Presenting at Royal Geographical Society Conference 2024

After initial workshop research with Irish dance artists Rita Marcalo, Ben Sullivan and Philip Connaughton, Gerry and Fearghus presented a paper composed with Karen and Isabella on Queer Sanctuaries in Dance as part of a panel called What is Queer/Ecological about Queer Ecologies Now? at the RGS annual conference in London in August.

Abstract: In exploring anti-essentialist and more-than-human responses to the crisis in our web of life, Queer Sanctuaries is an intervention in the dance cultures of Ireland and Britain. There are forms of learning that may be ventured and developed through dance practice. The theoretical inspiration of Queer Ecologies has been central in the development of this practice. In this paper, we will reflect on what in turn dance practice might contribute towards the broader political mission of Queer Ecologies. The research practice is collaborative between dancers, academics, and dancer-academics. With workshops and interviews the project draws from the body-learning in dance and the creative imagination it feeds. The project also draws upon interviews with artists to explore the implicit queer ecologies of a range of dance, performance and theatre artists sharing many of the core concerns of a Queer Sanctuary, a place in which to care for each other, from which to reflect, gather strength, and then re-engage.