Qualifications
MA(Oxon), PhD, DipTransCIoL
About
Anna Pakes joined Roehampton in January 2003. Her teaching
and research specialism is philosophy and aesthetics in relation
to dance. She currently teaches Philosophy & Aesthetics on the
BA Dance Studies and Dance, Philosophy, History within the MA
Dance cluster, as well as supervising PhD research.
Anna trained in contemporary dance at the Centre National de
Danse Contemporaine in Angers, France, and gained a degree in
English and French at Balliol College, Oxford University. She
completed her doctorate in 2001 at Laban, where she also taught
for a number of years and led the MA Dance Studies programme
from 1997-2000.
Anna's PhD examines the impact of public funding on
contemporary dance in Britain and France, exploring how the
political and economic environment shapes choreographic
approach and spectator response. The thesis also includes an
extended philosophical discussion of method and
methodological issues in dance studies generally.
Research Interests
Current research interests are mainly in the field of philosophy
and aesthetics and include: the implications for dance of the
mind/body problem; dance, intentionality and the philosophy of
action; the epistemology of dance practice as research; the
ontology of the dance work. She also maintains research
interests in French contemporary dance, dance politics and
funding, and contemporary dance spectatorship. Anna has
presented at both national and international conferences and
authored a number of articles already in print or forthcoming.