News
Malaysia daCi conference 2027
We are excited to announce that Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), Malaysia will host the Dance and the Child International (daCi) Conference 2027.
This conference invites conversations across dance education, creative practice, inclusion, embodiment, childhood, youth engagement, and interdisciplinary learning.
Further details regarding the Call for Papers and programme structure will follow soon.
Stay connected for upcoming announcements.
International Dance Day
The March 2026 Newsletter now available
Please sign in to the Members' area and you will find the document under Newsletters chapter.
In this edition:
Messages
- Chair Vesna Geršak
- Chair Elect Nicholeen DeGrasse-Johnson
daCi news
- daCi National / Regional Reports
---- Canada
---- Finland
---- Jamaica
---- Japan
---- New Zealand
---- Slovenia
---- South Africa
---- Sweden
---- USA
- 2025 Initiatives Call Results
- daCi Library - Critical Activism for Dance Education: Dance and the Child International (daCi) by Jeff Meiners
- Adam Synnott, new Executive Board member
The results of the daCi 2025 Call for Twinning, Outreach and Research
The beneficiaries of the daCi Call for Twinning, Outreach and Research Projects are now published on the daCi website. You are welcome to browse the supported projects under the 'Initiatives' menu or simply follow the link for:
Malaysia 2027 Conference Theme
daci conference 2027 at Sultan Idris Education University (UPSI)
Tanjong Malim, Malaysia title:
Dance education for all:
Creating Inclusive Spaces for Children
and Young Learners
Aligned with the aims of daCi and daCi conference philosophy, the conference will focus on creating inclusive spaces for children and young learners through dance education for all.
The conference in Malaysia will:
- Focus on creative dance, creative movement and arts expression.
- Advocate for the importance of dance education for children and young learners.
- Facilitate partnerships and encourage ongoing community discussions before, during, and after the conference.
- Prioritize the creativity of children and youth by allowing them to take charge of the conference outcomes.
- Explore connections between dance and various other disciplines.
- Share and analyze research on teaching, learning, and the role of the body in creative dance practices.
- Strengthen collaborations between dancers, choreographers, instructors, and academics.
The conference will be held in a face-to-face mode so all presenters and participants are able to attend in person.
CONFERENCE HOSTS
The Faculty of Music and Performing Arts, the National Child Development Research Center, and the Faculty of Human Development Sultan Idris Education University and the Department of National Unity and Integration, Malaysia.
Visit to the daCi archivists at the University of Surrey, England
In August 2025, past Chair, Jeff Meiners visited the Archives and Special Collections at the University of Surrey, England, to update daCi archive material.
Jeff viewed a special selection of materials spanning daCi’s beginnings in Canada (1978) and conferences in Sweden (1982), UK (1988), USA (1991), Australia (1994), Finland (1997) and Taiwan (2012). The organisation is most fortunate to have daCi archive material catalogued and available to researchers or to daCi members.
Special thanks to archivists Helen Roberts and Simon Mackley for their diligent work supporting daCi!
daCi interim meeting Malaysia 2025
The Faculty of Music and Performing Arts at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris welcomed daCi delegates to the daCi Interim Meeting and Workshop, which was held at UPSI from 10–15 July 2025.
This international gathering, supported by UNESCO, brought together global experts and educators in dance and child development.
Workshops, cultural visits and strategic planning sessions for 2027, paved the way for the daCi conference in Malaysia in 2027.