ABSTRACT
The central dichotomy facing the choreographer-researcher is usually created by the differences of skills, knowledge and processes of professional choreography on the one hand and of academic practices on the other. Traditionally, professional dance training has been dominated by methods of apprenticeship, whilst the choreographer, having served an apprenticeship as performer, has relied on artistic exploration driven forward by intuitive leaps. In the university sector, however, the processes of academic research are based on systematic methods of enquiry leading to an expansion of knowledge. Can this division of practice and theory be integrated? If so, how can choreographers be supported, inspired and challenged when they place themselves and their work in the academic arena as postgraduate students? What kinds of investigative tools can be introduced to artist-researchers to aid their development, and what approaches can be taken to guide them towards reflection, interrogation and articulation of their professional dance-making processes?
