Search
Member Login

Working Groups

Working Groups are smaller membership groups within the larger DSA organization. Working Groups meet during the Annual Conference and continue to network throughout the year via e-mail, in online meetings, and via social media. Participation in Working Groups is open to all DSA members.

2025 CONFERENCE HUB INFO HERE

2019 Conference

2019 Conference Presentations (photo by Matthew Gregory Hollis)

Maintaining a Working Group:

To maintain an "active" status, all Working Groups must do the following:

  • Maintain a minimum of 10 members;
  • Maintain an email list and/or social media group to communicate with members;
  • Add DSA members who indicate interest in the group to member communications (this process should be automated through the DSA website when DSA members register);
  • Meet as a group once a year outside the Annual Conference (the DSA Zoom account may be used for this purpose to meet remotely);
  • Hold a Working Group meeting at the Annual Conference;
  • Maintain an updated group description and contact information on the DSA website.

Annual Survey:

Each year, DSA will reach out to leaders of existing Working Groups whether the Working Group is still active, gathering updated information for the website, and confirming participation in the upcoming Annual Conference. If there is no response by the stated deadline, the Working Group will be placed on "inactive" status and will not be programmed into the Annual Conference schedule. If the group is "inactive" for more than one consecutive year, the group will be closed.

Forming a Working Group:

An active DSA member who is interested in forming a new Working Group should contact the VP for Professional Development at least 4 months ahead of the next Annual Conference. They should provide a proposed name for the Working Group; a 2 to 3 sentence description of the proposed topic; names of any DSA members who have expressed interest in joining the group; and their understanding of the policies outlined above regarding maintaining a Working Group. Following consultation with the VP (to assure a good fit with DSA and with existing Working Groups, and to ensure there is space to add a Working Group) they will be scheduled to hold an exploratory Working Group meeting during the upcoming Annual Conference.  If the exploratory meeting results in a decision to form a Working Group, the group will inform the VP for Professional Development and the Executive Director of DSA via email, submitting the current list of WG members and their agreement to meet all of the requirements for maintaining a Working Group.The ED or VP will then bring a motion to the DSA Board of Directors to add the new Working Group to the DSA website and include it in the annual survey of Working Groups for the next Annual Conference. 

Dance and Technology

We aim to create discourse surrounding dance and technology and the nature of the relationship in an historical, socio-political context.

Dancing the Long Nineteenth Century

This working group serves as a forum for scholars interested in the history of dance during the long nineteenth century.

Early Dance

A caucus of scholars, teachers, and performers who share a common interest in dance forms and movement practices from before the nineteenth century.

Histories of Dance Working Group

The group serves as a platform for sharing resources, facilitating intergenerational conversation, and cultivating a network of people who are invested in historical methods.

Latin American, Latina/e/o/x, and Caribbean Dance Studies

A forum for the exchange of ideas among scholars and artists teaching or researching Latin American, Latino and Caribbean dance.

Popular, Social, and Vernacular Dance

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

Practice-as-Research

This DSA working group investigates dance practice as a research tool and shall serve as a platform to share knowledge, strategies, materials and research ideas

Dance and Music

The working group on Dance and Music serves as a forum for the exchange of ideas among members who are interested in the interaction between music and dance.

Asian and Asian Diaspora Dance Studies

Bringing together DSA members working on all aspects of Asian & Asian diaspora dance to network, share resources/research, and embark on collaborative projects.

Iranian Dance Studies 

This working group on Iranian Dance Studies seeks to increase dialogue and collaboration among dancers, choreographers and scholars in Iran and across the diaspora. 

cuir/quare/queer dance

The cuir/quare/queer dance Working Group (exploratory phase) is a coalitional-focused group interested in supporting dance research of all kinds–making, writing, and beyond–focused on queer dance, recognizing that “queer” manifests in multiple ways around the world and in people’s varied identities and practices. 

Indigenous Performance and Research Alliance (IPRA) exploratory Working Group 

This working group aims to amplify voices within Indigenous performance, specially related to dance, focusing on the integration of research and creative practice, foregrounding Indigenous knowledge systems and embodied scholarship. The initial exploratory meeting will be held during the 2025 DSA conference in Washington DC.

Students in DSA

A forum for graduate students to connect, share resources, and converse on the possibilities and challenges of advanced studies in dance.

 INACTIVE WORKING GROUPS: