The network of care that enabled this work is made up of people, organisations, and animals, to whom I owe a debt of gratitude.
Before the PhD began Simon Ellis and Efrosini Protopapa hooked me into artistic practice research in 2014 during my master’s studies, giving me the confidence to apply for a scholarship through the Arts and Humanities Research Council, Techne Doctoral Training Partnership. Techne have not only financially supported my PhD but also two work placements, firstly with Protein Dance (July to September 2021), and secondly helping curate a Techne celebratory event and exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art (July to September 2023). I have been skilfully guided on this journey by Supervisors Efrosini Protopapa, Sara Houston, and Stacey Prickett (2018-2019) who have challenged and held me up when I needed it the most. Your expertise, craft and care for me and this project has been heartening, while in the background there were two stressful and hurtful rounds of university redundancies which really knocked the wind out of the dance department.
The arc of this project encompasses the birth of my daughter, born just before the Covid-19 pandemic. Max, you are a ray of sunshine, warmly reminding me that this is just a PhD, and that swimming, crafting, cooking, and playing obstacle courses in the living room are much more important. This work is for you, in the hope that the world will be a more caring place in your future. Helping me juggle this PhD with being a mum is my partner in parenting and life, the joyful scouser Gav; he has lived and breathed this journey with me from conception to completion; and my parents, Mary, and Richard, for their energy and belief, for their support with extra childcare. Tina our pug, who sat diligently by my side and took me for daily walks. Turner, our black cat who sat on my desk and tried to make a few additions to the thesis. Tiger, our community cat who lies on the bins, greeting passersby and popping up to say hello when he wants some food.
There are several skilled professionals to thank for giving me the strategies to keep going and stay well; Aled Darlington, a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner, and Bianca Carlse, a Physiotherapist who helped put me back together when my body unravelled at the end of 2021; Coach, June Gamble; the artists, practitioners and scholars who provided invaluable training through Techne – in particular, Anne Wilson and Katie Grant for their brilliant writing and editing workshops and Emma Brodzinski for her Breathing Space programme; the many dance artists and gentle activists whose work I admire and are too many to name, but I will highlight two: Stella Howard and Maria da Luz Ghoumrassi, who I have worked with most recently and who helped me unravel the creative through line between Phases One and Two of the project, in exchange for tea and cake; the artists who volunteered to explore some early choreographic ideas in Tourist, through a residency at Clarence Mews – Amy Robinson, Georgia Poole, Keira Matthews, Laura Tham, Natalie Coe, Poppy Barnes, and to Caroline Salem for your mentorship; Melanie Clarke at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, for your flexibility in my teaching responsibilities, and my students who have participated in practice and discussions on the topic of care aesthetics and community dance.
This work has enabled a rich dialogue with my neighbourhood and there are people organisations who gifted me space to work; Jane Downes and Woolwich Common Community Centre and Tatayana da Souza and the Woolwich Centre Library. I am forever grateful to Nhi and the Greenwich Vietnam Women who I met when I wandered into the Woolwich Common Community Centre in 2019; you have given me so much warmth, laughter and delicious Pho in our dancing and gardening experiences together; Melanie Precious at Greenwich Dance for trusting me with such wonderful local artistic projects; Rob Timmer at Royal Borough of Greenwich for taking an interest in this work from early on; and the local people who have contributed and who are named on page 11 and throughout the thesis.
Being part of a Techne cohort and Roehampton research community has brought with it the joys of companionship from other artists and scholars. I am lucky to have friends who have listened, hugged, and distracted me: Ab, Alex, Amy, Ashleigh, Bahar, Bill, Claire, Danielle, Debbie, Dennie, Emma, Jen, Katy, Lauren, Loretta, Lucinda, Nat, Peter, Rich, Roberta, Tiggs. And to Glen, we miss your dearly. To Wolf and Amici Dance Theatre Company – I have missed you and am excited to dance together soon. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
woolwich wandering 