ResDance Series 8: Episode 7:ResDance Series 8: Episode 7: Queer:mess: Research enquiry into bringing the hidden, visible with Stuart Waters

In this episode, Stuart reflects upon his career as a dancer, maker, researcher, curator and more recently, mentor and coach. Situating our conversation around his experiences as an artist with hidden disabilities, we explore ideas around whatsafety in dance looks like; ways of languaging and sharing experience and how spaces he creates meet the things people don’t see. We explore experiences that have led to a place of practice-based research and autobiographical led inquiryin a variety of settings and how his recent mentoring and coaching work has informed both his own practice and supporting artists, more widely. In this thought-provoking episode, Stuart offers personal and honest reflections around shame, keeping disabilities hidden and the barriers to asking for support. Offering insight into ways of being openaround disability as a sector, he advocates for the importance of a sense of dance community and the value of being brave and always championing yourself.

As an alumnus of Northern School of Contemporary Dance(BA) and London Contemporary Dance School (MA) Stuart’s 26year career in the dance sector has been eclectic - performing and teaching in a wide range of educational and community settings nationally and internationally as well astouring with a range of companies and choreographers across different touring networks in the UK and overseas. Over the last decade, Stuart’s practice has shifted into maker, researcher, curator, facilitator, mentor and coach (EMCC Senior practitioner accreditation). Stuart’s practice is an evolving enquiryinto care. It is led by his lived experiences, intersectionality and his hidden disabilities as an access-led practice.

Stuart’s work includes ‘Rockbottom’ (2016-2019), a touring solo show approaching mental health and chemsex. This began Stuart’s ongoing enquiry into “safeguarding the dancer in the studio process, live performance and engagement”, beginning conversations with communities and audiences around the UK. 

Between 2021-2024, through partnerships, commissionsand collaborations with The Place, Wellcome Collection, FABRIC, Southeast Dance, PDSW, ACE, East Sussex Arts Partnership and The Brighton Festival, Stuart co-created ‘A Queer Collision’, a practice which evolved from an enquiryquestion into a touring show: how to embed access and audio description to lay the foundation for a queer, time-travelling show which told audio-described autobiographies. The show was also a deep look into care and inclusion forparticipants, audiences and teams. In the last 10 years, Stuart has also co-led and collaborated with a host of artists and partners to deliver ‘Head:ON Conversations’, a thread of Stuart’s work which looks at step-change within thedance and cultural sector. Stuart advocates for mental health and disability step-change in dance as an Unlimited and Clore ‘Inclusive Cultures’ alumnus and through his contributions as a trustee with Candoco Dance Company and STEPPS -a mental health charity for dancers.

Image credit: Joe Armitage.

Contact Details:

Email: stuartwaters90@googlemail.com

Social Media:

Instagram: @Stuart_waters

Linktr.ee/stuartwaters90

Websites:

https://stuartwaters.info/

stuartwaterscoaching.co.uk 

Please share this episode with students, educators, practitioners, performers, andinterdisciplinary researchers curious to learn more about dance research in action.