ABOUT

“Imagine stepping out of survival mode. Imagine feeling like you’re not on your own. Imagine working without anxieties creeping up between projects. Imagine making decisions today while thinking of a decade from now - or even better, of the next generation.” 

That’s sustainability. 

Between the magnitude of the crises we are enduring and the inherited practices and infrastructures of short-term thinking, it is crucial that we (re)investigate what sustainability of dance could look like today, tomorrow, and in the future.

This is what CATAPULT.body* | the micro-forum** is about!

Yaraqa and British Council Lebanon have partnered up to create a space for professionals in dance & movement + other industries (health, design, technology and more) to come together and challenge the practices & assumptions of moving forward during hard-to-predict times.

PROGRAM AT A GLANCE

Participants took part in a thought-provoking program, full of multifaceted debates and interactive sessions - to explore different perspectives and ask questions. We are not only interested in information & insights, but also in active participation, sharing, and connecting.

DAY 1 / Online

Friday March 04, 2022 - 15:00 - 19:00 (GMT +2)

  • on Airmeet social webinar platform

  • open to a limited number of dance & movement professionals working in Lebanon, UK & beyond

  • Can the practice of sustainability be done without sacrificing the present for the future? and vice versa?

    [ debate ]

  • Can we find unexpected alliances with other industries that can translate into new projects and opportunities?

    [ roundtable discussions + working sessions ]

  • An inspirational lecture, more to come soon

    [ lecture ]

DAY 2 / In-person

Saturday March 05, 2022  - 10:30 - 17:30 (GMT +2)

  • at Mina Image Center, Beirut-Lebanon

  • open to a limited number of dance & movement professionals working in Lebanon

  • While mapping out our own ecosystems, can we uncover hidden partnerships and new ways of working?

    [ lectures + working session ]

  • Can we rewrite our own narratives to better position and embed ourselves in the larger context?

    [ lecture + presentations ]

  • How do we redraw the roadmap forward in a way that makes us indispensable?

    [ presentation + working session ]

SPEAKERS

 

Emma Jayne Park - Gretna / Scotland

Emma is a dancer, theatre maker, collaborator, facilitator, movement director, trainee intimacy coordinator, choreographer,… [read more]

Jana Al Obeidyine - Beirut / Lebanon

Jana is a dancer, dance researcher, and founding editor of A Dance Mag, an independent print magazine about dance in all its forms… [read more]

Ibrahim Nehme - Beirut / Lebanon

Ibrahim is a creator and curator working on new media. His work is a cross-pollination between journalism, activism and creative expression… [read more]

Dima Boulad - Dubai / UAE

Dima is a designer with over 12 years of experience helping private and public organizations improve their customer-centric practices … [read more]

Elaine Kordys - Helensburgh, Argyll and Bute / Scotland

Elaine trained in Dance Movement Therapy and presently studying on the MSc in Dementia Studies through Stirling University… [read more]

Michelle Ellsworth - Boulder / USA

Michelle is an American dancer and performance artist, as well as a Professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance at… [read more]

Ferdinand Richard - Marseille / France

Ferdinand is the founder/director of A.M.I./Marseille, multi-sectoral cultural development local platform, including extensive international cooperation programme… [read more]

Adrian Pepe - Beirut / Lebanon

Adrian is an artist and designer. His work focuses on craftsmanship from socio-cultural, aesthetic, ecological and methodological perspectives.… [read more]

Vasileios Boukis - Greece

Vasileios is a multi-disciplinary artist, engineer and musician. His work frequently involves motion detection and analysis, electronics, projection mapping, game engines… [read more]

Carole Guertler -

Zurich / Switzerland

Carole is an independent consultant in sustainable development, cultural & creative economies and media… [read more]

Reem Kassem - Egypt

Reem is a cultural producer & policy researcher, founder of AGORA for Arts & Culture, co-founder of Basita.live, and a cultural manager and researcher… [read more]

Maia Malas - Dubai / UAE

As a Development Producer, Maia works with Arab storytellers on great ideas from script to screen. I have a mixed bag of experience having worked on films... [read more]

James Tyson - London / UK

James works as a Programme Manager for Theatre & Dance at the British Council in London, where he advises on and facilitates projects connecting arts organisations.... [read more]

PARTNERS

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO

whatsapp or call: +961 79 316 726 | email: catapultbody@yaraqa.com

* what is CATAPULT.body?

The micro-forum is the first component of the CATAPULT.body program that is part of a larger pilot initiative launched by British Council Lebanon’s Arts and Culture department - CATAPULT - as a talent development program in partnership with pre-existing hubs in different creative sectors.[read more here]

* how did it all start?

This micro-forum has grown out of the input of dance & movement professionals working in Lebanon who participated in a study that aims to understand their needs and aspirations today.