NCCAkron Hosts 2nd Creative Administration Research Summit
The National Center for Choreography – Akron (NCCAkron) will host the second National Summit Convening for its Creative Administration Research (CAR) program Artists and Thought Partners, Thursday, June 1 through Saturday, June 3, 2023. Select events are free and open to the public, including a talk at Akron Art Museum and a movement class. All other core summit activities are invitation-only.
Funded by a multi-year grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the CAR program challenges the national dance ecosystem to think beyond the boundaries of known, traditional models and “best practices.” The program launched in 2020 and has initiated five cohorts of 19 Artist Teams across the U.S. For three days, teams will compare notes from their investigative retreats earlier in the year, physicalize their administrative thinking and dreaming, and create new shared reference experiences to inform future work.
“NCCAkron has been working with these Artists and Thought Partners for the past three years, exploring and challenging conventional ways of working within the dance world,” commented NCCAkron Executive/Artistic Director Christy Bolingbroke. “Now, we get to welcome everyone to Akron, where the connections and creative thinking will go even deeper. I am so excited to welcome these artists and thinkers from all across the U.S., and grateful to our local colleagues for their collaboration.”
NCCAkron is partnering with numerous local businesses and organizations to amplify the local impact of the Summit Convening, and to shine a light on Akron’s abundant way of thinking and organizing. CAR program participants will gather at local spaces like BLU-Tique Hotel, BLU Social, Nicholas and Dorothy Cummings Center for the History of Psychology, and NCCAkron’s home on The University of Akron campus.
As part of the Summit Convening and the Keith Haring: Against All Odds exhibit currently on view, NCCAkron and the Akron Art Museum are co-hosting the following Summit events that are free and open to the public. Masks are recommended, but optional.
Advance registration is required – visit nccakron.org/summit
Against All Odds: Moving in Museums, An NCCAkron Dancing Conversation between Christy Bolingbroke, Brendan Fernandes, and Dr. Jeff Katzin on Thursday, June 1, 2023 from 6:30 – 7:30 pm ET at Akron Art Museum.
The body is an ever-present theme in Keith Haring’s work, inciting movement, energy, and liveness. That liveness, combined with Haring’s tendency to work both inside and outside of formal sites of artistic display, resonates with dance artists. Using this common ground, how are visual artists and choreographers dancing in and around museum spaces today? Speakers include NCCAkron Executive/Artistic Director Christy Bolingbroke, visual artist Brendan Fernandes, and Akron Art Museum curator Dr. Jeff Katzin.
Umfundalai – African Contemporary Dance Classled by Errin Weaver, Executive/Artistic Director of Mojuba! Dance Collective on Saturday, June 3, 2023 from 10:00 – 11:00 am ET at The Bud and Susie Rogers Garden | Akron Art Museum.
Umfundalai is a contemporary African dance technique with movement vocabulary from dance traditions throughout the Diaspora. All ages and abilities are welcome.
The National Center for Choreography at The University of Akron supports the research and development of new work in dance by exploring the full potential of the creative process. In addition to offering studio and technical residencies to make new work, activities focus on catalyzing dialogue and experimentation; creating proximity among artists and dance thinkers; and aggregating resources around dance making. For more information, visit nccakron.org.