ResCen, the Centre for Research into Creation in the Performing Arts, is a multi-disciplinary, artist–driven research centre. It is designed to be a bridge between academia and the practices of professional performing artists. Established in 1999, its base is at Middlesex University, London. ResCen is centrally concerned with the artist at work, and with the ways in which the working artist, under the usual pressures of the arts marketplace, can be enabled to:

• reflect on her/his own creative processes;
• document these processes;
• make these materials, musings and critical reflections available to others;
• participate in knowledge exchange and transfer across research disciplines, professional specialisms and in a variety of social contexts;
• contribute to policy and strategy debates in the arts nationally and internationally.

Recent areas of ResCen research:

• mapping the creative practice of artists in professional contexts;
• arts policy and practice in international contexts;
• cultural identity/ies as expressed in the performing arts (International Research Network);
• the practices and roles of the teacher/artist and artist/teacher
• pedagogy in the performing arts

Beijing Dance Academy
‘the cradle of China’s dance artists’

The Beijing Dance Academy (BDA) is the leading institution of higher education in dance in China. It was founded on September 6, 1954, and is located near the picturesque Zi Zhu Park (Purple Bamboo Park) in Haidian District, Beijing. The Academy has 480 teachers and administrative staff, among whom, 275 are full-time teachers. Of the 275 teachers, 116 are professors, associate professors and senior lecturers. At present, more than two thousand students are studying in the Academy, including 1175 BA students, 138 MA students, and more than one thousand secondary school students.

BDA offers Master’s degrees and Bachelor’s degrees. Three specialisms have been established in the Academy: performance, choreography and dance studies. The Performance specialism consists of such disciplines as Chinese Classical Dance, Chinese Folk Dance, Ballet, Modern Dance, Musical Theatre, International Ballroom Dance, etc. The Academy was approved by the State Academic Degree Commission as an authorised unit for the awarding of MA degrees in 1999.

Dancers from the BDA can be found in every dance company in China and are active in many countries internationally. In addition the BDA Dance Company, a professional dance comprising graduates from the BDA, is located in the Academy, and tours nationally and internationally.

Professor Christopher Bannerman
Head of ResCen Research Centre
Middlesex University, London, UK

Xu Rui
Associate Professor and Vice-chair
Department of Dance Studies
Beijing Dance Academy, Beijing, China