Thursday 3 November 2016 was the start of a very exciting busy three days at the Re:Generations conference, which took place at Mac, Birmingham.  49 international delegates from around the world gathered with the host of artists, practitioners, funders and those new to the sector from the UK as we gathered to be inspired about what had be happening around the world in dance of the African Diaspora.  

The three keynotes raised question, suggested strategies for engagement, archiving and moving forward in a climate of international change.  The performance raised the profile of new emerging artists and the youth, whilst master classes by choreographers such as Jackie Guy and David Blake illustrated the need for technique and more opportunities to access both home grown and international artists.

We had a great time at Regenerations showcasing the publications produced by Serendipity meeting with the Joan Myers Brown of Philadanco, Denise Saunders Thompson for IABD and Cleo Parker Robinson who all lifted our spirits with an energy and passion for sector that married with the vision we hold in the UK. 

So as you may well know Black Women in Dance: Stepping out the Boundaries was only published Thursday 27 October, the interest at Re-Generations for this publication from international delegates has been phenomenal as the publications flew off the table, as they recognised the need to capture voices of the sector from a local, national and international perspective.

What next after such energy, and inspiration? We are hosting ‘Developing Your Choreographic Voice’ in March 2017, an intensive weekend of practical workshops and discussion, so far we have confirmed Cameron McKinney, creator of Loft technique and Catherine Dénécy, who will be exploring improvisation as a starting place to find your voice. We hope to see you there!