Ms Sally Doughty

Sally Doughty has an international reputation as a facilitator and performer of improvisational practices, and has established her profile over two decades as an artist and academic in the field. She has choreographed, taught and performed in USA, Latvia, Mexico, Berlin, Brussels, Paris, Estonia and variously throughout the UK. Her published articles (Choreographic Practices; Performance Research;  Research in Dance Education and Theatre Insight) and book chapters (Routledge, Oxford University Press, Palgrave Macmillan and Cambridge Scholars) emerge from her practice and she writes from a first person perspective – privileging the voice of the artist herself. Recent chapters include Body, Space, Object: Dialogues between Art and Dance; body^space^object (2020); Dance Fields: Where is Dance Studies now? (2020), and The Oxford Handbook of Improvisation (2019).  Sally is supported by Arts Council England for several practice research projects: Renaissance (2015) in which she interrogated making improvised dance performance for mid-scale venues; This is... (2017), which interrogates memory and improvisation;  Body of Knowledge (2016) and Please Do Touch (2018), investigating and promoting the dancer’s body as a corporeal archive. Each project has culminated in practical and published outputs.

Sally is Lead Academic on a Management Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) in collaboration with industry partner FABRIC.

Sally is co-Principal Investigator in a research project that addresses The identity of hybrid dance artist-academics working across academia and the professional arts sector. 

She supervises research students. 

• Arts, Design and Performance research institute
• Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Dance (CIRID)

View a full listing of Sally Doughty's publications and outputs.

PRACTICAL OUTPUTS:

DOUGHTY, S. (2024) Big Dog, at Roadhouse, Leeds. 11 October 2024

DOUGHTY, S. and SHENTON, P.   (2023) This is.. at the Modes of Capture Symposium, at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance,  University of Limerick. 9 June 2023.

DOUGHTY, S., KENDALL, L. and KRISCHE, R. (2020) 'Please Do Touch'. Performance at Leicester Gallery. Friday 28 February 2020.

DOUGHTY, S., KENDALL, L. and KRISCHE, R. (2019) ‘Please Do Touch’, at Modes of Capture: The Capturing of Process in Contemporary Dance-Making conference. Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick, Ireland.  22nd June 2019.

DOUGHTY, S., KENDALL, L. and KRISCHE, R. (2018) 'Please Do Touch'. Performance at Leicester New Walk Museum and Arts Gallery. Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 December 2018.

DOUGHTY S. and SHENTON, P. (2018) ‘This is…', at Performatica International Dance Festival. Cholula, Mexico. 15 March 2018.

DOUGHTY S. and SHENTON, P. (2017) ‘This Is… Where We Are Now’, at Dance Fields: Staking a Claim for Dance in the 21st Century. Roehampton University, London, Friday 21 April 2017.

DOUGHTY, S. et al (2017) Body of Knowledge at Nottingham Castle Museum and Arts Gallery, NottDance International Festival, Sunday 12 March 2017.

DOUGHTY, S. and KRISCHE, R. (2016) ‘Handle with Care’, at InDialogue conference, Nottingham Contemporary, Thursday 1 December 2016.

DOUGHTY, S. (2015) 'Hourglass' at Backlit Gallery, Nottingham, 12 May 2015. Commissioned by Dance4.

DOUGHTY, S. et al (2015) Renaissance, at Dance4 International Centre for Choreography, NottDance International Festival, Friday 10 March 2017; Nottingham Playhouse, 13 July 2016.

DOUGHTY, S. (2011). I Think Not, thefidget space, Philadelphia, USA, 9 November 2012; Polymer Culture Factory and Kumu Art Museum, Tallinn, Estonia, 20 and 21 October 2012; Embrace Arts Centre, Leicester, 8 March 2012.

DOUGHTY, S (2007) une danse pour la radio: deux, SDHS/CORD Conference on Rethinking Practice and Theory, June, Paris. 

DOUGHTY,  S. (2006) a dance for radio. Laiks Dejot Festival, Riga, Latvia (2007); Royal Opera House, London (2006); Nottdance International Dance Festival, Nottingham (2006); University of Texas at Austin (2006); Laban Centre, London (2006, 2008); Cultural Exchanges, DMU, Leicester (2006/2008/2012)

PUBLICATIONS:

DOUGHTY, S. and SHENTON, P. (2020) ‘This Is… Where We Are Now’ in David, A., Huxley, M. and Whatley, S. (eds) Dance Fields: Where is Dance Studies Now? Hampshire, Dance Books. pp: 204-217.

DOUGHTY, S. (2020) 'Hourglass: Mark-making In and As Performance'. In: Journeaux, J., Gorrill, H., Reed, S. (Eds.) Body, Space, and Place in Collective and Collaborative Drawing: Drawing Conversations II. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars. pp 67-84.

DOUGHTY, S. (2019) ‘I Notice That I’m Noticing…’ in Midgelow, V. (ed). Oxford Handbook of Improvisation. Oxford, Oxford University Press. pp 119-134.

DOUGHTY, S., Krische, R. and Osborne, L. (2020) ‘The Holding Space: Body of (as) Knowledge’ in Whatley, S., Racz, I., Paramana, K. and Crawley, M. (Eds) Art and Dance in Dialogue: Body, Space, Object. Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan. Pp. 91-104. 

DOUGHTY, S. and Fitzpatrick, M. (2016) ‘The Identity of Hybrid Dance Artist- Academics Working Across Academia and the Professional Arts Sector’ in Choreographic Practices: Questioning the Contemporary in 21st Century British Dance. Intellect Press. Vol 7(1), April 2016

DOUGHTY, S. et al. (2015) ‘Will You Play? Implications of Audience Interventions in Improvised Dance Performance’ in Choreographic Practices: Questioning the Contemporary in 21st Century British Dance. Intellect Press. Vol 6(2), October 2015.

DOUGHTY, S. et al (2008) Technological enhancements in the teaching and learning of reflective and creative practice in dance, Research in Dance Education. 9: 2, pp.129 – 146.

DOUGHTY, S, and MANGAN, M. (2004) On Civility – Quarantine Theatre’s EatEat, ‘Performance Research Journal’, December: 10:1. 

PERFORMATIVE CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS:

DOUGHTY, S. (2016) ‘Body Of/As Knowledge’. Performance presentation at the Body^Space^Object^Memory^Identity conference, Coventry University, Friday 20 May 2016

DOUGHTY, S. (2015) ‘Hourglass: Archive as Muse’. Performance presentation at Questioning the Contemporary: Rethinking Process, Practice and Product in 21stCentury Contemporary Dance Practices symposium at Leeds Beckett University, 16-17th October 2015.

DOUGHTY, S. et al. (2014) ‘Keep That…Leave That! Implications for the Audience in Co-Authored Improvised Performance’ at Questioning the Contemporary in 21st Century Dance Practices Symposium, Leeds Metropolitan University, 18 July 2014.

CONFERENCE PAPERS:

DOUGHTY, S, APATA, E. and CHAN, H.M. (2025) ‘Opportunities and challenges in digital infrastructure development within dance organisations: a Knowledge Transfer Partnership case study’ at the Igniting Creativity: Art, Education, Transformation and Change conference at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Leeds. 8 January 2025.

DOUGHTY, S. (2024) ‘Practice research in Dance and multi-component outputs: articulating them for REF’ at Non standard Research Outputs: Their merits, the REF and External Funders’ Colloquium, De Montfort University. 13 March 2024.

SMITH, S. and DOUGHTY, S. (2023)‘Found in Translation: unlearning ‘expertise’ in inclusive dance practice’, at TaPRA Annual conference, University of Leeds. 31 August 2023.  

DOUGHTY, S. and Burt, R. (2021) ‘Teaching online - adapting to the pandemic’ at Dance Practices in Digital Spaces conference. Joint online conference: DMU and Vaganova Ballet Academy, St. Petersburg. Thursday 25 February 2021.

DOUGHTY, S. (2017) 'Hourglass: Mark-Making in and as Performance' at Drawing Conversations 2: Body, Space, Object Conference, Coventry University, Friday 8 December 2017.

DOUGHTY, S. and FITZPATRICK, M. (2017) ‘The Identity of the Hybrid Dance Artist/Academic’. Keynote speech at Challenging Futures in Dance, Drama and Music conference. University of Huddersfield, 7 and 8 April 2017.       

DOUGHTY, S. and FITZPATRICK, M. (2014) Mapping the Landscape: The Identity of Dance Artist-Scholars Working Across Academia and the Professional Arts Sector, at Independent Dance, London, 17 September 2014; Questioning the Contemporary in 21st Century Dance Practices, Leeds Metropolitan University, 18 July 2014; Inventing Futures conference, ArtEZ, Arnhem, The Netherlands. Tuesday 3 December 2013.

DOUGHTY, S. and FRANCKSEN, K. (2014) ‘Emergent Learning Strategies: Inspiring the Learners’ Sense of Agency and Autonomy through Practice’ at the HEA Annual Conference, Aston University, Birmingham, July 2014.   

DOUGHTY, S. (2006) Improvisation: What Do I Do and Why Do I Do It? PALATINE Improvisation Pedagogy Study Day, Leeds School of Music, May 2006 and Teacher Fellow Conference, ‘Teaching and Research: Forging new relationships’, DMU, June.

DOUGHTY, S. and STEVENS, J. (2002) ‘Seeing Myself Dance: Video and Reflective Learning in Dance Technique’ delivered at the Finding the Balance Conference at Liverpool John Moores University, 21 – 23 June 2002.

EXHIBITIONS:

DOUGHTY, S. (2015) ‘Hourglass’ at Theatre and Performance Research Association (TaPRA) Practice-as-Research Exhibition at the University of Worcester, 8 – 10 September 2015.

• Corporeal/extended archives
• Memory/autobiography
• Improvisation as performance
• Improvisation as a means of generating movement in the rehearsal process for a fixed performance
• Practice as research
• Documentation and articulation of processes/practices involved in performance making and doing
• Contemporary choreography
• The practice of performing
• Reflective practice:
  - developing a framework that develops analytical and reflective skills in those involved in movement improvisation
  - employing a range of technology/media to support student’s learning
• Pedagogic Research

• Movement improvisation
• Contact improvisation
• Choreography
• Performance 
• Contemporary dance technique
• Promoting dance
• Reflective practice
• Documentation of practice
• Practice research

MA by Independent Study: improvisation as a creative tool in the rehearsal process

BA (Hons) Performing Arts: Dance

• BA (Hons) Dance
• MA Choreography

DMU Teacher Fellow (2010) for excellence in teaching and learning.

DMU Vice-Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award (2009) Nominated by students for outstanding teaching.

2015 - 2016: Board Member for Decoda, Coventry University

2012–2016: Board member for UK Young Artists.

2007 – 2009: Member of the project advisory board for "Embodied Generative Music: An Investigation of the Relation Between Bodily and Musical Expression", an art/science research project based at the University of Music and Dramatic Arts, Graz, Austria.

FHEA (2003)

Please Do Touch

Body of Knowledge

DOUGHTY, S, APATA, E. and CHAN, H.M. (2025) ‘Opportunities and challenges in digital infrastructure development within dance organisations: a Knowledge Transfer Partnership case study’ at the Igniting Creativity: Art, Education, Transformation and Change conference at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Leeds. 8 January 2025.

DOUGHTY, S. (2024) ‘Practice research in Dance and multi-component outputs: articulating them for REF’ at Non standard Research Outputs: Their merits, the REF and External Funders’ Colloquium, De Montfort University. 13 March 2024.

SMITH, S. and DOUGHTY S. (2023)‘Found in Translation: unlearning ‘expertise’ in inclusive dance practice’, at TaPRA Annual conference, University of Leeds. 31 August 2023.  

DOUGHTY, S. and Burt, R. (2021) ‘Teaching online - adapting to the pandemic’ at Dance Practices in Digital Spaces conference. Joint online conference: DMU and Vaganova Ballet Academy, St. Petersburg. Thursday 25 February 2021.

DOUGHTY, S. (2017) ‘Hourglass: Mark-Making in and as Performance’ at Drawing Conversations 2: Body, Space, Object conference, Coventry University, Friday 8 December 2017.

DOUGHTY, S. and FITZPATRICK, M. (2017) ‘The Identity of the Hybrid Dance Artist/Academic’. Keynote speech at Challenging Futures in Dance, Drama and Music conference. University of Huddersfield, 7 and 8 April 2017.       

DOUGHTY, S. (2016) ‘Body Of/As Knowledge’. Performance presentation at the Body^Space^Object^Memory^Identity conference, Coventry University, Friday 20 May 2016

DOUGHTY, S. (2016) Managed and curated symposium: Dance Improvisation: The Estranged Cousin, at Attenborough Arts Centre, Leicester. Saturday 12 March 2016.

DOUGHTY, S. (2015) ‘Hourglass: Archive as Muse’. Performance presentation at Questioning the Contemporary: Rethinking Process, Practice and Product in 21stCentury Contemporary Dance Practices symposium at Leeds Beckett University, 16-17th October 2015.

DOUGHTY, S. and FITZPATRICK, M. (2014) Mapping the Landscape: The Identity of Dance Artist-Scholars Working Across Academia and the Professional Arts Sector, at Independent Dance, London, 17 September 2014; Questioning the Contemporary in 21st Century Dance Practices, Leeds Metropolitan University, 18 July 2014; Inventing Futures conference, ArtEZ, Arnhem, The Netherlands. Tuesday 3 December 2013.

DOUGHTY, S. et al. (2014) ‘Keep That…Leave That! Implications for the Audience in Co-Authored Improvised Performance’ at Questioning the Contemporary in 21st Century Dance Practices Symposium, Leeds Metropolitan University, 18 July 2014.

DOUGHTY, S. and FRANCKSEN, K. (2014) ‘Emergent Learning Strategies: Inspiring the Learners’ Sense of Agency and Autonomy through Practice’ at the HEA Annual Conference, Aston University, Birmingham, July 2014.   

DOUGHTY, S. (2012) Thinking about I Think Not,  at the Improvisation Practices Symposium, University of Northampton, 26 June 2012. 

DOUGHTY, S. (2006) Improvisation: What Do I Do and Why Do I Do It? PALATINE Improvisation Pedagogy Study Day, Leeds School of Music, May 2006 and Teacher Fellow Conference, ‘Teaching and Research: Forging new relationships’, DMU, June.

DOUGHTY, S. and STEVENS, J. (2002) ‘Seeing Myself Dance: Video and Reflective Learning in Dance Technique’ delivered at the Finding the Balance Conference at Liverpool John Moores University, 21 – 23 June 2002.

I am currently supervising six research students (five as first supervisor).

Since 2015, I have supervised eleven PhD students, securing funding for practice-based research studentships:

• Two M3C and three M4C  Dance studentships.
• One M4C Collaborative Doctoral Award 
• Two internal bursaries.

2023: As Lead Academic on Management Knowledge Transfer Partnership (£149,055.99 funding). 

2018: As PI, Grant for the Arts, Arts Council England (£11,039) to undertake Please Do Touch research project.

2016: As PI, Grant for the Arts, Arts Council England (£5,100) to undertake the Body of Knowledge research project,

2015: As PI, Grant for the Arts, Arts Council England (£13,170) to undertake the Renaissance research project and I plan to submit a second application in 2018 to produce the work.

2015: As PI, I performance commission of £7,860 from Dance4 to interrogate improvised performance

2013: As CI, Grant for the Arts, Arts Council England (£13,000) to support and develop activities and audience engagement as part of Quick Shifts improvisation collective.

2004: As PI, AHRC small grant funding (£3,832) for practice-based research project The still moving body – disposing of, recycling and documenting improvisation that resulted in a performance output, a dance for radio.

University Research Leave from January – May 2016.  

Improvisation: what do I do and why do I do it?  Pedagogic Research Project funded by Centre for Excellence in Performing Arts, De Montfort University.  2006 and 2007.  Sole researcher. 

Professional advisory or consultancy work:

2022/23: QAA Subject Benchmark review panel member

2022: Practice research expert on Midlands4Cities scoring panel

2022:  Leicester City Council (£4500) to map Leicester’s dance provision. Findings directly influenced Leicester Leading (2024), the city's creative and cultural strategy.

2021-2022: Consultancy as Research Director for leading national strategic Dance agency, Dance4.

2021: Invited to speak as part of the 2021 Leicester Comedy Festival: ‘Cha Cha Cha, Ha Ha Ha: A conversation about comedy and dance’ with Pete Shenton.  18 February 2021.

2020: Invited to deliver masterclasses to professional dancers at Shouze Arts Centre, Beijing, China. February 2020.

2017: Keynote address on Hybrid Dance Artist-Academic research project at Challenging Futures in Dance, Drama and Music conference, University of Huddersfield, 8 April.

2016: Granted University Research Leave from January – May 2016.

2014: Invited by Dance4 to represent the UK in an international online conversation with artists from Australia and India. Friday 28 November 2014.

2013: Interviewed for the leading Korean dance journal Dance and People (2013, Vol 8: p.82)

BOOK REVIEWS:

BUCKWALTER, M. (2010) Composing While Dancing: An Improviser’s Companion, Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin. Review published in Dance Research Journal (2013) 31(2): pp.216 – 217.

BUTCHER, R. and MELROSE, S (eds) (2005) Rosemary Butcher: Choreography, Collisions and Collaborations. Middlesex, Middlesex University Press. Review published in Research in Dance Education, (2008) 9(1), pp 107-109.

GERE, D and COOPER ALBRIGHT, A. (2003) Taken by Surprise: A Dance Improvisation Reader.  Middletown, Connecticut: Wesleyan University Press.

PEER REVIEWER:

2023-2024: Two book proposals (Bloomsbury and Routledge)

2021-2022: AHRC Follow-on Funding for Impact and Engagement scheme

2021, 2019: The International Journal of Cultural Property and Journal of Dance and Somatic Practices

2014: Journal of Dance and Somatic Practices

2012: Journal of Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy

2008: Dancelines

Cited in:

BURT, R. (2009).  History, memory, and the virtual in current European dance practice, Dance Chronicle, 32:1–26.

BROCKBANK, A. and McGILL, I. (2007). Facilitating reflective learning in Higher Education, 2^nd ed. Berkshire, The Society for Research in Higher Education and Open University Press, pp128.

DE SPAIN, K. (2014) Topography of movement improvisation, Oxford University Press.

TEMBRIOTI, L. and TSANGARIDOU, N. (2014) Reflective practice in dance: a review of the literature. Research in Dance Education. 15(1): pp4-22.