Through a process of scholarly research in the field of performance studies, and artistic practice in the field of Theatre for Early Years (TEY), my Doctorate of Creative Industries had the goal of understanding the work involved in structuring and presenting dance-theatre as an encounter (Kelleher and Ridout, 2006; Fischer-Lichte, 2009; Heim, 2016) between professional performers and audiences aged three years and younger, in the company of their adults. The practice-led nature of the research

more »

... contributes to TEY practitioner knowledge infrastructure by uncovering a fundamental aspect of TEY practice, namely an analysis of the relationship between the work of the performers and their performative material, and the experiences of the very young audience members for whom the work is created. I chose the term participation to represent multiple types of involvement by very young audience members. My research makes an explicit link between the structure of the performance work, the work of the performers and the observable actions of young children as co-creative participants. I suggest that young children's responses to live performance encompass a complex and codifiable spectrum of activities, expressed in aesthetic intention in relation to the world of the show. This becomes the key to the encounter, with the potential to be a critical aspect of the materials of construction of each show, when harnessed by the performers within the framework of performer responsivity proffered by this research. I See You Seeing Me • Keywords 4