In Your Shoes Research & Practice Center Officially Launches

September 25, 2023 — The Embassy of Sweden and The Laboratory for Global Performance & Politics are thrilled to announce the official launch of The Lab’s In Your Shoes Research & Practice Center, an initiative aimed at promoting innovative techniques rooted in theatrical performance, group dialogue, and practices for embodiment and deep listening. This groundbreaking endeavor will be celebrated on Wednesday, September 27th, at the iconic House of Sweden in Washington, D.C.

The evening’s festivities will commence with a reception from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm, offering attendees the opportunity to mingle with diplomats, artists, educators, and friends of House of Sweden and The Lab. Light refreshments will be served during this time.

The highlight of the event will be the program from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm, during which members of The Lab’s core leadership team, along with scholar/artist-in-residence, Emma Stenstrom, Associate Professor and Co-Director of Center for Arts, Business & Culture (ABC) at Stockholm School of Economics, will showcase their groundbreaking experiential approaches to countering polarization, practicing diplomacy through engaging across differences, and promoting civil discourse. Their work draws on over a decade of experiences around the globe with the award-winning “In Your Shoes” approach.

“In Your Shoes,” conceived and developed by acclaimed international theater-maker and educator Derek Goldman, has gained international recognition and acclaim. It has received the Provost’s Innovation in Teaching Award at Georgetown and has been featured in prominent media outlets such as The Washington Post and PBS Newshour. The initiative has impacted thousands of individuals worldwide, including artists, educators, diplomats, activists, spiritual and religious leaders, global executives, and students from various disciplines.

Derek Goldman’s core methodology, “Performing One Another,” has been honed through intensive workshops in diverse global contexts, including China, Russia, Bangladesh, Sudan, and within polarized communities in the United States.

Emma Stenström, who is at the forefront of bridging different spheres, particularly arts and business, will share her ongoing research projects, including “bubble-hopping” and collaborations that bridge circus and management, such as “The Sphere” and “Teeter Trust.”

The House of Sweden, a symbol of international cooperation and innovation, provides the perfect backdrop for this celebration of creativity and diplomacy. Attendees will have the unique opportunity to experience these innovative practices firsthand and explore how they can enrich their own work.

Join us on Wednesday, September 27th at the House of Sweden for an engaging and interactive evening that promises to mark a new era in the field of diplomacy and dialogue.