Miranda Celeste Laurence

I am undertaking my PhD at Centre for Dance Research, Coventry University, UK and Department of Dramaturgy and Musicology, Aarhus University, DK, as part of the ‘Mobilizing Dramaturgy’ co-tutelle programme funded through Coventry University. I am under supervision from Prof Susanne Foellmer, Prof Peter Boenisch, Dr Marie-Louise Crawley, and Siobhan Davies.

My PhD research approaches dance dramaturgy practice from the perspective of movement in space. I explore spatial concepts often used to describe dance dramaturgy practices, such as outside-inside, near-distant, moving-between, navigation and map-making. Working from these concepts, I investigate how we might reconceptualise dance dramaturgy practices, for example considering journeys and wayfaring as a conceptual starting point.

I work with movement inquiry as a method, asking: as a dance dramaturg, how can I practise, and research my practice, through movement? What pathways can movement inquiry open for exploring concepts related to dramaturgy and wider fields?

Through my research I aim to open a dialogue between dance dramaturgy practice and practices of spatial design, especially in the realm of public space (e.g. urban design, landscape architecture). I’m curious to ask: how might an architect/spatial designer and a dance dramaturg work together? What concepts, epistemologies and practices could be offered in exchange to enrich each discipline?

Further research interests include thinking through dance dramaturgy practice as collaborative and dialogic process, asking what dance dramaturgy may be, beyond the creative process of making an artistic work.

I am interested in opening dialogues and movement inquiries with dramaturgs, spatial designers, public artists, movement practitioners, scenographers, and others, to explore the idea of 'thinking-in-movement' and understand what this exploration and exchange can offer to different disciplinary practices and concepts.

I am an independent dance dramaturg and cultural producer, with over 10 years’ experience working in the dance and arts development sectors. My practice and professional development have been supported by awards from Arts Council England, Oxford Dance Forum and South East Dance. In my work as a cultural producer, I have led on public-facing arts development programmes both in freelance and in employed roles for several small and national charities and arts organisations, two local authorities, and for the University of Reading.

My academic background in literature includes a BA (first class) and M.St. (distinction) in English and German, both at the University of Oxford. In my Masters research I explored the relationship between texts, narratology, and identity theories, specifically focusing on the interaction between bodily experiences, writing, and reading. 

Throughout my career, I have been interested in facilitating a bridge between academic research and other forms of knowledge. As an undergraduate, I initiated and ran for the next ten years ‘Dance and Academia: Moving the Boundaries’. This programme of 20 linked conferences and seminars brought together in total over 50 academics from different disciplines, movement practitioners, and others to explore common questions through the lens of dance. This project has underpinned my ongoing interest in dance as a way of knowing, or a way of understanding ideas, rather than as an object of study in itself.

As a dance dramaturg I have collaborated with over 20 dance artists and companies working in a range of dance forms, including South Asian classical dance, hip hop dance theatre, screen dance, and contemporary dance. I have facilitated workshops for theatre venues, HE institutions and dance / dramaturgy development organisations, and regularly facilitate public work-in-progress events. As a board member for the Dramaturgs’ Network, I coordinate events and activity for dramaturgs across the country.

In my cultural producing work I have developed and commissioned a number of projects across all artforms, with an emphasis on community-facing and public art work. Beyond producing and project management, my work has focused on strategic development and partnership building within and beyond the arts sector. I've established and built partnerships with charities and public sector services with emphases including youth, health, ageing, pulic engagement in research, primary and secondary education, disability, adult education, urban development, and place-based community development.