The Dayton Artist-in-Residence Program

Dayton Logo 2023-2024

Igniting Emancipatory Possibilities through African Diaspora Dance

February 8-10, 2024

African Diaspora Dance has made significant contributions to the field of dance, but too often it is relegated to the margins of dance departments at predominantly white institutions (PWIs) in higher education. The purpose of this summit is to bring artists, practitioners, students, and scholars from across the Northeast to create community, solidarity, and collaboration in order to envision and embody emancipatory possibilities for the future of African Diaspora Dance in predominantly white contexts. We recognized that teaching African Diaspora Dance at PWIs presents distinct challenges that need to be identified, unpacked, worked through, and most importantly danced out. Our chief aim is to come up with innovative solutions for not only empowering students, but to also empower faculty who too often have to justify their legitimacy in the academy. This summit will engage artists, scholars, and students in three days of dancing, lecture demonstrations, research presentations, panel and roundtable discussions around these themes.

Keynote Speaker:

Dr. Hanan Hameen, Ed.D.
Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE

Conference Schedule - Please note this is subject to change.

Dear Colleagues,

The time has come! The summit, Igniting Emancipatory Possibilities through African Diaspora Dance is upon us. It is going to be an extraordinarily rich gathering because of you!

Truth Hunter, Department Chair Shani Collins, and our colleagues in the Department of Dance look forward to hosting you this Thursday-Saturday at the beautiful campus of Connecticut College. Below you will find some important information.

Aimee Couture, our department administrator, is an excellent resource for any questions. She will be at the registration table to help answer any questions you might have.

The Schedule and Spaces

  • The schedule is available here. Get excited! Please double check your presentation times and your musicians as things have shifted a bit in the past week.
  • A/V needs - We are set up for DVI connection and minijack sound in each space. Please bring your own laptop and any adaptors you may need. The studios have large tvs and the presentation spaces have projectors.
  • You can change clothes in the second floor bathrooms. There is an all-gender bathroom on the first floor. There is a small warm up space called West Studio on the third floor; it is available on a first come, first served basis. There are open cubbies in the 3rd floor lobby for you to keep your coats. Please keep valuables to a minimum.
  • Don't miss the Lesbian Theory Dance Party. This act of resistance is co-produced with Dance Studies Association Friday at 9pm in Myers Dance Studio. You can read more here and choose a paragraph from one of these readings to share at the party in between boogying down.

Registration

  • Our registration table will be on the second floor of Crozier-Williams (we call it Cro), right at the top of the large front staircase. Please check in there when you arrive. It will be staffed 8:30 am-6pm daily.
  • If you know of someone who has not yet registered for the summit, they can still do so here.

Documents

  • All participants will be required to sign a liability waiver. You can pre-print or sign it at the registration table.
  • If you are receiving financial assistance, please complete a W-9 and turn it in at the registration desk (we will have some there for you to fill out too).

Meals

  • A nice continental breakfast will be provided daily starting at 8:30 in the Cro’s Nest on the second floor of Crozier-Williams Student Center.
  • Lunches are provided daily in the 1962 room on the first floor of the Crozier-Williams Student Center.
  • Dinners will be up to the participants. One may eat choose to eat on campus (some venues are cash only) or check out one of our many amazing local restaurants.

Getting Around

  • All summit events take place on the 2nd and 3rd Floor of the College Center at Crozier-Williams.
  • Our registration table will be on the second floor, right at the top of the large front staircase. Please check in there when you arrive. It will be staffed 8:30 am-6pm daily.
  • Park in the North Lot or in visitor spots in front of Crozier-Williams (there are only a few).
  • If you need to load anything in, you can stand with flashers on for a few minutes just past the ramp on the right side of the building and bring it up the ramp, through two sets of double doors, and onto the elevator. Please don’t stand for more than 10 minutes.
  • All Campus Buildings are on Google Maps or on this printable PDF Campus Map.
  • Lyft and Uber are common here. You can also call a local cab at 203-777-7777.
  • Our local bus service is reliable, but buses are somewhat infrequent. Plan your trip here.
  • Ride share form is live here. Look for folks nearby and save some gas!

Again, please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions at all.

All the best,
Rachel Boggia

A compilation of dance images

We acknowledge the land we currently occupy and honor the Native peoples who were its first inhabitants. Specifically, we honor the Mashantucket Pequots, Eastern Pequots, Mohegans, and other tribal nations who are indigenous to Nameag, now called New London, and the land surrounding Coastal Algonquin, also known as the “Long Island Sound Region.” We appreciate their careful stewardship of the land over many generations and acknowledge the suffering endured through the historical period of settler colonialism. Finally, we express gratitude that these tribal nations remain as neighbors in the region.

This conference is made possible by the Dayton Artist-in-Residence Program which enables students to encounter and learn from artists and performers who are not typically accessible in an academic setting, giving them the opportunity to explore a wider variety of artistic approaches and techniques.