Contemporary Connections
Using Choreology to Increase Arts and Culture Engagement in Multi-Barriered Populations
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Carmen Moreira
I will present my organization as a case study. We designed our special blended social-cultural social enterprise to best serve vulnerable populations across Western and Northern Canada from the Area I of the Regional District of Central Kootenay. We use a mix of professional dancers and those with barriers to employment to deliver programming and put special role models in communities. Our interactive performance programming balances the promotion of positive social values with art and culture and physical activity for vulnerable populations. Blended value ensures we create long-term legacy relationships with inner-cities & remote and rural communities, but it also ensure the sustainability of the organization because of a diversified funding scheme. Blended value simultaneously requires that we have to specially train a workforce that is ready for the special challenges of serving diverse populations using social innovative art and culture programming. Furthermore, demand for our work is seemingly endless (both at home and abroad). This results in a systematic change in the demand for employees in contemporary dance.
Whose Chaozhou Pipa?: The Role of the Chaozhou Pipa Musicians
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Xinyang Wu
Chaozhou pipa is Chinese traditional folk instrument from the cultural of Chaoshan area, China. Due to the external communication of traditional culture in contemporary China，not only the Chaoshan people, a growing number of Chaoshan cultural outsiders are starting to learn to play Chaozhou Pipa which the traditional folk musical instrument of Chaoshan area. From the perspectives of musicians, this paper provides an investigation on Chaozhou Pipa players and the characteristics of performance and an analysis of ethnography and culture. It draws the following conclusions: Based on the oral data and related literature, today’s Chaozhou Pipa players are musicians inside and outside Chaoshan culture. Inside players are the holders of Chaoshan traditional culture and descendants of traditional Chaozhou Pipa performing. While the participation of the outside players provides a broader space for the development and spread of Chaozhou Pipa and its spirit of humanity. However, the cultural difference plays a crucial role in the performing difference between insiders and outsiders. It needs a long-term cultural accumulation to grasp the charm of Chaozhou Pipa, especially its essence of “alive.” Therefore, Chaozhou Pipa still belongs to the insiders of Chaoshan culture.
