Festivals Malta in collaboration with Arts Council Malta have launched a pilot project for a Writers Critic Platform designed to stimulate critical dialogue around dance, theatre, music and performance.
This platform is aimed at developing and promoting high-quality arts journalism in the digital space through a pilot edition dedicated to dance writing.
This Writing Academy will take place during Dance Festival Malta and is led by journalist, producer and director of Aerowave’s Springback Academy, Oonagh Duckworth.
Five writers who applied through an open call, which was released earlier this month, will attend writing workshops designed to hone their skills and to help them gain confidence in producing compelling, timely and thoughtful dance criticism for online publication.
This platform is aimed at developing and promoting high-quality arts journalism.Annabelle Stivala, executive head, International Cultural Relations & Events, Arts Council Malta, said, “This programme, which is a collaboration between Arts Council Malta and Dance Festival Malta, is designed to cultivate a new generation of art writers and critics across all artistic disciplines, reinforcing the essential connection between performance, critique and audience engagement. This initiative reaffirms our belief that critical writing is a vital extension of artistic practice, helping to build bridges between artists and audiences.”
Festivals Malta CEO, Frans Agius, said: “Through this platform and our festival, Dance Festival Malta, Festivals Malta is aiming to develop local talent even further, while contributing to cultivate more critical writers in the cultural sector, particularly in dance.”
“Art critics and writers play a vital role in translating the visual and the momentary into language,” says Dance Festival Malta artistic director, Francesca Tranter.
“They help artists grow by offering insight and analysis, and they allow audiences who could not be physically present to connect with the work in a meaningful way. That is why such initiatives are pivotal for the culture sector.”
The Writer’s Critic Platform is happening in collaboration with Arts Council Malta and with the support of the Valletta Cultural Agency and Valletta Design Cluster. The platform is taking place during Dance Festival Malta’s fourth edition between the July 24 and 27.
For tickets and more information about the festival, visit www.dfm.mt.