The 6th International Dance and Somatic Practices Conference 2023

For information on the 6th International Dance and Somatic Practices Conference 2023, including registration fees and accommodation options, please visit the conference webpage. 

Special Issue Call for Papers 

Submissions open: 16 July 2023

Deadline for submissions: 2 October 2023

Acceptance notification for going forward for peer review: 4 December 2023

Peer review round 1: 4 December 2023

Peer review round 2: 4 March 2024

Publication: 2024

This Special Issue celebrates the 6th International Dance and Somatic Practices Conference – Reconnections: Looking back, moving forward, enacting change.

The conference invited practitioners, dance artists and scholars from a range of somatic practices and disciplines to debate and share investigations in the field of somatic informed movement practices. This year we meet in person and online.

The conference – Reconnections: Looking back, moving forward, enacting change – offers a space to collectively engage with themes pertinent to the field of somatic practices internationally and to consider recent world events and concerns such as COVID-19, social justice, and the climate emergency. Historically, the Dance and Somatic Practices Conference has been a moment for all areas of somatic practice, research, and other modes of somatic enquiry to meet and share experience, knowledge, and connection. This year we have recognized a need and desire in the wider somatic community to gather in this way again. Welcoming different perspectives from the ever-enrichening field, we also want to acknowledge, celebrate, and honour who and what has come before, to reflect on what has happened in recent years and to collectively explore current and future priorities for our community.

This call is open to all. We invite submissions from those that will have presented at this year’s conference as well as from those whose proposals were not accepted to the conference and others who do not fall into one of these groups. Submissions can be traditional scholarly papers, manifestos, autoethnographic pieces, artists pages, lyrical nonfiction, artworks etc. A guide to submissions in alternative formats can be found here:

https://www.coventry.ac.uk/globalassets/media/global/08-New-Research-Section/C-DaRE/Guidlines-for-JDSP-alternative-formats.pdf

Submissions should address one or more of the following questions:

•What do you consider are key topics of enquiry in the field today?

•What do you consider are the pressing questions that will need to be addressed into the future?

•What do you consider are the emerging topics of enquiry and how are these supported by the legacies in the field?

•How do you imagine we might we continue to develop sustainable formats for somatic practice and research, whether through conference, journals, or other modalities?

•What, in your opinion, has been missed in our explorations of somatics so far?

The call is open to themes and perspectives such as but not limited to:

screen dance; dance science; spirituality; body and environment; social justice; climate emergency; pedagogy and performance; politics and trauma; embodiment; ethics; care; technology; and non-western perspectives.

Submissions are open from 16 July 2023. Please submit via the ‘Submit’ link on the JDSP webpage, which will direct to the JDSP submissions system. Select the section ‘Special Issue articles’.

General Call for Papers*

*The call for papers for general issues is temporarily closed and will re-open soon.

The Journal of Dance and Somatic Practices (JDSP) (ISSN 1757-1871) is an international refereed journal published twice a year by Intellect. It has been in publication since 2009 for scholars and practitioners whose research interests focus on the relationship between dance and somatic practices, and the influence that this body of practice exerts on the wider performing art. 

JDSP is committed to open dialogue, rigorous enquiry and inclusive practice. We seek to broaden the spectrum of voices featured in our pages and to challenge hierarchies of knowledge by encouraging contributions from artists, movers and thinkers of all backgrounds. We consider dance and somatic practices as endeavours toward tuning sensing, responsive bodies and response-able, open minds. In this spirit, we value viewpoint diversity by encouraging open conversation and a generosity of spirit when engaging with topics and lines of enquiry which may be considered controversial or marginalized. All our submissions are double-blind peer reviewed, and we welcome a variety of non-traditional formats. We recognize that the Journal serves and seeks to more accurately represent and support people from historically underrepresented groups including (but not limited to) the Global Majority/BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities, and ethnic, linguistic, cultural and religious minorities.

JDSP invites submissions on an ongoing basis. Themes might include:

• The pedagogical philosophy of somatics and how this might be seen to challenge or negate dominant approaches to learning and creativity

• The history of somatic practices

• The current application of somatics to dance/performing arts training and education

• The aesthetic implications of working with/from a somatic understanding

• The ‘body’ as a site of discourse in western culture, the influence of eastern cultures on notions of embodiment and how somatic practices challenge/collude with these ideas.

• The future of somatic practices - challenges, critique and connections with other disciplines.

Standard articles should be in the range of 4–6000 words. More playful contributions are welcomed, particularly those that include images, but if a contributor has a particular idea in mind that might deviate from the template they must contact the editors first to discuss the possibilities and prior to submitting a contribution and contributors need to work within the existing journal design template (a free to view issue is available on the Intellect website as illustration). The guidelines for alternative formats can be found here.

Alternative Text for Images

As part of Intellect’s commitment to innovation and accessibility, we ask our authors to provide descriptive text alternatives for all images, graphs and figures in your work. Authors must download and complete an Alternative Text Form to accompany any figures submitted with your article.

All articles submitted should be original work and must not be under consideration by other publications. Journal contributors will receive a free PDF copy of their final work upon publication.

Enquiries regarding reviews should be sent to the Reviews Editors, Lily Hayward-Smith (aa2849@coventry.ac.uk) and Marie-Louise Crawley (ad1803@coventry.ac.uk).

Call for Board Members

We are currently recruiting 4 new board members. 

The role of board member involves:

• Peer reviewing article submissions as a practitioner and/or scholar
• Attending online board meetings every 4 months
• Contributing to or proposing special issues
• Encouraging new authors and submissions
• Advising on the future direction of the journal 

We welcome applicants at all stages of their career, scholars and/or practitioners, who are:

• Engaged in the field of dance and somatic practices, and how this intersects with education, performing arts, health, spirituality, and/or social justice
• Interested in journal peer review and production processes (e.g. copyediting, proof-reading or supporting alternative formats such as artist pages and audio-visual content)
• Committed to support authors in their development
• Passionate about accessibility of and public engagement with journal content
• Willing to promote journal issues and calls for papers to potential authors/ readers, such as at conferences and events or on social media
• Committed to equity, ethics and improving review/publication processes 

We have a particular interest in expertise in one or more of these areas:

Metrics, Communications and public engagement, Board/peer reviewer development, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), Editing and language skills. 

For those who are interested, there is also the possibility to get involved in editorial assistance such as sending articles for peer review and contributing to the production process. We can also offer the opportunity to be mentored by the editorial team if requested, to ensure a diverse and dynamic leadership of the journal in years to come. Please state on your application if this is of interest.

The Journal of Dance & Somatic Practices is committed to open dialogue, rigorous enquiry and inclusive practice. We seek to broaden the spectrum of voices leading the journal and featured in our pages and to challenge hierarchies of knowledge by encouraging contributions from artists, movers and thinkers of all backgrounds. We particularly welcome board members from historically underrepresented groups in somatic practice and research.

We recognize that the journal serves and seeks to more accurately represent and support people from historically underrepresented groups including (but not limited to) Global Majority/BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and disabled communities. We also welcome applicants who can contribute knowledge of somatic practices beyond a western cultural context. The publication language of JDSP is English but we also welcome people with other language skills as we increasingly get submissions from around the world and include abstracts in a range of languages. 

If you would like to apply for the position, please send an email to the address below, enclosing your CV and a brief cover letter detailing why you are a suitable prospective board member. We look forward to receiving your application no later than 15 June 2023. 

We are running an online ‘cafe’ on 25 May 2023 at 12:00–13:00 BST about the role of a board member, where you will have the opportunity to ask questions. Please get in touch if you would like to join the cafe.

Applications will be reviewed by the editorial team in conjunction with the EDI working group of the journal to ensure a fair and transparent recruitment process. 

This is an unpaid role, however board members gain free online access to journal content. Applicants are welcome to highlight particular areas they want to develop as part of the role and/or limitations on their availability. 

Contact: JDSP@coventry.ac.uk

Call for Book Reviewers

The editors of JDSP are looking for new writers to conduct book, performance and event reviews for upcoming journal issues. We have a list of books inline for review already, however we also welcome proposals for new reviews. We welcome applicants at all stages of their career, scholars and/or practitioners; however, this opportunity would suit postgraduate researchers, early career researchers and/or anyone looking to develop their writing for journals and or gain experience in writing for journals. 

This is a voluntary role. Each reviewer receives a copy of the book they are reviewing and free online access to the JDSP issue that their review is published in. We also welcome reviews of conferences, performances, workshops, festivals, websites and other resources. 

Review details:

• For books: Once a reviewer has been confirmed, a review copy is ordered. Once the copy is received the reviewer will normally submit a first draft in six weeks.
• Proposals for reviews of conferences etc. are accepted by email to jdsp@coventry.ac.uk
• We receive full review submissions for JDSP online here: https://callisto.newgen.co/intellect/index.php/JDSP/information/authors
• Reviews are generally between 1000–1500 words depending on the resource being reviewed.
• Reviews are reviewed by the Reviews Editors, Marie-Louise Crawley and Lily Hayward-Smith. This is an open review process unlike the blind peer review process for other JDSP. 

Review guidelines:

Book reviews should contain a brief description of content and summary of the book, including its main themes and conclusions.

The purpose of the review is to convey clearly the essence of the book and to reflect critically on the book’s key points.

The review should be a fair appraisal of the book that assesses the strengths and weaknesses of the book.

It should also describe the relevance of the book to various audiences including practitioners, students and researchers and the readership community of JDSP.

Other elements that could be considered include:

• place of the book in the wider context,
• writing style,
• structure,
• format and
• design etc. 

The length of a book review can be up to 1000 words. The journal commissions and

accepts proposals for longer review essays on events, performances, festivals and so on.

Please state all the relevant information about the book/event: full title, author, publisher,

place of publication, date of publication, ISBN, number of pages, paperback/hardback. Please also remember to put your own name, short bio, contact e-mail address, postal address and any institutional affiliation after your review. 

The Journal of Dance and Somatic Practices is committed to open dialogue, rigorous enquiry, and inclusive practice. We seek to broaden the spectrum of voices leading the journal and featured in our pages and to challenge hierarchies of knowledge by encouraging contributions from artists, movers, and thinkers of all backgrounds. We particularly welcome reviewers from historically underrepresented groups in somatic practice and research. 

We recognize that the Journal serves and seeks to more accurately represent and support people from historically underrepresented groups including (but not limited to) Global Majority/BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and disabled communities. We also welcome applicants who can contribute knowledge of somatic practices beyond a Western cultural context. The publication language of JDSP is English but we also welcome people with other language skills as we increasingly get submissions from around the world and include abstracts in a range of languages.  

If you are interested in getting involved, please contact the editors at jdsp@coventry.ac.uk. 

Publishing Webinars 

Registration details for the next JDSP Online Webinars coming soon.

At JDSP, we are dedicated to finding new ways of ensuring ethical and fair practices, equality and diversity throughout our work at all levels; and to ensure that all voices and all bodies are supported and represented by the journal’s work in dance and somatic scholarship and practice. 

As such, we wanted to open out to you, our community, to demystify the processes of submitting work to the journal – whether that be standard written articles or through less traditional formats exploring practice, working as a peer reviewer, getting involved with editorial work or what it means to be a Board member. 

We have curated three webinars to answer and discuss any questions that you may have about authoring, submitting and reviewing, in the hope of beginning to break down any barriers to engagement with the journal’s work and academic publishing in dance scholarship more broadly.  

JDSP is an international refereed journal published twice a year. It has been in publication since 2009 for scholars and practitioners whose research interests focus on the relationship between dance and somatic practices, and the influence that this body of practice exerts on the wider performing arts. In recent years, somatic practices have become more central to many artists’ work and have become more established within educational and training programmes. Despite this, as a body of work it has remained largely at the margins of scholarly debate, finding its presence predominantly through the embodied knowledge of practitioners and their performative contributions.