Aria University’s Dance Studies: Inquiry, Analysis, and Scholarship conference is centered on the theme “Dance as a Cultural Anchor,” examining how South and Southeast Asian dance traditions, including folk and regional forms, function as vehicles for cultural transmission and identity formation in South Asian and Southeast Asian and diaspora communities.
The weekend will include academic panels, workshops, performances, networking events, and a formal evening performance bringing together artists from across the conference. We invite papers on the themes of identity, cultural formation, tradition and innovation, and pedagogical practices that employ intersectional lenses to examine dance in conjunction with religion, gender, sexuality, race, and caste.
Across the world, South and Southeast Asian dance classes, community performances, and online workshops are often where dancers and dance practitioners first encounter their language, stories, and cultural traditions. How do these practices become anchors of belonging, and what changes when these practices move into new neighborhoods, funding structures, and digital spaces?
DIAS 2027 brings together scholars, artists, teachers, organizers, and graduate students whose work connects South and Southeast Asian dance traditions with questions of identity, pedagogy, labor, and community. Our intent is to provide a platform for rigorous, creative, and critical inquiry into the roles that dance plays in sustaining, transforming, and reimagining South and Southeast Asian cultural life across global communities.
The conference welcomes original contributions in the following areas:
Exploring how South and Southeast Asian dance traditions are taught, learned, and transmitted in diaspora settings — evolving training models, pedagogical innovation, and the transformation of teacher-student relationships.
Focusing on the infrastructure, institutions, and networks that sustain the South and Southeast Asian dance community — nonprofits, collectives, social media platforms, and patronage structures.
Examining how second-generation and subsequent dancers negotiate identity, authenticity, race, and belonging. We invite critical perspectives and choreographic projects that critically engage community experience.
Deadline: September 30, 2026
Submit abstracts here: Abstract Submission Form
Subject line: “DIAS 2027 Abstract – [Your Last Name]”
Acceptance notifications will be sent by October 15, 2026.
Selected papers and presentations, subject to peer review, will be published in SASTRA, the Aria University journal, providing authors with:
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Submission Window Opens | July 25, 2026 |
| Submission Deadline Important | September 30, 2026 |
| Presenter Notification | October 15, 2026 |
| Early Registration Deadline | November 30, 2026 |
| Final Paper Submission (for publication) | January 15, 2027 |
| Conference Dates Main Event | February 12–14, 2027 |
Registration is mandatory for all participants. All accepted presentations will be included in the conference program and materials.
| Category | Early | Regular |
|---|---|---|
| Attendees | $60 | $80 |
Early registration deadline: November 30, 2026.
Payment details (online payment, credit/debit cards, wire transfer) will be provided — TBA.
Aria University is a WSCUC-accredited multidisciplinary institution committed to academic excellence, innovative research, and global engagement. With a strong emphasis on integrating Indian classical traditions — including dance, music, and the arts — with contemporary scholarship, the University promotes critical inquiry, ethical leadership, and interdisciplinary learning.
Through its academic programs and research initiatives in dance studies, performance, and cultural studies, Aria University fosters intellectual rigor while contributing meaningfully to the preservation, advancement, and global dissemination of South Asian knowledge and artistic traditions. The University's commitment to bridging diaspora perspectives with scholarly excellence makes it an ideal venue for this conference on South Asian dance in diaspora.
Program Committee: To be announced
A list of recommended hotels near the campus will be provided to registered participants. Special conference rates may be available at select hotels.
Connect with scholars, artists, teachers, organizers, and graduate students focused on dance scholarship.
Engage with research presentations, artistic performances, lecture-demonstrations, and workshop-style learning.
Explore urgent questions about pedagogy, labor, funding, cultural ownership, and digital transformation in diaspora dance.
Selected papers will be published in SASTRA, Aria University's peer-reviewed journal.
Identify collaborators for future projects, grant proposals, and community initiatives.
Take space to reflect on your own work within and alongside global dance communities.
We invite scholars, artists, teachers, organizers, and graduate students to contribute to this important conversation on South Asian dance in diaspora. Whether your work is rooted in rigorous academic analysis, artistic creation, pedagogical innovation, or community organizing — or all of the above — we welcome your voice.
Submit here https://forms.gle/CZ7hPzFHVN9GXKnT9Abstract deadline: September 30, 2026 · Join us in centering dance as a site of critical inquiry, artistic excellence, and community belonging.