An introduction to some elements of ECITE: ongoing groups, study labs, research projects
Ongoing groups
Ongoing groups are groups of people that stay together for the duration of the meeting. They
were introduced as an element of ECITEs in 1995. They were then called co-teaching
groups and were meant to ensure the cohesion of the whole event, and give people an
opportunity to work together over a longer period. In the beginning these groups had no
particular theme, or rather, their theme was teaching. At some point in the evolution of
ECITE, co-teaching groups were renamed ongoing groups and the option of working
together on (other) specific topics was added. Following tradition, we have scheduled the
ongoing groups in the morning.
Study labs
The second important ECITE-element that was introduced at the same time as the
ongoing groups, in 1995, was study labs. These are one-off meetings of people to work on
a specific topic or question. The simple system we will use at this ECITE to decide which study
labs will take place when and where, based on the amount of interest each proposed topics can
garner and the space available, is described below.
This ECITE retains the traditional elements of ongoing groups in the morning, study labs
in the afternoon, but adds research projects. This is because
one of the meeting's main themes is the exchange between dance and science, and the
collaboration between practical and academic research. Our aim is to provide a platform
for an exchange of ideas and knowledge between people who have already conducted
academic research into contact improvisation, or have a deep interest in the form, and may
come from various disciplines and backgrounds.
Study labs allocation
Step 1: Proposals for study lab themes can be made by writing a title, description, how much time
you need and what space you would prefer, on a big paper next to the schedule, ideally by
lunchtime of the day before the study lab is supposed to happen.
Step 2: People can then express their interest in participating by making marks next to the lab
title/description; this will produce a sort of "ranking" of proposals.
Step 3: In the evening of the day before, the persons in charge of this task take down the lab
proposals paper and make a decision on which labs will take place at which times and where the
next day, based on the ranking of proposals and available spaces and times.
Step 4: By the end of dinner of the day before, this information is displayed next to the schedule /
on the schedule and is also announced at the evening assembly.
Research projects
People wanting to propose research projects at ECITE 2015 were required to send in a
proposal - which had to conform to certain academic standards - quite early. These
proposals went through a selection process, which has now closed.
The research projects will take place on the first two afternoons. Some of these projects
may then carry on in a self-organising manner throughout ECITE as study labs. Also,
some research projects may turn into ongoing groups depending on people's interests.