posted on 2017-11-10, 15:57authored byElsie Ivancich Dunin, Catherine E. Foley
The 27th Symposium of the International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM)
Study Group on Ethnochoreology took place at the Irish World Academy of Music and
Dance, University of Limerick, Ireland, from 22nd – 29th July, 2012. The University,
situated on the River Shannon in the mid-west of Ireland, provided a beautiful location for
the Symposium. The year, 2012, marked a fiftieth-year celebration of the Study Group
that evolved within the earlier International Folk Music Council (IFMC). Hosting this
Symposium was, therefore, of special significance to the University of Limerick
particularly since the first Master of Arts degree in Ethnochoreology, at any university in
Europe, was established at the University of Limerick in 1996.
The success of this event was due to the assistance and support of many people and
institutions. Micheál Ó Súilleabháin (Director), Sandra Joyce (Acting Director), and
faculty and staff of the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, facilitated and
supported this biennial meeting of the Symposium. The Arts Council of Ireland, the
European Cultural Contact Point, Fáilte Ireland, and the University of Limerick
Foundation all provided financial assistance. The National Dance Archive of Ireland at
the Glucksman Library, Dance Research Forum Ireland, and ICTM Ireland also provided
support. The many talented students at the Irish World Academy, including alumni of the
postgraduate programmes in Ethnochoreology and Irish Traditional Dance Performance
contributed to the success of the meeting by performing at the Opening Reception and at
the 50th Anniversary Concert.
Like all important events, rigorous organisation in programming combined with
social interaction and networking was pivotal. The Local Arrangements Committee:
Catherine Foley (Chair), Colin Quigley, Mats Melin, and Orfhlaith Ni Bhriain
coordinated their efforts to make the Symposium run in a smooth and professional
manner. The Programme Committee: Colin Quigley (Chair), Hanafi Bin Hussin, Mehmet
Öcal Özbilgin, Daniela Stavelová, and Judy van Zile, skillfuly arranged a programme
schedule. The board of the ICTM Study Group on Ethnochoreology, in particular Laszló
Felfoldi (Chair) and Anne von Bibra Wharton (Secretary), also provided much support
and assistance.
Presenters at the Symposium came from far and near including Canada, Croatia,
Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia,
the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, United
Kingdom, and the United States. They presented on two themes. Theme 1: Dance and
Place; and Theme 2: Dance and Festival. Thirty-eight individual presenters and one
roundtable presented on Theme 1, while eighteen individual presenters presented on
Theme 2.
Throughout the week, various Study Group meetings took place. In addition, recent
scholarly publications of individuals of the Study Group together with DVD compilations
of previous Study Group symposia were made available for purchase.
The Organising Committee included a number of social and cultural events
throughout the week. On Monday evening, 23rd July, it hosted a Céilí dance workshop.
This was in preparation for the barbecue Céilí on Saturday evening, 28th July. A film
evening was also introduced during the Symposium. On Tuesday evening, 24th July, the
film evening took place in Theatre 1 of the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance.
The Pearse Moore Oscar Academy Award nominated film, Dance Lexie Dance (1996)
was shown as well as the 'Master Class' documentary programme from the televised
Rising Steps series, produced by Stirling Productions. These were based on Irish dance.
Three short UNESCO films followed on Flamenco, Slovatsco, and the Mevlevi
Ceremony. On Wednesday afternoon, participants went on an excursion to the village of
Killaloe in County Clare. Here they had the opportunity to explore the village and go on
a short boat cruise on Lough Derg. On board, members of the Local Arrangements
Committee entertained with some Irish traditional music and dance and Symposium
participants also shared music, song and dance from their cultures. This was followed by
dinner in Flanagan's Restaurant on the banks of Lough Derg.
After the Study Group's Business Meeting on Thursday afternoon, 26th July, the
participants had the opportunity to visit the National Dance Archive of Ireland at the
Glucksman Library, University of Limerick. This was followed by the Pioneers' Dinner
and the 50th Anniversary Concert. Students, alumni, and faculty of the Irish World
Academy performed at this concert. It included traditional Irish dance and music
performances and new choreographed Irish theatrical solos and ensemble works.
On the final day, participants went on an optional excursion to the Burren in County
Clare. They also visited the village of Doolin, the Cliffs of Moher, and finished with
dinner in Bunratty Castle where they were entertained by local traditional musicians and
dancers.
All participants of the Symposium contributed to a stimulating, enjoyable, and a
culturally enriching experience. This publication is a record of the entire event and the
scholarly presentations at the Symposium. Abstracts are included for those scholars who
did not submit their papers. A number of the texts are written by scholars whose first
language is not English. To unify the style of the volume, the editors, Elsie Ivancich
Dunin and Catherine Foley, standardised the language use and the reference style format
of all papers. They endeavoured to retain the voices of the authors. Also, when
representing the voices of field consultants in papers some scholars chose to use italics
while others did not. The editors permitted both. The Dunin and deAlaiza's DdA reference
format for dance as an internationally friendly style format was applied, and British
English spelling was used throughout.
The publication of papers from the 27th Symposium of the Study Group on
Ethnochoreology would not have been possible without the financial support of the
European Cultural Contact Point and institutional support of the Irish World Academy of
Music and Dance, and the University of Limerick.
History
Publication
Dance, Place, Festival: 27th Symposium of the ICTM Study Group on Ethnochoreology 2012, Dunin, Elsie Ivancich & Foley, Catherine E (eds);