Dr. Kathrina Farrugia                                           
Tel: 020 7326 8078
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Email: kfarrugia@rad.org.uk

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Qualifications and Position:

LRAD, BA (Hons), MA (Distinction), Ph.D

Lecturer in Dance Studies

Background:

I am a graduate of the BA (Hons) Art and Teaching of Ballet (RAD/University of Durham) and Masters in Dance Studies (University of Surrey, 2005) and completed my doctoral thesis at London Metropolitan University (Ph.D 2012).  Following my Graduate Teaching Assistantship at the University of Surrey (2004-2005), I took up the position of Lecturer in Dance Studies at the Faculty of Education.  I set up dance company three-fortyone dances in 2003, touring fringe festivals of Edinburgh (2004) and Brighton (2007) as well as other European venues (2005, 2006).  I have also taught at Rhodes University (South Africa) and at the Dance Department at the University of Malta. 

Teaching:

BA (Hons) Dance Education (tutor)
BA (Hons) Ballet Education (tutor)
Master of Teaching: Dance (tutor)
Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies (tutor)

Research Interests and Projects:

My interests reside in the analysis of 20th and 21st Century balletic forms alongside the implications of exploring a transdisciplinary approach to resourcing histories (postmodern dance).  Between 2009 and 2012, I held post of E-Learning Development Co-Ordinator, leading the creative and pedagogical insights for online teaching and learning technologies for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes of study.  My PhD thesis outlines transmodern dance practices through reading the body of work by Angelin Preljocaj and Mauro Bigonzetti as well as their revisions of Les Noces (1923). I curated 1949-2009: a photographic exhibition celebrating continuity and change in dance teacher education and training, as well as managed the Faculty of Education’s Conference in October 2009.  Since 2010, I have been a guest lecturer at the Drama Department at Rhodes University (South Africa) and contributed to the programmes at the University of Malta in 2012. These experiences formed part of a project that was presented at Connecting Communities through Dancing (2012) organised by the Dance Research Forum Ireland. I also published a short article on these experiences in Focus on Education (Issue 3) .

Professional Activities:

Membership:

• Society of Dance History Scholars
• European Assocaition of Dance Historians
• Dance Research Forum Ireland
• National College for Teaching and Leadership

I served on the Committee of the European Association of Dance Historians (2007-2012) with a responsibility for online communications as well as part of the organising committees of conferences in London (2011) and Paris (2012).  I now serve as a Director on the Executive Board of Directors of the Society of Dance History Scholars (2012-2015).

Conference Presentations:

2013

Angelin Preljocaj, transmodern dance practices and the impACT of writing recent dance histories. Conference paper  at the Society of Dance History Scholars, Trondheim Norway, June 2013.

2012

Dancing through the archives in Reggio Emilia: tracing the heritage of Aterballetto and William Forsythe within the Teatro Romolo Valli Archives. Conference paper at the Society of Dance History Scholars, University of the Arts, Philadephia, June 2012.

Transmodern cultural connections: Exploring corporeal and choreographic memories from Trio A (Rainer, 1966) to Retrospective – altered daily (Parker, 2011). Conference paper at the 4th Dance Research Forum Ireland biannual conference, University of Ulster (Derry), July 2012

2011

Transmodern Dance Practices: Transgressing across genre boundaries, and revisionist (dis)placement in Romeo and Juliet (Bigonzetti, 2006). Conference paper at Dance and Cinema Conference, European Association of Dance Historians, October 2011.

Crossing boundaries, negotiating physicalities: Tracing transnational and transcultural performance heritage in Haka (Preljocaj, 2007). Conference paper at Confluences 6, University of Cape Town, South Africa , July 2011.

Caravaggio, creative catalysts and choreographic dramaturgy: Reading performativity and theatricality in Mauro Bigonzetti’s Caravaggio (2008). Conference paper at the Society for Dance History Scholars, York University Toronto, Canada, June 2011 .

2010

Improvising a tendu or two: Insights into journeying across imaginary boundaries between improvisation, ballet and choreography. Conference paper at the 3rd Dance Research Forum Ireland biannual conference, Firkan Crane Cork, June 2010.

Transdisciplinary approaches to constructing choreographic histories: Charting recent transnational and transcultural histories with particular reference to Angelin Preljocaj’s choreographic work (1984 – 2009). Conference paper at Trans.form@work Postgraduate Symposium (AHRC funded), University of Surrey, March 2010.

2009

Journeying through South African landscapes: geography, festivals and dance in the Eastern Cape. Paper in contribution to the Faculty of Education’s celebration of Black History Month, Royal Academy of Dance, October 28th.

Contributing paper to Tracing the trends, mapping the practices: historiography, pedagogy and assessment in Ballet studies at undergraduate level. Conference panel as contribution to Global perspectives on dance pedagogy - research and practice at de Montfort University, Congress on Research in Dance Annual Conference, June 25th – 27th.

Moving beyond and in between: implications of cross and transdisciplinary methodologies for 21st Century pedagogies for teaching dance studies. Conference paper as contribution to Global perspectives on dance pedagogy - research and practice at de Montfort University, Congress on Research in Dance Annual Conference, June 25th – 27th.

(Dis)placing choreographic traditions: Tracing the legacies, traditions and export of 20th C choreographic endeavours by Mauro Bigonzetti. Conference paper as contribution to Topographies: Sites, Bodies, and Technologies at Stanford University San Francisco, the Society for Dance History Scholars Annual conference, June 19 – 22 .

Doctoral Research Presentation. Academic Presentation at London Metropolitan University, Humanities, Arts, Languages & Education department, April 7th 2009.

2008

Pedagogy & practice in undergraduate studies: exploring an inter/cross/transdisciplinary model for choreographic practice and analysis. Conference paper at the 2nd Dance Research Forum Ireland biannual conference , Tralee, June 27th 2008.

Doctoral Research Presentation. Academic Presentation at London Metropolitan University, Humanities, Arts & Languages department, March 19th 2008.

2007

Evolving alternative forms of analytical enquiry: defining balletic transmodernist practices. Academic Presentation at the Royal Academy of Dance, INSET training day, November 22nd 2007.

Research Supervision:

Approaches to analysing dance; Ballet performance histories (20th and 21st century)
Ballet education and training; Dance in Higher Education; Vocational dance training and examination syllabi; Choreographic revisions and genre & style analyses

Publications:

Farrugia K. 2011. Crossing boundaries, negotiating physicalities: Tracing transnational and transcultural performance heritage in Haka (Preljocaj, 2007). Conference proceedings of Confluences 6, University of Cape Town, South Africa.

Farrugia K. 2011. Caravaggio, creative catalysts and choreographic dramaturgy: Reading performativity and theatricality in Mauro Bigonzetti’s Caravaggio (2008). Conference proceedings of the Society for Dance History Scholars, York University Toronto, Canada.

Farrugia K. 2010. Improvising a tendu or two: Insights into journeying across imaginary boundaries between improvisation, ballet and choreography. Conference proceedings of the 3rd Dance Research Forum Ireland biannual conference, Firkan Crane Cork, Ireland.

Farrugia, K., Groves, M. & Price, H. 2009. Tracing the trends, mapping the practices: historiography, pedagogy and assessment in Ballet studies at undergraduate level. Conference proceedings of the Congress on Research in Dance Annual Conference Global perspectives on dance pedagogy - research and practice at de Montfort University.

Farrugia K. 2009. Moving beyond and in between: implications of cross and transdisciplinary methodologies for 21st Century pedagogies for teaching dance studies. Conference proceedings of the Congress on Research in Dance Annual Conference Global perspectives on dance pedagogy - research and practice at de Montfort University.

Farrugia K. 2009. (Dis)placing choreographic traditions: Tracing the legacies, traditions and export of 20th C choreographic endeavours by Mauro Bigonzetti. Conference proceedings of the Society for Dance History Scholars Annual conference Topographies: Sites, Bodies, and Technologies at Stanford University San Francisco.

Farrugia K. 2008. Pedagogy & practice in undergraduate studies: exploring an inter/cross/transdisciplinary model for choreographic practice and analysis. Conference proceedings of the 2nd Dance Research Forum Ireland biannual conference, Tralee, Ireland.

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