25th Annual Conference

The State of the Institution(s): CORPS de Ballet International at 25

June 14-16, 2023

The 2023 conference will be held virtually.

Call for Conference Presentation Proposals

The 2023 conference is an auspicious occasion: it is foremost a celebration of the 25th anniversary of CORPS de Ballet International, a member service organization with an all-volunteer leadership and a robust membership of ballet educators. Established in 1998, CORPS exists at the intersection of two storied institutional hierarchies: Ballet and Higher Education. Now, two-and-a-half decades later, during this time of remarkable cultural, social, economic, and political change, we take this opportunity as a community to celebrate our organization, and to reflect on the state of the institutions central to its founding: our aspirations for them, and our responsibilities within them.

Contextualizing our work as ballet educators inside the frameworks of these large-scale institutions—zooming out, as it were—is central to this year’s conference. As writer Sara N. Ahmed articulates in her 2021 book Complaint!, “The personal is institutional” (Duke UP, 59). Institutions of ballet and higher education have been demonstrating their priorities in a range of ways since CORPS’ founding: their perspectives on the purpose of education and the arts in a world in flux; their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic; their actions in support of social and racial justice; their support of faculty development; their managing of budgetary and fiscal issues; and (in higher education in particular) their approaches to shared governance and academic freedom. Our institutions’ choices have both tangible and embodied effects on the work of ballet education and on the very human lives of those involved.

As we step back and take stock, we heed the wisdom of scholar and activist bell hooks (1952-2021). In her 2003 book Teaching Community: A Pedagogy of Hope, hooks illuminates a way forward: “educators who have dared to study and learn new ways of thinking and teaching so that the work we do does not reinforce systems of domination, of imperialism, racism, sexism or class elitism have created a pedagogy of hope.… Hopefulness empowers us to continue our work for justice even as the forces of injustice may gain greater power for a time” (Routledge, xiv). As part of its critical examination of our institutions, this 25th anniversary conference calls foremost for hope; to ground our critiques and fortify our organizational commitment to integrity and liberatory praxis.

We invite research proposals relevant to this year’s theme, broadly considered. Submissions might relate to or extrapolate on the following:

  • the role of pedagogy in institutional hierarchies;
  • the relationship(s) between individuals and institutions;
  • creative practice and choreographic processes in institutional contexts;
  • equity, inclusion, representation, and justice in institutions of ballet and/or higher education;
  • institutional responsibilities and ethics;
  • issues of precarity/contingency, unions, or the material conditions of labor in ballet and higher education;
  • pandemic-era changes in institutions of ballet and higher education;
  • the ballet class as an institution;
  • digital media and educational technologies as related to the development and dissemination of ballet;
  • the presence of the body and embodied learning/pedagogies within institutional structures;
  • processes for critical feedback/feedforward, reviews, and dialogue in institutional settings;
  • assessment and accreditation issues at the classroom/studio and program levels;
  • intersections and barriers between institutions of ballet in higher education and the profession;
  • liberatory pedagogies and pedagogies that foster belonging in ballet and higher education.

Submission Guidelines

Proposals must demonstrate relevance to CORPS de Ballet International’s mission and objectives and connect to this year’s conference theme. Proposals may be for papers, panels, and workshops in pedagogy, methodology, curriculum development, administration, research, creativity, performance, or broader social/cultural/economic/political perspectives.

Adjudication of proposals for the 25th annual conference will be conducted through a blind review process. Proposals are scored individually by three adjudicators using an Abstract Assessment Rubric. Scores are averaged and a proposal is accepted based on the overall average score. To allow members ample opportunities to present research, applicants may only appear on one abstract proposal submission (including panel submissions) per conference.

Download the rubric HERE.

Submission Deadline: Monday, November 7, 2022 by 5pm Pacific/8pm Eastern.

  • The Conference Presentation Proposal Form must be completed per the instructions on the form.
  • Abstracts and Bibliographies must be anonymized for submission.
  • Membership and Conference fees: Proposals may be submitted by non-members or current members of CORPS de Ballet International. If accepted, each presenter must become a member or renew their membership. Only current CORPS members will be permitted to present at the conference. All presenters must register for the full conference. Membership and Conference Registration information is available at https://www.corps-de-ballet.org/.

Types of Presentations

Papers*

Individual conference papers will be assigned a 30-minute timeframe, which includes 5-10 minutes for Q&A. Proposals must be submitted via the Conference Presentation Proposal Form, which requires:

  • General presenter information
  • Presenter’s biography (250-word maximum)
  • Paper abstract (250-word maximum)
  • Sample bibliography
  • Requested technology and space requirements

*Accepted paper submissions may be scheduled in tandem, with a shared timeframe for Q&A, depending on content.

Panels

Group panels will be assigned a 45-60-minute timeframe (depending on content), which includes 10-15 minutes for Q&A. Proposals must be submitted via the Conference Presentation Proposal Form, which requires:

  • General presenter information for all panel members
  • Biographies for all panel members (250-word maximum each)
  • Overall panel description (250-word maximum)
  • Sample bibliography
  • Requested technology and space requirements

Other (Classes, Lecture/Demonstrations, Workshops, etc.)

Classes, Lecture/Demonstrations, Workshops, etc. will be allotted a 45-minute timeframe, which includes 5-10 minutes for Q&A. Proposals must be submitted via the Conference Presentation Proposal Form, which requires:

  • General presenter information for each presenter
  • Biographies for each presenter (250-word maximum each)
  • Overall description of session (250-word maximum)
  • Sample bibliography
  • Requested technology and space requirements

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT A PROPOSAL 

Questions?

Please contact Melonie B. Murray, CORPS President-Elect
melonie.murray@utah.edu