This paper discusses the role and function of visualisation within practice-led research in dance. In particular it focuses on the Choreographic Morphologies Project (2007). This practice-led research project explored the use of digital visualisation as an integral component within live performance; as a mode of performance documentation and as a visual score for further re-iterative, creative/research engagement.

Grounded in Csikszentmihalyi’s flow theory, the focus of this study was to examine the role of flow as a framework for optimizing the practice of risk-taking in the teaching and learning of contact improvisation in higher education, and to better enable students to take the creative, physical and psychological risks associated with that practice. A range of qualitative methodologies were employed including observation, analysis, writing, drawing and focus group discussions. Findings of this study included: establishing shared learning environments, attending to language and tone of delivery, and ensuring the development of scaffolded tasks for trust, non-judgement, optimal experience and pleasure to flourish.

This chapter explores Volcano Theatre Company’s radical interpretation of Shakespeare’s Sonnets through their award-winning physical theater production, L.O.V.E. (1992). Drawing on literary analysis and sociological readings, the chapter considers current and historical perspectives on what many consider to be Shakespeare’s most intimate work, and notably the implications of the poetry’s homoerotic focus. The chapter then explores Volcano’s adaptation of this nontheatrical work into narratively driven performance material, focusing on analysis of the company’s choreographic and aesthetic responses to the textual stimulus. The author’s decade-long experience of performing in L.O.V.E. is augmented through interviews with key members of the production’s original cast and creative collaborators. Finally, the chapter reflects on the critical impact of L.O.V.E. through analysis of its cultural and political reception both in the United Kingdom and internationally.

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The Ruthwell Cross was broken after the Reformation and the fragments were reconstructed at the beginning of the nineteenth century when it was returned to the church. An account is given of the attempts to decipher the inscriptions on the Bewcastle obelisk or cross. Consideration is also given to the likely dates of both monuments.