Through conferences, roundtables, publications and public events, we aim to facilitate interdisciplinary inquiry that captures the variety of topics, approaches, and methods that might constitute Black Dance Studies. A diverse gathering of dance scholars and community members, The Collegium for African Diaspora Dance was conceptualized by its founding members and first convened in April 2012 as the African Diaspora Dance Research Group at Duke University.
ABOUT THE 4th BIANNUAL CADD CONFERENCE
The Collegium for African Diaspora Dance (CADD) fourth bi-annual conference aims to provoke enlivened discussions on the power and politics of global Black Dance by bringing together scholars, practitioners, educators, and other stakeholders for three days of intellectual and artistic inspiration in Durham.
Our 2020 conference theme, Fluid Black::Dance Back seeks to center African diaspora dance as a resource and method of creative and aesthetic possibility in pursuit of the following lines of inquiry:
- How do dance and movement practices across the African diaspora create space for fluidity in gender, race, sexuality, ability, and other markers of identity?
- How does race, gender, class and sexuality inform African diaspora dance communities, broadly defined?
- What kinds of resistant practices does Black Dance offer to combat gendered and raced based discrimination, violence and brutality?
- In what ways does Black Dance engender mobility on and off the dance floor or concert stage?
- How does African diaspora dance help us to queer pedagogical pathways for dance in higher education?
- How does Black Dance render Blackness visible in the absence of Black bodies?
The conference is anchored by keynote speakers:
Dianne McIntyre, Choreographer, 2019 Dance/USA Award Katrina Hazzard-Donald, Author of Jookin’: The Rise of Social Dance Formations in African American Culture and Mojo Workin’: the Old African American Hoodoo System
Ni’Ja Whitson, Award-winning Interdisciplinary Artist and Assistant Professor
Special Guests:
Dr. Eleanor Gwynn, Founder of the North Carolina A&T E. Gwynn Dancers
Will Rawls, Choreographer
The weekend also features critical dialogue and provocative research presentations, breakout sessions, movement workshops, panels, a curated film series, and parties.
Special tracks:
AfroFeminist Performance Routes
Katherine Dunham Data Project
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo Master Class
The conference officially commences with an opening invocation and plenary at 1pm on Friday, February 21 and concludes on Sunday, February 23 with lunch.
The conference will be held in Duke’s Rubenstein Arts Center (“The Ruby”).
Conference registration includes all conference presentations, performances, parties, five meals and intra-conference transportation.
