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SPEAKING DANCE CONFERENCE 2026

The Dance Must Not Die: Building Infrastructure for Dance Research, Archive, and Knowledge Generation in Nigeria

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

Fifth Edition • 29–31 October 2026 • Lagos, Nigeria.

Deadline 15th September 2026

Send your submission by email to:

info.speakingdance@gmail.com

INVITATION

Speaking Dance 2026 is a three-day practice-led conference convening dancers, choreographers, researchers, archivists, critics, educators, cultural workers and students to examine the future of dance research, documentation, archiving, publishing and knowledge production in Nigeria and the broader Africa.

This fifth edition arrives at a moment of both reflection and urgency. Dance remains one of the most visible and culturally active artistic forms across the continent, yet the systems required to document, archive and sustain its intellectual and historical continuity remain fragile. Dancers are highly visible within performance culture but insufficiently recognised within academic, intellectual and policy frameworks.

We invite you to help us change that.

THIS YEAR THE CONFERENCE ASKS

How can research, documentation and archival practice expand the role of dance as a site of knowledge production, cultural memory, social infrastructure and creative economy development in Africa?

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Who May Submit

This call is open internationally. We welcome submissions from:

• Dance practitioners; dancers, choreographers, teachers and companies

• Dance researchers and scholars, at any career stage, including students

• Dance archivists, documentarians, photographers and filmmakers

• Critics, writers, editors and cultural journalists

• Anyone with a serious interest in dance and its futures

No institutional affiliation is required. We welcome submissions that explore dance through contemporary, historical, theoretical, practical, interdisciplinary and experimental approaches.

Send your submission by email to:

info.speakingdance@gmail.com

PLEASE INCLUDE

• Subject line: SPEAKING DANCE 2026 — [Track Name] — [Your Full Name]

• Your details: Full name, role or title, city and country, email address and phone number

• Your submission: The materials listed under your chosen track, as a single PDF or Word document

• Links: Any video or portfolio links, checked and accessible

Submissions received after 23:59 West African Time on 15 September 2026 will not be reviewed.

Read the guidelines here before applying

For Questions please fill out the form below

SPEAKING DANCE CONFERENCE 2026

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