CATAPULT.body, in the Dance and Performing Arts sector
Between the magnitude of the crises we are enduring and the inherited practices and infrastructures of short-term thinking, it is crucial to (re)investigate what the sustainability of dance could look like today, tomorrow, and in the future. In partnership with Yaraqa, CATAPULT.body reinforces the dance and performing arts sector through a pilot programme of 3 interlaced components that enable professionals to identify and access opportunities for support, exchange and growth, engaging in conversations around contemporary themes and enhancing the existing modes of entrepreneurship- and capacity-building activities throughout.
But first, a CATAPULT Podcast
In the third episode of the CATAPULT Podcast series (see below), the conversation with Yaraqa’s Romy Assouad and Jadd Tank tackles the process of designing a pilot programme of multiple interlaced components that enables dance and movement professionals to identify and access opportunities for support, exchange and growth. While kicking off with a study to understand better the current stance of the sector, the results have helped shape a micro-forum tailored to the specific needs and ambitions of the network. Throughout the discussion, the guests have exchanged thoughts on the sustainability of the sector with Tony Mills and projected the value of an exchange with the UK in the form of a residency in partnership with DanceBase in Scotland.
Study on Dance and Movement Professionals
The first phase of the programme invites active players in the local scene to participate in a study aiming to better understand their current standing with respect to their practices, the challenges they are facing, and the suitable opportunities to empower them to move advance in their careers. Accordingly, the pilot was launched with a 32-question survey that underlined 3 strands of challenges – financial sustainability, relevance, and weakened ecosystem, in which 88 practitioners clarified their backgrounds, situated themselves within the ecosystem, and registered interests in the topics they wished to further explore. The study revealed the need for long-term development – from the desire to open up to new collaboration opportunities, connect with experts across new industries and sectors, develop cross-border relations, and experience new frameworks for creative thinking – and allowed for the in-depth analysis of 52 responses that informed the design of the subsequent steps. The adopted indirect participatory approach was intended to build a more inclusive program tailored to the specific needs and ambitions of the participants.
Micro-forum on Dance and Movement
The results of the survey were translated into the micro-forum on dance and movement, in which the theme of sustainability was discussed through a collective discourse, and representation from other industries such as design, health and technology would extend the dance and movement industry as a source of cross-industry collaboration and expand the utilisation of the practice into other fields. The 2-day hybrid format Micro-forum brought together 13 speakers from Lebanon in 6 segments to engage 72 participants in a thought-provoking programme, full of multifaceted debates and interactive sessions that placed the sector at the centre of each round-table discussion, debate, working session, and performance. Adapted to the outcomes of the study, the programme communicated on 3 focus sub-themes: ‘business development’ – aimed at aiding professionals in recognising the ecosystems they need and developing relationships and partnerships that connect them with stakeholders regionally and globally, ‘value creation’ – to help professionals discover new product ideas and cross-industry intersections that lead to opportunities and allow for expanding their professional network of collaborators across the value chain, and ‘positioning’ to help professionals tap into new markets and build relations. While the micro-forum allowed for a clearer understanding of the current context and validated the outcomes of the study, it provisioned a strategy for building on the pilot.
Artistic Exchange Lab
Proposed through the International Collaboration Grants as a partnership between Yaraqa (Lebanon) and Dance Base (UK), Precipitate is a ground-breaking hybrid artistic exchange Lab that will connect dance artists from Lebanon and Scotland in 2022. The collaboration will recruit 8 artists for a bespoke digital creative development Lab, culminating in an in-person residency. The Lab’s unique approach will engage 4 artists from each country in a series of online and in-person connections, focused on facilitating dialogue, inspiring professional development and fueling creative collaboration. In consultation with the artists, the Lab will be framed around development goals, interests and creative ambitions, and will enable the identification of artistic partnerships between the Scottish and Lebanese artists, and select a creative mentor to guide each collaboration in a 4-week online programme of interactive workshops and artistic exchanges, providing space for the artists to engage with the challenges facing the sector. The artists will attend an in-person 2-week residency at Dance Base, providing a concentrated space for them to synthesise their conversations, and will participate in a complimentary programme focusing on infrastructure building, developing sector knowledge and sustainability. This will include introductions to leading curators in Scotland, attendance at events, and moments of rest and recovery.
A step further to secure sustainability in the dance and movement sector, the programme develops career-enhancing collaborations between innovative dance artists, supports them to develop new skills and creative approaches, provides access to new markets, and facilitates adaptability and resilience while forging new, long-lasting relationships between Lebanon and the UK.
