How Can We Move?

Join EDN’s Online Conference on Dance and Wellbeing

The artform of dance is a cultural practice that embodies the movement and transformation of our societies today.

Dance is increasingly recognised for its contribution to wellbeing and social cohesion. How can we ensure that the principles of care and wellbeing are embedded within the dance sector itself?

This conference invites sector representatives, artists, administrators, public funders, and decision makers to explore how support structures can nurture both the societal impact of dance, and the wellbeing of those who sustain it.

The event will offer an engaging programme of participatory movement practices, conversation sessions, keynotes, and the presentation of EDN’s new research publication by Monica Gillette Practices of Care and Wellbeing in Contemporary Dance: Evidence from the Field.

We hope you'll join us for this important conversation. The event is free of charge. Registrations are open!

Advocacy Campaign

EDN's Tactics for Care campaign highlights the intersection of dance and wellbeing and calls for policy changes that recognize and support dance's contributions to societal development.

As the EU-funded network of dance development organisations, EDN advocates for improved working conditions for dance artists and other professionals, dedicated dance infrastructure, and sustainable funding mechanisms that rightfully reflect the public and societal value of the professional dance ecosystem.

Evidence from the Field

Throughout the year, the EDN members and partners hosted a series of workshops, think-tanks and online meetings to explore multiple aspects of the topic and apply different perspectives to this cross-sectoral inquiry.

Facilitator and dance dramaturg Monica Gillette has accompanied EDN in mapping the practices of care and wellbeing in the contemporary dance culture.

The conference is designed as a presentation of the mapping and invites you to experience diverse perspectives and contributions on the topic.

About the Author

Monica Gillette is a dance dramaturg and facilitator. After dancing professionally she now guides multiple projects with dance as a pathway for social engagement and multigenerational cultural exchange.

As a dramaturg she accompanied several European funded projects: Migrant Bodies - Moving Borders (2017-2019), Empowering Dance (2018-2023) and Dancing Museums - The Democracy of Beings (2020-2021) and continues to accompany Dance Well (2022-2025) and Moving Borders (2023-2025). For each of those projects she authors and edits digital publications for the dissemination of the knowledge and skills developed in the project. 

For the writing of this report, Monica Gillette draws from the experiences of facilitating embodied sessions and the transformation process with the team at Tanzhaus Zürich. Together with Gwen Hsin-Yi Chang she is newly appointed as the Artistic Direction team for the Tanztriennale, taking place in Hamburg in 2026.

About the Project

Each year, the EDNext project investigates important topics relevant to the development of the contemporary dance sector and disseminates the findings. Browse through EDN's open-access resources to discover our recent work.

EDN's 2024 programme, research and publication are brought to you with the support of the European Union's Creative Europe programme as part of the EU-funded project 101053456 EDNext.