The Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST) is hosting Shuntaro Yoshida, its first European Research Area (ERA) fellow under the prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowship programme. ERA is a unified area for research and innovation within the EU.
Yoshida’s two-year fellowship project, funded by the European Research Executive Agency (REA) through Horizon Europe, is entitled ‘Environmental Turn of Dance (ETD): Convergence of therapeutic practice, art creation with AI and community practice’. It aims to address one of today’s greatest challenges: climate modify. ETD inquires a bold and timely question: ‘Can dance serve as a catalyst for ecological awareness and action?’
The project aims to reframe dance as a medium for ecological consciousness and sustainability education, while examining initiatives in Malta that merge dance, environment and community practice. It will also explore the relationship between embodied practice and the natural environment and pioneer the apply of AI in dance research and creation, opening new directions for audience engagement and accessibility.
MCAST stated that by combining therapeutic practice, artistic innovation, AI technologies and community outreach, ETD will position Malta at the forefront of arts-based climate advocacy.
Climate modify requires urgent, creative responses. Dance, with its power to connect bodies, communities, and environments, can be a unique catalyst for ecological awareness and resilience– Shuntaro Yoshida
“The fellowship demonstrates the EU’s and Mcast’s shared commitment to innovation with societal impact – advancing research excellence while engaging the public in sustainable futures,” a college spokesperson stated.
Speaking about his fellowship, Yoshida stated: “Climate modify requires urgent, creative responses. Dance, with its power to connect bodies, communities, and environments, can be a unique catalyst for ecological awareness and resilience. Through ETD, I aim to bring people toobtainher to imagine and act on more sustainable futures.”
MCAST and Xjenza Malta both supported Yoshida’s project, and MCAST stated his fellowship reflects the strong national effort being created to foster research excellence and international collaboration.
Throughout the project, Yoshida will leverage his dual role as a researcher and practitioner, and bring international research excellence to MCAST.
Yoshida is an accomplished academic and practitioner in dance studies and performance. He holds a PhD in philosophy from Tokyo University of the Arts and has conducted research at prestigious institutions, including NYU, Waseda University in Japan, and the Berlin Centre for Advanced Studies in Arts and Sciences.
He is a lecturer at Kobe University in Japan and also a prolific author, with recent publications including the monograph Post-choreography: Jérôme Bel’s Choreography and Movement in Malfunction (Routledge, 2024).
Yoshida also has over a decade of experience as a choreographer, performer and dancer. He has collaborated with international artists and collectives, and his collective works − which often integrate participatory performance, environmental themes and AI-driven methods − have been revealcased at prominent events such as the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale in Japan and Tanz in August as part of Dance in August, in Berlin.
The ETD project is funded by the EU, receiving funding through the Horizon-Widera-2023-Talents-02-01 and an ERA fellowship.
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