Movements of Solidarity: Embodied Practices for Change
with Ruth Pethybridge
Tickets: https://ticketpass.org/event/EPILLG/the-convivial-x-ruth-pethybridge
What moves can you make towards the world you want to build?
What does solidarity really feel like in the body?
How can we move from 'I' to 'We' as we face the polycrises of the 21st century?
Big questions that start small - embodied in the present moment.
Dance has often been dismissed as a topic worthy of serious research, seen as a frivolity or for purely entertainment value but for the last 40 years dance researchers - mainly women - have been working hard to change this perception and activate dance as cultural knowledge.
As activist Emma Goldman's iconic and often mis-quoted 'if I can't dance I don't want to be part of your revolution' statement reminds us - fighting for social justice and dancing do not need to be mutually exclusive! What is more, capitalist ideologies encourage our disembodiment while empathy fatigue disassociates us from our somatic experience. Dance as activism as well as being used for 100s of years as an anti-establishment practice, has the potential to connect us to ourselves, our environment and each other. Through this session at The Convivial, Ruth will share her research on dance as a form of protest and gently invite you to participate in movement scores inside and out that reflect on the theme of solidarity and support change from within our own bodies.
PLEASE NOTE: This session will involve walking through the streets of Penryn from The Convivial to the Glasney College fields (roughly 10-15 minutes) and back for dinner and discussion at The Convivial. Please wear appropriate footwear, and bring a coat if the weather is rainy!
Speaker
Dr Ruth Pethybridge is a dance artist and researcher with extensive experience working in the inclusive community dance sector in the UK as a facilitator and choreographer, and now teaches in Higher Education supporting dance and performance students to become critically engaged in their practice; most recently as part of the MA Dance Participation, Communities and Activism at London Contemporary Dance School.
Ruth grew up in counter cultural movements through the 80s and 90s and brings this understanding of the power and potential of social dance practices to her current research and writing which is looking at ideas of persistence and solidarity in movement in the times we live in. Ruth is also a big fan of a kitchen disco and joyful resistance.
What to expect
6pm - arrive
6.30pm - talk / walking workshop begins
8pm - dinner (vegan) is served
8.30 - 9pm - discussion, Q&A
9-9.30pm - soft close, socialising
This event is BYOB - please bring along a drink to have yourself and/or to share! There is a SPAR shop just a few meters up the road. There will be a selection of soft drinks available at a low cost.
Venue
The Convivial, 18 Lower Market Street, Penryn
Please get in touch to talk about accessibility and your needs in the space.
Tickets: https://ticketpass.org/event/EPILLG/the-convivial-x-ruth-pethybridge