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The NDEO initiative, DANCE 2050, has been working since its inception to widen the circle in dance education and to highlight inclusion and collaboration among the sectors. Based on dialogue within the thinktank in 2020, the planning committee proposed that the title of this initiative change from "Dance 2050: A ThinkTank for Dance in Higher Education" to "Dance 2050: A ThinkTank for Dance Education." This change was approved by the NDEO membership later that year.
Free Webinar: Widening the Dance Circle: Envisioning a Collaborative Future - Recorded live on Wednesday, 8/5/20 - Watch this Webinar
Now familiar to hundreds of dance educators, “DANCE 2050” refers to a think tank for dance in higher education that is sustained by the National Dance Education Organization. The Vision Document for DANCE 2050 was written collaboratively in 2013, following retreats at Temple and Wesleyan Universities, and later ratified by a group of conference participants in Chicago in 2014. A two-page Executive Summary can be read here. Since 2014, a dedicated group of individuals has met each year to generate an open, critical dialogue about the future of dance in higher education. Each year, a different theme drives the colloquy with the intention to engage new voices. A few volunteers across the country continue the inquiry, moving thinking into the next year. More than a special interest group, these post-secondary dance professionals form a collective of imagination and mindful analysis, to identify the cultural changes that inevitably precipitate new definitions of dance as art in higher education. The goal of this think tank is to disseminate forward thinking, to integrate dance knowledge, technology, and diverse body practices, to drive progress and positive change in higher education, not to be reactive to forces outside the field of dance.
--Donna Davenport, August 2019
Dance 2050 holds annual meetings typically on the pre-conference day of the NDEO conferences. The meetings include brainstorming on topics related to the conference theme and ways to disseminate and evolve the Dance 2050 Vision Document, as well as reports on activity during the year related to Dance 2050 themes and initiatives. The meetings are open to all interested in dance education. To attend the meeting, select the pre-conference session listed in the NDEO national conference bulletin. If you are adding the session to a previous registration, email conference@ndeo.org.
DANCE 2050: A ThinkTank for Dance Education 2020 Annual Meeting Agenda
DANCE 2050: Changed Contexts, Media, and Mentoring in Choreography 2019 Annual Meeting Agenda