Cornelius Carter, a Professor Emeritus at the University of Alabama noticed a growing need amongst dance educators across the field. He approached Heather McCartney, Director of Education at the Joyce Theater with an idea to meet that need. Together they designed the American Dance Platform Symposium: Moving Forward. Their goal: to create a space for dance educators to network, attend American Dance Platform (ADP) performances, and learn about how other colleges and universities are moving forward – responding to the next generation of artists, educators, and innovators.
In its inaugural year, the symposium hosted over fifty higher education professionals from over forty schools across the US, as well as Mexico. On January 8th, participants gathered at the opening reception, hosted by planning partners NYU Tisch Creative Research and the NYU Steinhardt Dance Education program. Linda Shelton, Executive Director of the Joyce Theater; Christy Bolingbroke, Executive/Artistic Director of the National Center for Choreography at the University of Akron; and ADP curators, Heather McCartney, Cornelius Carter, and Dana Whitco, the Director of the Tisch Initiative for Creative Research, shared remarks regarding their enthusiasm for and the timeliness of the symposium.
Each night, participants witnessed some of today's most captivating American dance companies at the American Dance Platform showcase. Christy Bolingbroke designed shows featuring Urban Bush Women, Daytona Contemporary Dance Company, Bruce Wood Dance, Limon Dance Company, Embodiment Project, ODC/Dance, Rosie Herrera Dance Theater, and Rennie Harris Puremovement. Every morning, participants arrived reflecting on what they witnessed the night before commenting on visceral connections made to the stories performed, curiosity around artistic choices made, and the juxtaposition of curation.
The diversity of performances on stage gave light to what is possible in the dance performance world. At the symposium, panelists and presenters discussed what is possible in higher education. Jawole Willa Jo Zollar (founder and visioning partner of Urban Bush Women), Cornelius Carter, and Charles O. Anderson (University of Texas at Austin) discussed ways of defining and advancing diversity in higher education dance programs.
Gesel R. Mason (University of Texas at Austin) and Norah Zuinga Shaw (Ohio State University) led conversations on “Dance and Digital Space." Both presented excerpts on works gaining traction in the slowly developing world of archiving dance and story. Additional sessions touched on “Dance and Disability: Inclusion and Sample Curriculum,” led by Jeff Freidman; “Shared Space: Conversational Practices for Social Change," led by Tiffany Rhynard; “Tenure and the Race Card: Faculty of Color,” led by Gregory King; and “Preparing the Sustainable Dance Artist: Community Integration Practices in BFA Curriculum,” by Cheyla Clawson. There were several other breakout sessions and two master classes given by Urban Bush Women and Embodiment Project.