Dr Katerina Paramana
Senior Lecturer in Theatre

Research area(s)

• Contemporary: Performance, Theatre, Choreography/Post-Dance
• Live Art
• Political Economy
• Performance, Critical, Political, Social, and Cultural Theory
• Ethics and Social Justice
• Spectatorship and Participation
• Affect and Collectivity
• Biopolitics and Neoliberalism
• Continental Philosophy
• Practice-as-Research

Research Interests

In broad terms, Katerina's interdisciplinary research is concerned with the socio-political and ethical dimensions of contemporary performance. It brings into conversation performance, political economy, critical theory, continental philosophy, and cultural and social theory. Her current research focuses on the relationship between performance and political economy. In 2022 - 2023 she curated and organised the research seminar series 'Performance and Political Economy: Bodies, Politics, and Well-Being in the 21st Century', for which she received a Research Seminar Series Award from Brunel University (2022). In 2021, Katerina received the 'BRIL' Research Award ('Brunel Research Interdisciplinary Lab') for an interdisciplinary collaborative project with Brunel colleagues, while in 2019 she was awarded the research ‘BRIEF Award’ (‘BRUNEL RESEARCH INITIATIVE AND ENTERPRISE FUND’) for her research. Her monograph is forthcoming with Routledge (2023). Her book Performance, Dance and Political Economy: Bodies at the End of the World (2021, Paramana and Gonzalez eds.) was published with Bloomsbury Academic, while the volume Art and Dance in Dialogue: Body, Space, Object (2020, Whatley, Sarah, Racz, Imogen, Paramana, Katerina, and Crawley, Marie-Louise eds.) was published with Palgrave Macmillan.  Her research has also been published with refereed academic journals including Performance Research, Contemporary Theatre Review, GPS: Global Performance Studies, and Dance Research. She was an Associate Researcher with Performance Matters, an AHRC-funded creative research project and collaboration between University of Roehampton, London, Goldsmiths, University of London, and the Live Art Development Agency, investigating the cultural value of performance (directed by Adrian Heathfield, Gavin Butt, and Lois Keidan). Katerina also worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Dance Research (C-DaRE) at Coventry University, and from 2015-2018 she was a Participating Artist of Sadler’s Wells Summer University, which was led by Jonathan Burrows and Eva Martinez.

Katerina is editor of the journal section 'Political Economy and the Arts', the new section she has developed for Lateral, the refereed journal of the Cultural Studies Association (2022 - present). She is co-founder of the Interdisciplinary Book Series Dance in Dialogue (Bloomsbury Academic), which she co-edited for its first three years (2018 - 2021), publishing its first four books. She is on the techne Peer Review College (AHRC Doctoral Training Partnership) and on the Editorial Board of Body, Space, & Technology journal, and has served on the Board of Directors of Performance Studies International (PSi) and on the Executive Committee of the Society for Dance Research.

PUBLICATIONS

(for full texts visit my Academia.edu page)

Book Series

• Co-founder of the Interdisciplinary Book Series Dance in Dialogue; series co-editor 2018-2021. Bloomsbury Academic.

Books

• (forthcoming) Paramana, Katerina. 'Contemporary Performance and Political Economy: Oikonomia as a new ethico-political paradigm'. Routledge.
• 2021. Paramana, Katerina and Gonzalez, Anita (eds.). Performance, Dance and Political Economy: Bodies at the End of the World. Bloomsbury Academic.
• 2020. Whatley, Sarah, Racz, Imogen, Paramana, Katerina, and Crawley, Marie-Louise  (Eds.). Art and Dance in Dialogue: Body, Space, Object. Palgrave Macmillan.

Refereed Journal Publications

• 2023 (in press). Paramana, K. 'The Oscillation of Contemporary Bodies Between Biopolitics and Necropolitics: Tania Bruguera’s Wrestling with Power Structures'. Filozofski Vestnik.
• 2019. ‘The Animation of Contemporary Subjectivity in Tino Sehgal’s Ann Lee’, Performance Research 24(6), 114-121.
• 2017. ‘The Contemporary Dance Economy: Problems and Potentials in the Contemporary Neoliberal Moment’, Special issue ‘Dancing Economies: Currency, Value and Labour’, Dance Research, 35(1), 75–95. (Full text available at my Academia.edu)
• 2017. ‘The PSi Manifesto Lexicon – An Online Discursive Platform’, GPS: Global Performance Studies, 1(1). Konstantina, Georgelou, Hildebrandt, Antje and Paramana, Katerina. (Full text available at my Academia.edu)
• 2015. ‘Re-turning to The Show’, Performance Research: A Journal of the Performing Arts, 20(5), 116-124. (Full text available at my Academia.edu)
• 2015. Text contribution to the ‘Acts of Voting: a Lexicon’, curated by Philip Hager & Marilena Zaroulia, Contemporary Theatre Review Interventions (Online), 25(2) (May 2015).
• 2014. ‘On Resistance through Ruptures and the Rupture of Resistances in Tino Sehgal’s These Associations’, Performance Research: A Journal of the Performing Arts, 19(6), 81-89. (Full text available at my Academia.edu)
• 2014. (Editorial) ‘Solidarity and/in Performance: Rethinking Definitions & Exploring Potentialities’ activate e-journal, 3(1). (Full text available at my Academia.edu)
• 2011. ‘Muddle, muddle toil and trouble: Disorder and potentiality’, activate e-journal, 1(1).

Book Chapters

• 2021. Paramana, Katerina. ‘Performance, Dance and Political Economy: A Provocation'. In Performance, Dance and Political Economy: Bodies at the End of the World. Paramana, K. and Gonzalez, A. (Eds.) Bloomsbury Academic.
• 2021. Paramana, Katerina and Gonzalez, Anita. ‘Opening Thoughts and Introductions’. In Performance, Dance and Political Economy: Bodies at the End of the World. Paramana, K. and Gonzalez, A. (Eds.) Bloomsbury Academic.
• 2021. Paramana, Katerina, Gonzalez, Anita, Power, Nina, Blanco-Borelli, Melissa, Loizidou, Elena, Johnson-Small, Jamila, Seregina, Usva, Hemsley, Alexandrina, and Arthur, Marc. ‘In Conversation: Performance, Dance and Political Economy’. In Performance, Dance and Political Economy: Bodies at the End of the World. Paramana, K. and Gonzalez, A. (Eds.) Bloomsbury Academic.
• 2020. Crawley, Marie-Louise, Paramana, Katerina, Racz, Imogen and Whatley, Sarah . ‘Introduction’, in Whatley, S.,  Racz, I., Paramana, K., and Crawley, M. (Eds.) Art and Dance in Dialogue: Body, Space, Object. Palgrave Macmillan.

Published Practice-Based Outputs

(DVDs available at the British Library and the Live Art Development Agency’s Study Room):

• Talking with Strangers: What is Violence?, Performance Matters – Potentials of Performance, (2012) The White Building, London (http://www.thisisliveart.co.uk/resources/catalogue/performance-matters-potentials-of-performance-talking-with-strangers-what-i).

• Martyro, Performance Matters – Trashing Performance –Trash Salon: How to do things with waste?, (2011) Toynbee Studios, London (http://www.thisisliveart.co.uk/resources/catalogue/trashing-performancetrash-salon-how-to-do-things-with-waste-part-2).

Creative Text Online Publications

• 2013. (Re)definition of the term ‘solidarity’. PSi Manifesto Lexicon. Gigi Argyropoulou, Konstantina Georgelou, Efrosini Protopapa, Danae Theodoridou and Steriani Tsintziloni (eds.).
• 2012. (Re)definitions of the terms ‘reading’, ‘co-authoring’ and ‘witness’. PSi Manifesto Lexicon. Gigi Argyropoulou, Konstantina Georgelou, Efrosini Protopapa, Danae Theodoridou and Steriani Tsintziloni (eds.).

Reviews

• 2011.‘Review – Thinking Through Dance: The Philosophy of Dance Performance and Practices Conference’, Society for Dance Research Newsletter, 50. Co-authored with Antje Hildebrandt.

RECENT AWARDS & FUNDING

• (2022-2026)  Arts & Humanities Research Council, Techne AHRC DTP - Studentship - Tejas Rawal

• (2023) Nominated and shortlisted for a Research Impact Award, Brunel University London

• (2022-23) Research Seminar Series Award (Brunel Univ.) for 'Performance and Political Economy: Bodies, Politics, and Well-Being in the 21st Century'.

• (2021-22) 'BRIL' Research Award ('Brunel Research Interdisciplinary Lab') for the interdisciplinary collaborative project 'The Social, Ecological, Political, and Cultural Implications of Extinction'.

• (2019-20) Research ‘BRIEF Award’ (‘BRUNEL RESEARCH INITIATIVE AND ENTERPRISE FUND’) 2019-20, Brunel University London (Research Leave 2019-20).

• (2017) British Society of Aesthetics– Grant for the organisation of the conference ‘Dialogues on Dance, Philosophy, and Performance in the Contemporary Neoliberal Moment’ at Coventry University.

Research Projects & Related Activities

• (2022-23) Curated and organised the Research Seminar Series 'Performance and Political Economy: Bodies, Politics, and Well-Being in the 21st Century'.
• (2021-22) Co-I, BRIL ('Brunel Research Interdisciplinary Lab') for the interdisciplinary collaborative project 'The Social, Ecological, Political, and Cultural Implications of Extinction'.
• (2019-20) Principal Investigator, ‘BRIEF Award' Project (‘BRUNEL RESEARCH INITIATIVE AND ENTERPRISE FUND’) 2019-20, Brunel University London.
• (2015-18)  Participating Artist, Sadler’s Wells Summer University. Directed by Jonathan Burrows in collaboration with Eva Martinez, Sadler’s Wells, London.
• (2015) Participating Artist, Performing Arts Forum (PAF) with Jonathan Burrows, Jan Ritsema, Mårten Spångberg, and Bojana Cvejic. Siobhan Davies Studios, London.
• (2010-13)  Associate Researcher with Performance Matters, an AHRC-funded Programme. A three-year creative research project and collaboration between University of Roehampton, London, Goldsmiths, University of London and the Live Arts Development Agency investigating the cultural value of performance. Directed by Professor Adrian Heathfield, Dr Gavin Butt and Lois Keidan.

Board Memberships & Assessment Panels

• (2020-present) PSi Advisory Committee on Antiracism and Anticolonialism
• (2018-present) techne AHRC Doctoral Training Partnership Peer Review College – Assessment Panel Member, Performing Arts Subject Group.
• (2018-present) Editorial Board, Body, Space & Technology (BST) Journal
• (2016-2019) Board of Directors, Performance Studies International (PSi)
• (2016-2018) Executive Committee, Society for Dance Research (SDR)

 Peer-Reviewer

• Rowman & Littlefield Press
• Arts Journal (ISSN 2076-0752)
• Bloomsbury Academic
• Routledge 
• GPS: Global Performance Studies journal
• Dance Research Journal
• Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism and GPS: Global Performance Studies journal Joint issue
• Performing Ethos: An International Journal of Ethics in Theatre and Performance journal
• Airea, Arts and Interdisciplinary Research Journal, Edinburgh College of Art
• Body, Space & Technology (BST) Journal

Editorial Roles

• (2022-present) Editor, 'Political Economy and the Arts', the new section of Lateral, the refereed journal of the Cultural Studies Association.
• (2018-2021) Book Series Editor, Interdisciplinary Book Series Dance in Dialogue, Bloomsbury Academic.
• (2018-present) Editorial Board, Body, Space & Technology (BST) journal.
• (2016-2019) General Editor, Performance Studies International, PSi Manifesto Lexicon.
• (2015-16) Review Editor, Journal of Dance and Somatic Practices
• (2013-14) Guest Editor, ‘Solidarity and/in Performance: Rethinking Definitions & Exploring Potentialities’ activate e-journal, 3(1).
• (2010-13) Editorial Committee Member, activate e-journal.

Event Organisation

• (2022-23) Curated and organised the Research Seminar Series 'Performance and Political Economy: Bodies, Politics, and Well-Being in the 21st Century'.
• (2022) Co-organiser of the international conference 'Extinction: Implications from the Microbial to the Planetary (ExIMP).
• (2017)  Co-organiser of the Conference ‘Dialogues on Dance, Philosophy, and Performance in the Contemporary Neoliberal Moment’, Coventry University.
• (2016) Co-organizer of the Body, Space, Object Symposium, Coventry University.
• (2016) Working Group Convenor and Panel Chair, ‘The production of the Social in Contemporary Performance’, Body, Space, Object Symposium, Coventry University.
• (2013) Curation & organisation of the symposium ‘Rethinking Economies’, University of Roehampton, London. Co-curated and co-organised with Gigi Argyropoulou. Presentations by Professor Nicholas Ridout, Dr Sophie Nield, Dr Eve Katsouraki, and Tim Jeeves. Funded by Roehampton University’s Centre for Performance and Creative Exchange.
• (2011) Co-curator of the festival ‘Performing Text / Reading Performance’ (PANDEMIC), Bank Street Arts Gallery, Sheffield, U.K.

Conferences & Symposia Presentations

PERFORMANCE CREATION

Selected Works 

(In preparation)  Martyro Exploded (working title).

June 2015 Now What?, Michael Cacoyannis Theatre, Athens, Greece. Co-created with Elena Koukoli. Performed by Stella Dimitrakopoulou, Elena Koukoli, and Katerina Paramana.

23 April – 9 May  2014 IDEA: THIS IS GOOD, Gasworks Gallery, London.(Part of the archive of destruction by Pedro Lagoa).

1 November 2013 Video Performances co-created with Kathleya Afanador, Antje Hildebrandt, Elena Koukoli, and Ligia Zuccarello Rizzo (as part of Toothache Duets, by Eirini Kartsaki and Louise Douse) ]performance s p a c e [,  London.

27 June 2013 Talking about Economy/ies, Performance Studies International (PSi#19),Studio 2, Building 550, Stanford University, US.Co-created with Gigi Argyropoulou.

14 & 15 December 2012 Talking with Strangers: What is Violence?, Galeria Boavista, Lisbon, Portugal.

26 & 27 October 2012 Talking with Strangers: What is Violence?, Potentials of Performance, part of Performance Matters, The White Building, London.– http://www.thisisperformancematters.co.uk/words-and-images.136.html– http://www.thisisperformancematters.co.uk/home.html

November 2011 Muddle, muddle toil and trouble: Disorder and potentiality – A Lecture- Performance. Part of PANDEMIC, Bank Street Arts, Sheffield, U.K.Performed by Stella Dimitrakopoulou, Antje Hildebrandt, Eirini Kartsaki, and Katerina Paramana.

October 2011 Martyro, Trash Salon, Performance Matters Symposium, Toynbee Studios, London.Performed by Katerina Paramana.

August 2011 Metrology, Stockholm Fringe Fest 2011, Kultuhuset, Stockholm.Performed by Antje Hildebrandt and Katerina Paramana.

June 2011 Muddle, muddle toil and trouble: Disorder and potentiality – A Lecture- Performance.Jubilee Building, University of Roehampton, London.Performed by Antje Hildebrandt, Eirini Kartsaki, Elena Koukoli, and Katerina Paramana.

June 2011 Muddle, muddle toil and trouble: Disorder and potentiality – A Lecture- Performance.‘Communi(cati)on of Crisis’ Symposium, Nafpaktos, Greece. Organised by the Institute for Live Arts Research under the auspices of Athens University and Municipality of Nafpaktos.Performed by Elena Koukoli, Nana Sachini, Eirini Kartsaki, and Katerina Paramana.

February 2011 Metrology, Jubilee Theatre, University of Roehampton, London.Performed by Antje Hildebrandt and Stella Dimitrakopoulou.

January 2011 Metrology, C4CC (Centre for Creative Collaboration), LondonPart of Making & UnmakingText Across Performance Practices and Theories. Funded by Beyond Text, an AHRC ProgrammePerformed by Antje Hildebrandt and Stella Dimitrakopoulou.

January  2011 Metrology, Part of Resolution!, The Robin Howard Dance Theatre,The Place, London.Performed by Antje Hildebrandt and Stella Dimitrakopoulou.

May 2010 E Pulvere Lux Et Vis, 125 Magazine, Photoshoot Choreographer, Sept. 2010 Art Issue (16), p. 212-219, London. Photography Dan Swallow, Art Director Martin Yates.(http://www.125magazine.com/?p_id=19)

October  2009 Tea Party,  Deptford X Festival, London. Co-created and performed with Michelle Lynch, Antje Hildebrandt, and Laura Blackley. In collaboration with Artmongers.

June 2009 The Adult Waltz Starving Loretta Home, Studio Theatre, Laban, London.

April 2009 Subjectile, Co-created and performed with Kathleya Afanador, Laban, London. Concept and Design Alex Rainford-Roberts.

January 2009 Three, Studio Theatre, Laban, London.

May 2006 ‘Aint’I a Woman’, Co-created with Stacy Wilson, Dance Theatre, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Centre, MD, US.

April  2006 Hang Pictures on the Air, Dance Theatre, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Centre, MD, US. Performed by Katerina Paramana.

December 2006 Distance, Laboratory Theatre, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Centre, MD, US.

December 2005 From the Real to the Surreal, Dance Theatre, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Centre, MD, US. Performed by Yoko Feinman and JR Russ.

Grants