Location: Zoom Room 2
Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/6087153816?pwd=ppMzS6CF8VMyDMKcF9DX0BiTTC3Exf.1
Moderator: Shanny Rann
Abstract:
Over the past few years there has been a dramatic decline in the number of publications dedicated to writing about dance in Canada. In 2020, Dance International magazine went from a quarterly print magazine to an online-only operation. In 2024, they ceased publication. The Dance Current, Canada’s national dance magazine, paused operations in 2025. A couple of small publications remain: Dance Central, published three times per year by The Dance Centre in Vancouver and an annual print magazine from Dance Collection Danse. It’s rare to see dance covered in mainstream media, and when it is included, it’s often by a journalist with little dance expertise. As Philip Szporer, Concordia University lecturer and former CBC broadcaster, says, “The possibility of hearing a critique or review of dance on public radio in 2025 is nonexistent.” (Alexander, 2025).
A lack of writing about dance will result in a lack of knowledge and documentation to pass on to future generations. What will exist to add to the archive, and what will future generations inherit? What kind of dance future do we want to create? In thinking about the future of dance writing, we must also consider inclusivity and access. The dance community has long come together to create publications to support their work, and most of these projects have a strong connection to the academy (Andrews, 2016).
Our roundtable will foster discussion on these topics and aim to find ways to fill the gap, toward a sustainable future for dance writing in Canada.
References
Alexander, Q. (January 31, 2025). The Last Dance. Review of Journalism. https://reviewofjournalism.ca/the-last-dance/
Andrews, M. (2016). Midwifing Transitions: The Labour of Publishing in the History of Dance and Dance Studies in Canada. Performance Matters. 2.2: 132-139. https://performancematters-thejournal.com/index.php/pm/article/view/60/85
Roundtable Presenters
Carolina Bergonzoni
Alana Gerecke
Tessa Perkins Deneault
Emily Pettet
Biographies:
Tessa Perkins Deneault is a PhD student at SFU’s School of Interactive Arts and Technology. She contributes to The Dance Current, Dance International, and Dance Central. She recently published “Dancing on the Mountain” in A Magical Time: The Early Days of the Arts at Simon Fraser University.
Based in Vancouver, on the unceded and ancestral territories of the Squamish, Musqueam, and Tsleil-Waututh nations, Alana Gerecke is a performance scholar and artist of mixed European descent. She teaches at Capilano University. Her research on the social and spatial potentials of urban choreographies feeds her writing, teaching, performance making, and parenting.