On 19-20 June, 2025, the ERC DANCING Project, led by PI Prof. Delia Ferri, held its Final Conference, celebrating the research conducted during the five years of the project. The Final Conference was also a great occasion to discuss the objectives and results of DANCING and highlight the numerous artistic collaborations that DANCING had during its course. The two days saw the participation of numerous outstanding scholars, stakeholders and collaborators of the project.
Among the highlights of the event, the initial remarks from Prof. Adam Bodnar, Ministry of Justice of Poland, on behalf of the Polish Presidency to the European Union, for which Prof Delia Ferri and the DANCING team are grateful and honoured. Followed, the salutations of Prof. Rachel Msetfi and Prof. Fergus Ryan and an inspiring speech by Prof. Delia Ferri who introduced DANCING. The first day of the conference was also marked by an incredibly insightful keynote from Emeritus Professor Bruno De Witte.
The very last event of the day was the unveiling of the DANCING-commissioned artwork ‘Odisseo-Ulysses’, marked by a speech of the President of Maynooth University Prof. Eeva Leinonen. In her engaging speech, President Leinonen highlighted the role of creativity and inclusion both for the research conducted within DANCING and for the whole Maynooth University ethos. The unveiling was also attended by Honourable Mr Justice John MacMenamin.
The second day was then opened by the salutations from Dr. Gemma Irvine and Prof. Fergus Ryan, followed by an introduction by Prof. Delia Ferri and a thought-provoking keynote from Inmaculada Placencia Porrero, Member of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2024-2028) and Senior Expert on Disability at the European Commission. The second day was then closed by an inspiring keynote dialogue by Prof. Mark Priestley.
The event was concluded by the first screening of the documentary ‘Steps to Change’, which closely followed the development of the project. The screening was followed by a dialogue introduced and moderated by Dr. Denis Condon and which featured James Kelly, who directed the documentary, Monique Dior Jarrett and Lucy Bennett, respectively dancer and choreographer of the piece ‘Lived Fiction’, which was central for the documentary, and Hilary Hooks, who ensures the accessibility of DANCING.
Prof. Delia Ferri and the whole DANCING team would like to warmly thank everyone who participated for the support they showed and for the precious additions to the final event of DANCING.
