Open Call for Applications

Dance North (previously Bodysurf Scotland)’s Regional Artist Support Programme offers packages of support for professional dance artists living and/or working in Moray, the Highlands and the Western Isles.

A twelve-month long pilot run with support from Creative Scotland, the programme aims to support professional dance artists, whilst working in partnership with venues, organisations and groups, to improve the
professional dance infrastructure across the region.

Proposals are invited from professional dance artists for financial and other support (see below) towards the development of their practice and/or the development, promotion and presentation of their work. The
programme as a whole comprises of both an open call for applications and targeted packages of support.

Eligibility

Applications are open to professional dance artists who have an existing relationship with Moray, the Highlands and/or the Western Isles. This relationship could include being resident within the region of having established working partnerships with regional organisations, venues and/or groups.

Please note: those in full-time education are not eligible to apply and priority will be given to artists not currently in receipt of financial support from Dance North.

What type of support is available?

The following support is available through this programme:

  • Residency or commissioning grants*.
  • Organisational support for the development of an artist’s work or practice (e.g. partnership building, mentoring, training and as a sounding board for ideas).
  • Exposure through Dance North’s promotional outlets and presentation opportunities.
  • Networking opportunities via Dance North’s Culture Café programme, engaging with other artists, organisations and venues.

* The total budget is £10,000 and we anticipate that the majority of grants will be between £1,000 and £5,000.

What can it be used for?

This call is non-prescriptive. We are open to all ideas and projects at any stage of completion. Your application could be as simple as requesting support to find a collaborating artist or supporting partner, or participating in training. Alternatively, it could be an application for the commissioning of new work, or financial support towards taking up a residency for research and development in a particular location. What is important is a commitment to engaging with the region, be it with people, organisations, the environment, history or culture.

Please note: proposed projects must be completed by 31st March 2019.

How to apply

Applications should include:

1 Your CV (maximum 2 A4 pages)
2 An outline of your proposed idea or work (maximum 2 A4 pages). This must include:

  • An introduction to you and your practice.
  • Details of your relationship to Moray, the Highlands and/or the Western Isles (personally and professionally), as well as any previous or on-going relationships with organisations, venues or communities across the region and how they might be involved in your proposal.
  • Why this proposal is important to you and why now is the right time for you to work on it.
  • What you hope to achieve or discover through this proposal.
  • How developing this proposal will contribute to your wider practice and future plans.

3 An outline budget for your proposal.
4 A maximum of 2 video clips of your previous or current work.

Applications should be submitted to [email protected] or Dance North, Universal Hall, The Park, Findhorn, Moray, IV36 3TZ by 5pm on Friday 17 August 2018.

Alternatively, applicants may also apply via video (no longer than 5 minutes) uploaded to Vimeo or another platform and sent to the email address above.

We aim to notify applicants of the panel’s decision by the week ending Friday 15 September 2018.

Please note: the panel may invite applicants to have a conversation if more information is needed about the proposal. If you would like to receive the above information in a different format, or require support in preparing an application, please contact us on [email protected] or 01309 691661.

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