Frequently Asked Questions


Q: Do I need to be a member of DSA to present at the Conference?

A: Although you may submit a proposal as a non-member, you must be a member of DSA and register for the conference in order to appear on the program. Once your proposal is accepted, you will be prompted to join DSA and register for the conference, and if you have not done so by the listed date, your proposal will be dropped from the program. DSA is a non-profit organization under US law and does not receive subsidy from the government or the academy. Hence we rely on membership and registration fees to cover the cost of hosting conferences, publishing Dance Research Journal, Conversations Across the Field of Dance Studies, and Studies in Dance series, and advocating for the field. We understand that scholarly conferences outside the US deploy different models; hence we are providing this explanation for the necessity to join DSA and register for the conference.


Q: How is my proposal considered? Can I receive feedback?

A: The abstract submission process is blind review by the Program Committee, and each submission is scored by two reviewers. The Program Committee is unable to provide written feedback on submissions. 


Q: How many conference sessions may I present in?

A: You may submit only one proposal to the Program Committee with your original research, and your name may appear on the conference program only once as a presenter (this includes individual papers, pre-formed panels, and roundtable sessions). However, you may also serve as a moderator, although not for your own panel, and if invited, you may speak on a panel honoring another scholar. This allows DSA conferences to make room for a large number of diverse presenters. Exceptions include DSA administrative duties including DSA publication editors, graduate professionalization events, office hours, and other administrative facilitations.  


Q: What do we mean by keywords for a proposal?

A: The keywords denote the main topic or topics with which your presentation aligns or how you would like your research to be categorized. We will use the keywords to 1) match abstracts to Program Committee evaluators based on research expertise and 2) to group presentations within the conference schedule. Examples: tango, identity, kathakali.


Q: Is registration required in addition to membership?

A: Yes. DSA is a small non-profit organization whose financial sustainability is directly dependent on annual membership fees (rates as low as $25/year) and conference registration (both in-person and virtual). While DSA currently does not accept donations from large corporations, our small staff is often able to brainstorm sponsorship solutions to support individual members under severe financial hardship. If you would like to enquire about support for attending our conference or would like to volunteer to find matching funds for peers in disadvantage, please reach out to Executive Director Lizzie Leopold ([email protected]).