World Dance Alliance October 2017 update

WDA has convened a small sub-committee to review the structure of the organisation in order to streamline membership and the role of the four networks: Creation & Presentation, Education & Training, Research & Documentation, and Support & Development). I will chair the review team, made up of Linda Caldwell (Americas), Fiona Bannon (Europe) and Urmimala Sarkar Munsi (Asia Pacific). We hope to report back to the Global Executive at the Joint Dance Congress, Panpapanpalya, in Adelaide next year.

WDA Asia Pacific will hold its AGM at the Taipei National University of the Arts from 9–11 November, in conjunction with the conference of the Taiwan Dance Research Society ‘Dance in Proximity’. Some of the conference topics include the integration of theory and practice; tradition and change of dance culture; aesthetics of dance creation, and application and research into dance and technology. As secretary, I will assist the President, Yunyu Wang, to develop the WDA meeting agenda, conduct elections for the Executive and act as advisor to the board. We will also report on any Australians who present at the conference.

To celebrate its 70th birthday, the International Theatre Institute (ITI) has made an open call for nominations for authors of next year’s International Dance Day Message. Ausdance National is Australia’s chapter of WDA Asia Pacific, and the board will be nominating an Australian dance artist to deliver the 2018 IDD Message.