Seminar of the International Parenting and Dance Network

The International Parenting and Dance Network (IPADN) brings together renowned artists and scholars from around the world to offer a day-long seminar for the public at Texas Tech University on Friday, September 13, 2024.

IPADN, which was launched by Professor of Dance, Ali Duffy, along with Aoife McGrath, Professor at Queen’s University Belfast; Lucy McCrudden, the famed “Dance Mama” of the UK; Madeline Harvey of Colorado State University; and Angela Pickard of Canterbury Christ Church University, seeks to support and amplify caregivers who work in dance and the arts. It connects researchers working through artistic, sociological, psychological, and physiological lenses to forge links between academic and industry stakeholders and policy makers; to connect artist-parents around the globe; and to create possibilities for advocacy and transformation for working parents in dance and the arts.

With significant grant support from the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council, IPADN facilitated two seminars abroad last year, which are available to stream online. The first of these focused on creative and practice-based methods that address and support parents in dance and the second on physiological and psychological experiences and interventions for parents in dance.

The final seminar to be held at Texas Tech on September 13 is guided by the theme: Exploring Economic, Political, and Sociocultural Contexts of Parenting and Dance. The seminar features roundtable discussions, interactive workshops, and dance film screenings, and live performance.

This seminar is free and open to the public, but attendees must reserve their spot to be guaranteed admittance. The registration deadline is Sunday, September 1, 2024. Registration includes free attendance at all seminar sessions; lunch provided by Top Tier catering; and entertainment provided by faculty and students from the School of Theatre and Dance, Flatlands Dance Theatre, and the TTU Pom Squad.