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CALL FOR PAPERS

Choreography and Institutions: Issues, Diagnoses, Case Studies

The subjects of this open call are an exploration of choreographic, dance, and movement practices in relation to institutions. This includes institutions responsible for funding, producing, and presenting choreographic works, as well as those engaged in dance education and professional training for dancers and choreographers. The artistic field – where choreographers, dancers, dance scholars, curators, directors, and producers operate – is inherently political, shaped by dynamics of power, debates, emerging artistic movements, new forms of collaboration, and evolving discourses and narratives.

We seek to examine both the ways in which contemporary choreography is shaped and the institutional and organisational factors that influence its development—or hinder its progress. We welcome proposals for case studies, systemic analyses, autoethnographic narratives, and texts based on participant observation. Submissions may address contemporary, classical, folk, or experimental and interdisciplinary dance practices in Poland, Europe, and beyond. We are also interested in critical reflections on the ways dance and choreography are written about.

This call is for academic papers, which will undergo a double-blind peer review process. At a later stage, we will invite proposals for interviews, artistic manifestos, and other formats that expand perspectives on the topics of interest.

We encourage addressing themes such as:

  • The position of choreography and choreographers in dramatic theatres;
  • The organisation of dance life, funding tools, and models of artistic support;
  • Choreographic practices in non-theatrical spaces: approaches and strategies;
  • Dance institutions and their role in fostering creative communities;
  • Curatorial discourses: shaping trends in choreography;
  • Curatorial responsibility in times of deepening crisis;
  • Power structures and hierarchies in dance and choreography;
  • New institutional models in dance and choreography;
  • The profession of a dancer: institutional, economic, and educational conditions;
  • Dance and choreographic education;
  • Grassroots organisational models in dance and choreography;
  • Reparative actions in dance and choreography: practices, possibilities, and demands;
  • Choreography and accessibility in relation to audiences and creative processes;
  • The language of dance discourse: linguistic practices shaping the perception of dance and choreography;
  • Dance platforms, festivals, and showcases: creating local and international artistic networks.

Abstracts (up to 1,000 characters) to be submitted by 15 May 2025 to alicja.muller@uj.edu.pl, along with a short academic biography.

Timeline:

– 15 May 2025 – Submission deadline for abstracts;
– 15 June 2025 – Editorial decision on submissions;
– 15 September 2025 – Submission deadline for full papers.

Guest Editors: Zuzanna Berendt, Alicja Müller, Izabela Zawadzka.