Karen Aguiar: Collaborative Arts and Dance

Introduction

Rooted in socially engaged practice, this bursary marked a period of intentional slowing down and consolidation of my evolving practice as an artist, producer, and cultural worker. I learned new methods for archiving, somatic practice, and sustainable collaboration frameworks through mentorships, studio time, and reflective workshops with long-term partners.

Participants

The AIC Bursary Award supported me in the development of a work-in-progress called Spirals, a research-driven and community-connected body of work exploring movement, ecology, and ancestral memory. Participants included collaborators from the Go Dance For Change (GDFC) collective, including both professional and non-professional artists, as well as members of the South Dublin County community engaged through Rua Red Arts Centre, Tallaght Community Arts and Noise Music. Beyond the “outside of the studio” community classes, we held reflective circles, movement workshops, and feedback sessions to deepen the relationship between dance and sustainability. The community brought together by this bursary was shaped by long-standing partnerships built over years of co-creation, mutual trust, and shared activism.

In addition, I re-engaged with younger participants through a parallel project, Rhythm & Ribbons, in Dublin 8. Although outside the bursary’s original scope, the confidence and clarity gained from this period allowed me to successfully co-create with children through a lens of wellbeing, sport, and creative expression for integration.

Aims achieved

The bursary was built on three foundational pillars that evolved:

1. Nurture: To allow for self-reflection and spaciousness to track trajectory and consolidate methodologies across dance and social engagement.
2. Safeguard: To grow the standard of safeguarding and protect the relationships at the core of my practice with professional systems and notions of care.
3. Skills Development: To engage in targeted mentorships that supported artistic, curatorial, and facilitation growth across as well as technical training, and project planning.

One insight that came with this related to research on “Eco-somatic ancestry” while nurturing long-term connections in community-led spaces. Researching Eco-somatic ancestry guided me by referring to a practice that connects the body (soma) with nature (eco) and ancestral memory. It uses movement, breath, and embodied awareness to deepen relationships with land, heritage, and cultural wisdom – especially those rooted in diasporic, Indigenous, or historically marginalized communities. This approach fosters healing, sustainability, and artistic expression grounded in ecology and intergenerational knowledge.

Methods

The bursary enabled me to:

• Spend dedicated studio time at Rua Red Arts Centre reflecting on and archiving the evolution of my work
• Host a women’s circle with Go Dance For Change collaborators Alessandra Azeviche, Kareen Salcede, Sabrina Ginga and Vithória Escobar for collective reflection and community healing
• Facilitate feedback sessions with non-professional artists and mentors to review sustainable engagement strategies
• Experiment with materials and new methods during mentorships with Bee Sparks (project management), Evelyn Broderick (social space-making), Laura O’Brien (somatic movement), Yamina Lyara (eco-somatic practices) and Tobi Balogun (Hip Hop as a Contemporary Dance)
• Integrate emerging insights into my developing work-in-progress Spirals, both exchanged at Go Dance For Change, as a socially engaged producing platform
• Apply practical lessons in new contexts such as when re-engaged at Rhythm & Ribbons, where I explored rhythmic gymnastics and dance to co-create with young people in D8.

Artistic Outputs

While the focus of the bursary was process rather than product, significant artistic and conceptual outputs emerged:

• The development of Spirals, a work-in-progress research-led movement practice centred on eco-somatic ancestry.
• A refined framework for archiving socially engaged dance and community-based co-creation.
• A pilot structure for community sustainability in arts practice, based on cyclical creativity, feedback integration, and slow development.

Evaluation Methodology

Evaluation was embedded throughout via:

• Feedback sessions with long-time collaborators at Rua Red Arts Centre
• Reflective mentoring conversations, especially with Kate O’Shea and Bee Sparks, to critically assess both process and sustainability
• Documentation of sessions and practices in written, audio, and visual forms
• Real-world application of methodologies in projects such as Rhythm & Ribbons and Soft Space at Culture Night 2023 workshops, serving as both trial and testimonial

Outcomes

Key learnings from the bursary period include:

• Sustainability: The gift of time allowed me to resist the pressure of constant production and return to long-term planning. It revealed the structural supports needed – such as accessible studio space – to ensure longevity in community practice
• Artistic Growth: Mentorships expanded my conceptual and technical practice, particularly in the realm of somatics and cross-disciplinary facilitation
• Community Strengthening: Deepened relationships with Rua Red Arts Centre, Tallaght Community Arts and NOISE Music laid the groundwork for future collaborations, while affirming my commitment to long-term presence in South Dublin County Council
• Adaptability: Insights from the bursary proved transferable. For example, Rhythm & Ribbons illustrated how somatic and creative practices can meet wellbeing and sports to co-create with young people
• Cultural Infrastructure: This time clarified my role in shaping alternative cultural infrastructures, grounded in Afro and Indigenous heritage, ecological consciousness, and inclusive leadership.

Documentation and Dissemination

This bursary has been transformative, not just as a period of pause and research, but also as re-rooting of my creative and community practice. Mentorship notes, photos, and visual research archives continue to be stored and shared in case needed.

Rhythm and Ribbons was documented as a short film celebrating sports, arts, and wellbeing in Dublin 8. Women’s Circle at  Rua Red Arts Centre was documented internally with Go Dance For Change. Insights will further inform Go Dance for Change’s ongoing research and be included in future public platforms and funding proposals