Marking the 100th anniversary of the Folkwang University of the Arts, the European Association for Dance History (EADH) invites scholars from different fields, choreographers, filmmakers, visual artists, and interdisciplinary practitioners to explore the complexities, negotiations, and intricate mechanics of artistic collaboration.

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Generously hosted in the historical facilities of the Folkwang University of the Arts, EADH 2027 takes place within the university-wide Folkwang tanzt! (Folkwang dances!). Situated in Germany’s post-industrial Ruhr metropolis, where iconic pioneers like Kurt Jooss, Pina Bausch, Reinhild Hoffmann, and Susanne Linke revolutionized modern performance, Folkwang embodies a century-long legacy of interdisciplinary art-making.

 

Artistic collaboration is rarely linear; it is an intricate web of tension, translation, shared authority, and mutual influence. We invite proposals for research papers, lecture demonstrations, and film screenings with commentary that interrogate how the body in motion interacts with fine arts, music, theatre, film, design, and architecture across centuries.

 

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Suggested Themes & Focus Areas

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• The Intricacies of Collaboration: The mechanics, politics, friction, and creative negotiations between choreographers and collaborators in music, fine arts, film, theatre, and design.

• The Moving Frame (Dance & Film): Screendance, cine-dance, choreographic camera movement, film archives, and the cinematic translation of physical performance.

• Visual & Kinetic Encounters (Dance & Fine Arts): The dialogue between movement, sculpture, painting, photography, performance art, and installations in galleries, museums, and public spaces.

• Shared Vocabularies in Pedagogy: Interdisciplinary approaches, institutional networks, and cross-medium training in dance history and practice. 1

• Spatial & Industrial Metamorphoses: Site-responsive performance, scenography as an active creative agent, and the transformation of post-industrial architectures through movement.

 

Note: Exceptional proposals outside these core themes will also be considered, space permitting.

 

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Submission Guidelines & Presentation Format

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Abstract: Maximum 300 words (in English), outlining the central argument, methodology, and connection to the conference theme.

Biography: Maximum 100 words per presenter.

Presentation Formats:

• Academic Papers / Lecture-Demonstrations: 20 minutes presentation + 10 minutes Q&A.

• Film / Media Demonstrations: 20 minutes presentation/screening + 10 minutes Q&A.

 

Submission Deadline: December 15, 2026

Send Proposals to: eadhchair@gmail.com

 

Applicants can expect to learn whether their proposal has been accepted by end of January 2027. EADH members will be eligible for a discounted conference registration. EADH will publish the abstracts of all accepted papers, and encourages presenters to submit a blog or journal article (as appropriate) for publication by EADH in 2028.

 

See https://www.eadh.com/publications for further information and the EADH publications archive.

 

Organized by: European Association for Dance History (EADH) in partnership with Folkwang University of the Arts. In collaboration with Dance & History e.V.