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The Working Group on Popular, Social and Vernacular Dance

Chair: Elizabeth Bergman, [email protected] 

Comprises members with either a teaching, research, or personal interest in dance products and practices that exist in popular, social and vernacular contexts.

Founded in the early 2000s by Sherril Dodds and subsequently chaired by Clare Parfitt, Joanna Hall, Cristina Fernandez Rosa, Jennifer Atkins, and Elizabeth June Bergman, the Working Group for Popular, Social, and Vernacular Dance has historical ties to the international network of scholars and practitioners called PoP Moves, but the two organizations are distinct in mission and membership requirements.

The Working Group on Popular, Social and Vernacular Dance comprises members of the Dance Studies Association with either a teaching, research, or personal interest in dance products and practices that exist in popular, social and vernacular contexts. In recognition of the complexity and ambiguity of those labels, the Working Group does not seek to be overly prescriptive about the dances that may be situated within those broad categories. Therefore it can include dances that are located on screen, stage, and “street,” participants and performers that range from amateurs through to professionals, dances that demand different skill levels, and that are financed through a variety of economic frameworks.

The Working Group has two main strands of activity: the first seeks to raise scholarly dialogue concerning popular, social and vernacular dance; the second aims to create initiatives for the study of popular, social and vernacular dance.

In relation to the first strand of activity, the following key issues form a starting point for debate within the Working Group:

  • Definitions - How do we employ and problematize the labels “popular,” “social,” and “vernacular” in categorizing particular dance practices
  • Performance - How do we deal with issues of performance, choreography, aesthetics, genre and style with regards to “improvised social dance
  • History - How do we historicize dance practices that are dynamic in form due to the privileging of innovation and modification by their participants
  • Value and pleasure - How do we theorize the complex issues of value and pleasure in relation to dance practices that are frequently associated with “leisure” and “entertainment”?
  • Theory and Methodology - What are some of the theoretical and methodological approaches that lend themselves well to the study of popular, social, and vernacular dance practices?

In relation to the second strand of activity, the Working Group seeks to look at ways of promoting the study of and research in popular, social, and vernacular dance by the scholarly community and the student body. We therefore aim to identify opportunities to forge links with other groups working in similar areas, and to develop initiatives for promoting research in popular, social, and vernacular dance forms.

RE: Popular Dance in Higher Education–A Letter of Advocacy

This letter was written by a small team of advocates, informed by contributions of the wider membership of the Dance Studies Association Working Group for Popular, Social, and Vernacular Dance, including full time professors, part-time faculty, independent scholars and practitioners, graduate students, and undergraduate students.

Download the Template Advocacy Letter

History and Intentions of the Advocacy Letter

This advocacy letter was created by members of the Dance Studies Association Working Group for Popular, Social, and Vernacular Dance* in response to a series of provocations and conversations about popular dance’s role within institutions of higher education. Collectively, our goals are to 1) raise awareness about the value and benefits of including popular dance in curricula and 2) advocate for systemic and ideological change via multiple action points.

The letter is a template and a living document. As such, it invites adjustments for your specific circumstances and welcomes collective input. We encourage modifying language to reflect the current discourses of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access at your specific institution. We also encourage those who deploy the letter to share their experiences, responses, and recommendations for others by being in touch with [email protected]. Thank you for your support of this important advocacy project.

*The template letter was co-authored and co-edited by Pritika Agarwal, Jen Atkins, Elizabeth June Bergman, and Clare Parfitt, with thanks to meaningful contributions from Meiver De la Cruz, Colleen Dunagan, Abdiel Jacobsen, Denise Machin, Julie Malnig, Val Meneau, Katherine Mezur, Dara Milovanovic, Christa Oliver, Kat Echevarría Richter, Max Winig, and others.