WED 8 JUL 2020
At present, the online and print coverage of independent dance work is very low. For this WebRes event, dance art journal and Dance Dialogues Podcast will be hosting a discussion on how independent dance journalism can support independent artists.
Now is a time to call for change. We want to hear from you about how our platforms, and others, can give independent artists a voice and make your work more visible. What forms and content would support your work? Can our platforms help other organisations to do this better?
This WebRes takes the form form of an open, free discussion on Google Meet. Bring your thoughts, experience and questions so that we can build a manifesto for change, together.
Following their WebRes event Katie Hagan and Rachel Elderkin produced a reflective document, WebRes 2020 – How can dance journalism support the work of independent artists?
The document addresses numerous aspects including:
- How do we engage with work beyond reviews?
- Creating spaces for writers and artists
- Responsibility
- Dance writing’s value
Introduction
Following our WebRes event for Siobhan Davies Dance, we felt it important to create a document that highlights some considerations that artists and writers can take together going forward.
As context for the following document, our question ‘how can dance journalism support the work of independent artists’ was intended to open a dialogue around how there might be more interaction between dance journalism and the practices of independent artists – particularly in terms of the innovative and experimental ways in which this dialogue can be considered.
Our WebRes event highlighted a sense of disconnect between the traditional form of dance journalism used in mainstream publications and the work produced by independent artists. National press and mainstream publications often require a performance to have, at the least, a two-night run and generally maintain the traditional format of ‘watching and reviewing’, usually requiring this review within a short time frame and word count. While that format may be suited to mainstream publications and can work for larger artistic productions, it is not necessarily fitting for the majority of work presented by independent artists – especially the scenarios in which independent artists choose, or are required, to present their work.