在本刊2018年第3期截稿的7月，世界上有诸多的大事发生。

战争仍然是盘旋在世界上空的阴云。例如，旷日持久的中东战争一波未平，一波又起，内战使叙利亚成为中东最血腥的疆场。战争导致叙利亚四五十万人丧生，五百多万叙利亚人的大逃亡形成巨大的难民潮，冲向欧洲，从而引发了难民危机……而另一种战争—“贸易争端”亦愈演愈烈。战争的一般定义为：“矛盾斗争表现的最高形式与暴力手段……由于触发战争的往往是政治家而非军人，因此战争亦被视为政治和外交的极端手段。战争是极端的行为，战争的产生是由主导者为了自己或者集团的利益而发起的行为，这种获取利益的行为不惜以牺牲生命为代价。”（https://baike.baidu.com）“贸易争端”虽说不是武装斗争，但是，发起者仍然是政治家，是其为了获取利益而采取的极端的政治与外交手段。

世界和平与人民的福祉面临严峻的挑战！

面临这样的挑战，2018年俄罗斯世界杯的意义远远超越了比赛本身，“为祖国而战”的豪情激荡在每一位球员和球迷的心中，“为了世界和平”的梦想随着色彩缤纷的旗帜飞扬。竞赛在全世界球迷的注视下，靠的是球队球星们超人的力量、速度、耐力、毅力、体力、团结、智慧和实力，而拒绝“阴”他人的犯规和不正当的手段。位居亚军的克罗地亚队让世界动容—不仅是这支来自只有四百多万人口的国家的球队踢出了最精湛的足球，而且是这支从战争伤痛中走出、在废墟上训练起来的球队燃烧着胜利的渴望，并像奏响《克罗地亚狂想曲》的钢琴家马克西姆所说的那样：家乡到处都是枪弹，但是我们不能因此而停滞不前—必须继续战斗下去！世界杯让体育的精神得以淋漓尽致地彰显！

世界杯赛事正酣，2018“舞蹈研究协会”（the Dance Studies Association,DSA）的国际会议亦在马耳他拉开帷幕。这次会议在一个特别的家园举行带着某种深意—在二战中，马耳他经常遭到轰炸而被迫将地下墓穴改造成防空洞；而古代马耳他骑士建造的堡垒亦用来防御入侵者。最近，一些堡垒已经从武装之地改为文化中心，防空洞也成为独特的表演场所。正如此次会议主席、马耳他大学舞蹈研究学院的布兰登所说,“舞蹈与冲突”的会议主题让舞蹈研究领域对于自身内部和跨学科展开审视，并对社会问题和身体表现做出反应；通过准确地指出所存在的性别歧视和种族主义的身体方式，认识到通过策略和身体冲击、理论探讨和头脑风暴，以及传播意识，获得力量和凝聚力；舞蹈研究具有不可估量的力量，为正在进行的、日益激烈的当代社会斗争做出贡献。

因此，舞蹈研究也是一种战斗，以具有消解破坏性“冲突”的力量和推动创造性“冲突”的力量，应对世界和平与人类生存发展要求的呼唤……

—本刊主编

Preface

The world was eventful in July before the deadline of the paper call for this issue.

The threat of war is still troubling the world.Wars in the Middle East have kept erupting from time to time.Civil war has made Syria the bloodiest battle field in the Middle East.The war killed four hundred and forty thousand people in Syria and forced more than five million Syrians away from their homeland, which triggered a refugee crisis in Europe.Meanwhile, another war, the trade world dispute, is getting worse.According to the general definition, a war is “the highest form of violence...Because it is often caused by politicians rather than soldiers, warfare is also seen as an extreme means of politics and diplomacy.War is an extreme act, an act initiated by political leaders for their own individual or group benefits.Their benefits, however, are obtained at the expense oflives.” Although a trade war does not involve armed struggle, the initiator is still a politician and it is still an extreme political means to gain benefits.

World peace and the wellbeing of people are challenged！

In this context, 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia is far more than football games.Every player is proud of fighting for their motherland while aspirations for world peace are flapping along with the flags of all colors.The outcome of matches depends on power,speed, endurance, perseverance, physical strength, solidarity and wisdom, but unfair play is rejected.The runner-up Croatia amazed the world, not only because it is a small nation with a population of only 4 million, but also the players are burning with the desire to overcome the trauma of war, which has fueled their desire to win.As the pianist Maksim Mrvica who played the Croatian Rhapsody said: There are guns everywhere in our hometown, but we can’t stop because of this—we must continue to fight！ The FIFA World Cup allows sportsmanship to shine and inspire the world.

While the FIFA World Cup was in full swing, the 2018 conference of the Dance Studies Association (DSA) kicked offin Malta.The venue was chosen with a special purpose.During World War II, Malta was routinely bombed and forced to adapt underground catacombs into bomb shelters, while bastions and fortresses built by the Knights of Malte served to guard against the invaders.Recently, some fortresses have been de-weaponized into cultural centers, and bomb shelters also function as unique performance venues.As Brandon Shaw, the conference chair from the Department of Dance Studies at the univer sity of Malta said, the theme “Contra: Dance and Conflict”invites the dance avtists and scholars to look inward and outward and respond to social concerns and bodily manifestations.Pinpointing the bodily representations of sexism and racism, recognizing the strength and cohesion acquired through strategizing and body-storming, as well as theoretical discussions and brainstorming, and spreading the awareness that there is no cohesion without friction,dance studies have invaluable strengths to contribute to the ongoing, intensifying contemporary social struggles.

Therefore, dance studies can be compared to a battle to dispel the destructive power of “conflicts” and to harness its creativity to realize world peace and boost human progress.

Editor-in-Chief