About this Event
Welcome to Dance On! The Cultural, Sonic and Symbolic Legacy of Prince Conference, an Academic and Fan Conference.
This is a 2-day event - June 1 (08:00AM - 3:30 PM / BREAK/ 6:00PM - 10.30 PM) and June 2 (08:30AM-3:30 PM)
Evening June 1 event at Hollywood Theater,
Ten years on, Prince's influence shows no signs of fading. From the streets of Minneapolis to stages across the world, his artistry continues to shape music, culture, fashion, film, and beyond. So how do we make sense of that legacy — and who gets to help build it?
Dance On! is a free two-day international conference bringing together academics, fans, oral historians, and community voices to explore everything Prince: his profound roots in Minnesota, his posthumous cultural afterlife, and the many fields his work continues to touch.
Day 1 highlights include:
- Keynote address Red Lines, Blue City: History, Auto-Ethnography and the Minneapolis Sound by Dr. Davu Underwood Seru, Curator at the University of Minnesota's Givens Collection of African American Literature
- Panel sessions exploring Prince's deep ties to Minneapolis — from protest imagery to the houses he called home
- The official launch of Mapping Prince's Minnesota, a cultural geography project collecting community stories of encounters with Prince
- A hands-on "Felt Your Fandom" workshop — make your own Prince patch! Spaces are limited so additional sign up is required. Sign up here - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScSX--6nSj5CXRDjJ1xuQzUBrI3w0r1I0Va7JjavH8_j8WmsA/viewform?usp=dialog
- An evening event at Hollywood Theater featuring a special panel followed by a Dance On! celebration (6:00–10:30 p.m.). Bring your dancing shoes! Registration begins at 5:30 p.m.
Day 2 highlights include:
- A second keynote address When a City Becomes a Sound: Prince and the Living Legacy of the Minneapolis Sound by Dr. Maciej Smółka, Assistant Professor and Vice Director for Educational Affairs, Institute of American Studies and Polish Diaspora, Jagiellonian University
- Sessions on teaching Prince, his philosophy of dance and movement, and generational perspectives on his legacy
- Deep dives into Prince's iconic style, queerness, grief, and the radical language of his wardrobe and body
- Conference closing with next steps in Prince research
Draft programme can be found here - https://bit.ly/4w616xj
This event is made possible with thanks to our funders Minnesota Historical Society Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature and the University of Minnesota Imagine Fund, an initiative of the University of Minnesota Executive Vice President and Provost, established through a generous gift from the McKnight Foundation.
The International Centre 4 Prince Studies's mission is to build and sustain Prince’s legacy through interdisciplinary scholarship. We explore and critique the multi-faceted aspects of Prince’s influence across a range of subjects: music, race, gender, sexuality, popular culture, fashion, and film. We aim to solidify Prince’s place in pop music history through rigorous analysis of his vast output. We connect academics, students, fans, musicians, cultural critics, and the general public to Prince's music and his legacy.
Disclaimer: The Estate of Prince Rogers Nelson is not affiliated, associated, or connected with the International Centre 4 Prince Studies, nor has it endorsed or sponsored the International Centre 4 Prince Studies. Further, the Estate of Prince Rogers Nelson has not licensed any of its intellectual property to the International Centre 4 Prince Studies.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Cowles Auditorium, 301 South 19th Avenue, Minneapolis, United States
USD 0.00
