COMMISSIONS: Call for Proposals for Collaboration Between Generations
Featured photo: Karen Christopher and Sophie Grodin in ‘Miles and Miles’ at Chisenhale Dance Space. Photo by Manu Valcarce, 2016
2018 marks the 35th anniversary of Chisenhale Dance Space being incorporated as an organisation. 35 years as a home for experimentation and radicalism in dance and performance, and formerly the hotbed of the New Dance movement. But what is radical in 2018?
Thanks to investment from Arts Council England, we are pleased to announce New New Dance Radicals, an anniversary season for Autumn 2018, seeking to re-ignite our radical spirit through Member-led presentations, guest performances… and two new commissions funded by a generous donation from The Choreographer’s Gallery Trust.
We are offering two commissions of £3000 + residency space for new work to be made in Autumn 2018 and showcased as works-in-development on Saturday 8 December 2018 (before anticipated further development).
The only brief is that the proposals have to be contemporary collaborations between different generations of dance artists associated with Chisenhale Dance.
We have two commissions to offer which each include:
- £3000 cash commissioning fee
- Up to £1500 of rehearsal space at CDS in 2018 (not exchangeable for cash)
- Marketing and technical support on the day of the showcase
- Producing and future development advice from Chisenhale Dance’s Executive Producer
Further guidance:
- Following Chisenhale Dance’s ethos as a champion of experimentation, we encourage innovative and unconventional ideas and those which expand the definitions of the forms they use.
- We encourage applications from artists working across the broad spectrum of ‘dance and performance’, with both a focus on body-based work and also an expanded view of what choreography can be, beyond the body.
- There is no requirement for the proposals to focus on the theme of generations in any way. We want the most exciting ideas that will have potential to reach audiences and have a future life – and they might just happen to be new collaborations between different generations.
- Applications must be made joint application between at least two artists who consider themselves to be different generations.
- The focus of this call for proposals is for artists of different generations, not for work with non-professional performers of different generations. Our definition of ‘generations’ is kept deliberately open, but must be between those who feel that their collaborator is in a different ‘peer group’.
- We are actively seeking to engage former Chisenhale Dance Members, particularly if they are collaborating with a current Member of a different generation. At least one of the lead collaborators must be a current or former CDS Member, but bringing in new artists into the community is encouraged.
- We are particularly keen to see proposals from new collaborations from teams that have not worked together before.
- Priority will be given to projects which we feel have the potential for future life and to reach broad audiences.
- We actively encourage applications from culturally diverse artists and those otherwise under-represented in Chisenhale Dance’s current programme.
- We acknowledge that Chisenhale Dance Space is not an accessible venue. There is not a requirement for all activity to take place in our venue if this is a barrier for the collaboration, however rehearsal space is only available in-kind at CDS.
- There is a showcase planned for December 2018 in the Performance Studio, but proposals should not be limited by that necessity as other spaces may be available.
Timeline (2018):
Call for proposals opens: Monday 13 August
Deadline for applications: Monday 17 September at 10am
Commissions awarded (anticipated): week commencing 24 September
Showcase of both works in development: Saturday 8 December
Commissions will be selected by a panel to include CDS Members and the Executive Producer. Please get in touch to express your interest in joining the panel.
The deadline has now passed.
