22 January, will be introduced by Carla Trim-Vamben (University of East London) and facilitated by ID and Dance HE. Break-out and whole group discussions will then provide space for in-depth exchange,  building solidarity and supporting change in the field.

 

Provocation by Carla Trim-Vamben: 'The fear of being free' 

“I deliver an undergraduate degree programme that focuses on popular and social dance forms. I often ask why students are afraid of freestyling and feel safer staying in the boundaries of technique exercises?  Is the transmission of popular and social dances within academic institutions creating a culture of fear? How do we ensure that the freedom that is inherent in these styles is accessible?”

​

Biography

Carla Trim-Vamben is a senior lecturer and the programme leader for the BA (Hons) Dance: Urban Practice degree at the University of East London. Carla is a practice led researcher with interests centred around club culture, specifically house dance. She completed her Master of Arts in Dance Anthropology at Roehampton, writing her thesis on freestyle practice in UK house dance. Carla is also a community dance practitioner and has danced for choreographers such as ADiaspora Collective in Frusted (2010) at the Breakin’ Convention Festival. She has published and presented her work, ‘From Club to Stage: The Integration of House Dance within Performance Practice’ (2013) and at conferences such as ADAD’s Re: Generations. She is currently developing her research project for a PhD application and is leading the evaluation for an Arts Council England funded Transforming Leadership project called We Move. 

​

 It is is a vibrant platform for professional development, educational and networking opportunities, and delivers a programme that includes inspiring speakers and thought provoking discussion and debate.

​

https://www.onedanceuk.org/event/the-one-dance-uk-2018-conference/

Making Dance a Safe Place for dangerous conversations. It is up to us to be clear in argument and intent if there is to be a future for Dance in HE. Hosted by the Standing Conference for Dance in Higher Education (DANCEHE).

​

http://www.nscd.ac.uk/events/dance-dialogues/