micro-forum

ABOUT

“Imagine stepping out of survival mode. Imagine feeling like you’re not on your own. Imagine working without anxieties creeping up between projects. Imagine making decisions today while thinking of a decade from now - or even better, of the next generation.” 

That’s sustainability. 

Between the magnitude of the crises we are enduring and the inherited practices and infrastructures of short-term thinking, it is crucial that we (re)investigate what sustainability of dance could look like today, tomorrow, and in the future.

This is what CATAPULT.body* | the micro-forum** is about!

Yaraqa and British Council Lebanon have partnered up to create a space for professionals in dance & movement + other industries (health, design, technology and more) to come together and challenge the practices & assumptions of moving forward during hard-to-predict times.

PROGRAM AT A GLANCE

Participants took part in a thought-provoking program, full of multifaceted debates and interactive sessions - to explore different perspectives and ask questions. We are not only interested in information & insights, but also in active participation, sharing, and connecting.

DAY 1 / Online

Friday March 04, 2022 - 15:00 - 19:00 (GMT +2)

  • on Airmeet social webinar platform

  • open to a limited number of dance & movement professionals working in Lebanon, UK & beyond

  • Can the practice of sustainability be done without sacrificing the present for the future? and vice versa?

    [ debate ]

  • Can we find unexpected alliances with other industries that can translate into new projects and opportunities?

    [ roundtable discussions + working sessions ]

  • An inspirational lecture, more to come soon

    [ lecture ]

DAY 2 / In-person

Saturday March 05, 2022  - 10:30 - 17:30 (GMT +2)

  • at Mina Image Center, Beirut-Lebanon

  • open to a limited number of dance & movement professionals working in Lebanon

  • While mapping out our own ecosystems, can we uncover hidden partnerships and new ways of working?

    [ lectures + working session ]

  • Can we rewrite our own narratives to better position and embed ourselves in the larger context?

    [ lecture + presentations ]

  • How do we redraw the roadmap forward in a way that makes us indispensable?

    [ presentation + working session ]

SPEAKERS

 

Emma Jayne Park - Gretna / Scotland

Emma is a dancer, theatre maker, collaborator, facilitator, movement director, trainee intimacy coordinator, choreographer,… [read more]

Jana Al Obeidyine - Beirut / Lebanon

Jana is a dancer, dance researcher, and founding editor of A Dance Mag, an independent print magazine about dance in all its forms… [read more]

Ibrahim Nehme - Beirut / Lebanon

Ibrahim is a creator and curator working on new media. His work is a cross-pollination between journalism, activism and creative expression… [read more]

Dima Boulad - Dubai / UAE

Dima is a designer with over 12 years of experience helping private and public organizations improve their customer-centric practices … [read more]

Elaine Kordys - Helensburgh, Argyll and Bute / Scotland

Elaine trained in Dance Movement Therapy and presently studying on the MSc in Dementia Studies through Stirling University… [read more]

Michelle Ellsworth - Boulder / USA

Michelle is an American dancer and performance artist, as well as a Professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance at… [read more]

Ferdinand Richard - Marseille / France

Ferdinand is the founder/director of A.M.I./Marseille, multi-sectoral cultural development local platform, including extensive international cooperation programme… [read more]

Adrian Pepe - Beirut / Lebanon

Adrian is an artist and designer. His work focuses on craftsmanship from socio-cultural, aesthetic, ecological and methodological perspectives.… [read more]

Vasileios Boukis - Greece

Vasileios is a multi-disciplinary artist, engineer and musician. His work frequently involves motion detection and analysis, electronics, projection mapping, game engines… [read more]

Carole Guertler -

Zurich / Switzerland

Carole is an independent consultant in sustainable development, cultural & creative economies and media… [read more]

Reem Kassem - Egypt

Reem is a cultural producer & policy researcher, founder of AGORA for Arts & Culture, co-founder of Basita.live, and a cultural manager and researcher… [read more]

Maia Malas - Dubai / UAE

As a Development Producer, Maia works with Arab storytellers on great ideas from script to screen. I have a mixed bag of experience having worked on films... [read more]

James Tyson - London / UK

James works as a Programme Manager for Theatre & Dance at the British Council in London, where he advises on and facilitates projects connecting arts organisations.... [read more]

PARTNERS

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO

whatsapp or call: +961 79 316 726 | email: catapultbody@yaraqa.com

* what is CATAPULT.body?

The micro-forum is the first component of the CATAPULT.body program that is part of a larger pilot initiative launched by British Council Lebanon’s Arts and Culture department - CATAPULT - as a talent development program in partnership with pre-existing hubs in different creative sectors.[read more here]

* how did it all start?

This micro-forum has grown out of the input of dance & movement professionals working in Lebanon who participated in a study that aims to understand their needs and aspirations today.