An estimated 1 million plastic bottles are purchased every minute; consequently, millions of tons of plastic are finding their way into our oceans. Plastic waste is having a devastating impact on the marine life that lives there with microplastics now working their way into the food chain. What will you do with that plastic bottle under your theatre seat?

Plastic Tides (2019) was a networked performance collaboration between Pauline Brooks of Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and Tanya Calamoneri of Texas Tech University (TTU) with Professor Emeritus Luke Kahlich (Temple University, Philadelphia, PA., US). For 1 hour 20 minutes per week for 9 weeks, we explored how Adobe Connect webcam technology could support the teaching of dance performance and collaborative creative devising across two continents (and if it can generate an Internet audience). Stimulated by our shared concern of the growing problem of plastic pollution of the oceans that divide us geographically, we used that topic as a starting point for our collaboration.

TTU Director: Assistant Professor of Dance: Dr. Tanya Calamoneri,

TTU Dancers:

Undergraduate Dance students: Emily Lowke and Katherine Mcknight,

Graduate Music student: Anne Wharton

LJMU Director: Reader in Dance Performance & Pedagogy, Dr. Pauline Brooks

LJMU Dancers:

Undergraduate Dance student: Jorgie Mills

Postgraduate Dance Students: James Bowling, Beth Dobson, and Rebecca Mitchell

Sound Score: Plastic Floating composed by Dr. Luke Kahlich

Internet view Director: Dr. Luke Kahlich

LJMU Technical Director: Noel Jones

TTU Master Electrician: Darren Moody