Soup Talk Panel returns to Moving in November, again drawing connections and discussing between the educational and professional realities of contemporary dance and performance. This year’s theme is Enduring pathways: contemporary dance education today and tomorrow.

In this panel discussion MA dance programs from Helsinki, Oslo and Vilnius gather to discuss topics of educational and professional development in the field of contemporary dance. As a starting point, the discussion dives into dialogue with the Moving in November’s artistic director Kerstin Schroth’s Pre-note, which ponders about the possibilities to grow something delicate, fragile and enduring in an unstable environment.

In times where the boundaries between disciplines are constantly shifting and broadening, and the demands on dancers as creators, performers, and thinkers continue to evolve, institutions of higher learning are challenged to remain relevant, responsive, and visionary–enduring. The panel conversation invites the participants and the audience to think together how educational programs and pedagogical approaches are adapting to meet the complex realities of contemporary dance practices today, in relation to and in dialogue with international dance festivals such as Moving in November.

The panel of artists, educators and dance students will reflect on the pathways that prepare dance artists to perform, to question, to lead and develop their art. The aim of the discussion is not only to reflect on the existing models of dance education but also to take the gathering as a chance to imagine new, delicate possibilities across the educational programs and professional dance fields.

This panel talk is a part of the Focus on the Local Landscape within the frame of Moving in November.