In November 2019 Oxford Dance Writers (ODW) celebrated its 10th anniversary with a reception at the North Wall Arts Centre to mark the occasion. The evening provided a joyful opportunity for members of the wider Oxford dance and performing arts community to come together and catch up. A panel of guest speakers discussed dance writing each from their own specific perspective. Dance critic and historian Nadine Meisner entertained us with stories of the dance reviewer’s rackety life, but also described her experiences drawing together her authoritative biography of Marius Petipa published in the summer. Dance artist Nicholas Minns, reflected thoughtfully on his emergence as a dance blogger and online critic covering a wide spectrum of dance performance, and the writers influencing him in developing a distinctive voice and perspective. Professor Susan Jones, the driving force behind Dance Scholarship Oxford (DANSOX) which has scheduled so many fascinating events (talks, seminars, lecture demonstrations, residencies) in recent years, gave insight into the place and potential of dance within Oxford University, and its enriching contribution to innovative interdisciplinary research projects and outreach. Oxford University Press mounted an impressive display of its varied publications on dance for those attending to browse and purchase.
ODW emerged from Ballet in Small Spaces’ The Solos Project in 2009 as an initiative to encourage critical writing and online discussion of dance, and generate informed reviews of the work of local dance artists. Since then it has become a valuable record of dance performance activity in and around Oxford, listing forthcoming events as well as reviewing, bearing witness to dance in Oxford; generating an archive of the diverse and idiosyncratic dance history of a particular place. Aiming to be a space for informed debate it has played a significant part in raising the profile of dance in Oxford, and developing its audience. ODW has run three Dance Writers of the Future competitions to encourage younger writers. It tracks and reports on academic dance initiatives such as Dance Scholarship Oxford and Dance and Academia events, and regularly reviews dance publications both academic and popular. It has had the support of Oxfordshire venues who provide press tickets for ODW reviewers, and of publishers who have provided review copies of dance books.
Over the last ten years 40 writers have been featured, with substantial contributions from Susie Crow and Maggie Watson. As well as academics (such as Miranda Laurence, Dana Mills) contributors have included local dance artists (including Ana Barbour, Jane Connelly, Rachel Gildea, Lisia Newmark); occasional guest writers (Nicholas Minns of writingaboutdance.com, Rebecca Nice, Emily May, art historian Barbara Berrington, former Oxford Times dance critic David Bellan); local dance lovers (such as Jess Ryan-Phillips, Susannah Harris-Wilson, Susanna Reece); and young writers who have entered our competitions. ODW reaches a significant number of dance professionals and enthusiasts in the Oxfordshire area, and despite its mainly local focus the site also has an international following.
ODW now extends its grateful thanks to all who have contributed writing and who have supported the site in other ways over the years. A special thanks to Maggie Watson who has recently completed with distinction an MA in Ballet Studies at the University of Roehampton, for so regularly contributing thoughtful, perceptive and empathetic reviews of a wide range of performances and publications. With particular reference to our anniversary celebration, special mention must go to our wise and encouraging speakers, to Oxford Dance Forum for its generous support, to The North Wall for hosting us in such welcoming fashion, and to Oxford University Press for its enticing display of dance publications which prompted much pre Christmas buying. And a final shout out for local dance and visual artist Naomi Morris for her beautiful images for ODW publicity materials.
We look forward to continuing… watch this space! Your interest and comments will be greatly valued.
Wishing you all the best for 2020 and the coming decade,
Susie Crow
You can find information about Nadine Meisner’s biography Marius Petipa: The Emperor’s Ballet Master here or why not drop into the OUP Bookshop at 116-117, High St, Oxford OX1 4BZ.
Read Nicholas Minns’ latest reviews on his blog writingaboutdance.com here
Find out about Dance Scholarship Oxford, DANSOX, here
and about Dance and Academia here
Information about Oxford Dance Forum and its activities can be found here
Oxford Dance Writers 
January 1, 2020 at 5:45 pm
[…] At the end of the summer I took time from editing to attend with Ségolène Tarte the annual Back to the Barre course taught in Guildford by Anya Grinsted, whose work with vocational students I had observed for the research. A valuable opportunity for us both to practically experience the Audrey de Vos inspired conditioning work that precedes and influences Anya’s classes, and we had much stimulating discussion in the car there and back. As the autumn progressed it was also a last chance to celebrate an auspicious anniversary; 10 years of existence of Oxford Dance Writers. This blog encouraging writing and informed debate about dance had emerged alongside Ballet in Small Spaces‘ The Solos Project at the Burton Taylor Studio in January 2009, to generate reviews and discussion of the work of Oxford based dance artists, and to raise the profile of dance in a city where there is great enthusiasm for dance, but with activity happening largely below the radar of public attention and support. Over ten years the site has developed into an extensive archive of Oxford’s dance history, and a go-to site for information about dance events and reviews. It seemed important to celebrate this and look forward to another decade; you can read an account of this happy occasion here. […]