The Performance Studies content area of the Northeast Popular/American Culture Association is now welcoming submissions for our virtual Fall conference! The conference will be held Thursday, Oct. 21 – Saturday, Oct. 23.

We invite the community to submit proposals for this year’s conference in the Performance Studies content area. (For a full list of content areas, visit the NEPCA website.) The Performance Studies content embraces interdisciplinary scholarship and critical approaches to the music, dancing, performance, and live art. Areas of interest include technology and influences of social media, emerging dance forms, digital archives, embodiment, identity, nationhood, migration, postcolonialism, gender and sexuality and can surround topics including but not limited to:

• Music and dance as an art forms and a system of representation and communication
• Music, dance, performance, and live art within the context of history, politics, economics, religion, philosophy, psychology, sociology, etc.
• The role of genre in music, dance, performance, and live art
• How musical production and performance can function as a form of social/cultural expression and identity
• How technology (including various modes of industry, transportation, communication, and entertainment) has affected the evolution of music, dance, performance, and live art
• Musical theatre
• Divas and icons

The call is open until Aug. 1. You can submit your proposal at this link, which will ask for the following:

• Proposal Type (Single Presentation or Panel)
• Subject Area
• Working Title
• Abstract (250 words)
• Short bio (50-200 words)

Papers/presentations are generally 15-20 minutes in length. We also encourage works in progress and informal presentations. The key expectations are that:

• The proposal should be rooted in research. We do not automatically exclude original poetry, composed works of fiction, or musical/dance/storytelling performance, but such works must be connected to greater theoretical and research frameworks.
• NEPCA generally avoids proposals that are overtly commercial.
• Proposals should appeal to a broad audience.

If you have any questions about this content area, please reach out to the Performance Studies Chair, Brandy Hadden, Duquesne University.