Artist Commissions
Do you create choreography for digital spaces and online audiences?
Do you work with movement styles related to:
- Indian dance forms such as Bharata Natyam, Kathak and Bollywood; or
- Hip Hop, African dance practices and different forms of street dance; or
- contemporary dance?
Moving Online is offering three commissions of £7,000 each to UK-based artists working in relation to one or more of these genres to develop online dances that will premiere in June 2024.
What we’re looking for: We are looking for creative approaches that result in online choreographies of approximately 5 minutes (applications with a clear reason for producing shorter or longer dances will be considered). These could be new choreographies or existing ones adapted for the online environment. We are particularly interested in processes that explore new ways of sharing dance online, examples might include experimentations with distinctions between live and recorded performance or real-time and edited films. We are looking to work with artists who are open to sharing their creative process with the research team and spending some time reflecting on the themes of the research project. There is no requirement that the topic of the choreography relates to the focus of the research project, but we hope that reflecting on the process and themes will shed light on what it is that artists make, own and share online.
The research focuses on: Indian dance forms such as Bharata Natyam, Kathak and Bollywood; Hip Hop, African dance practices and different forms of street dance; and contemporary dance. These forms have been chosen to draw parameters around the scope of the research while ensuring that a range of different approaches are considered. These terms are being used broadly and we welcome applications from all UK-based dance artists who identify as working with/within or in relation to one or more of these areas.
Fee: The commissioning fee will need to cover all making and production costs. Artists will have bookable access to a dance studio at Coventry University but any other space costs will need to be included in the commission budget. The fee will be paid in two instalments: 80% of the funds will be paid up front and the remaining 20% will be paid on completion of the commission. The first instalment will be paid approximately 3.5 months after the commission is awarded to allow time for contracting and financial administration.
Eligibility: Lead applicants must be based in the UK. All artists and collaborators involved in the commission must be over 18. Applicants should be willing to participate in the research project. It is expected that choreographic processes will be observed by Hetty Blades and other members of the team and that the lead artist on the project will be interviewed as part of the research (consent permitting).
Match funding: If successful in being awarded the commission, it is possible to use the fee as match funding for applications to relevant schemes offered by the Arts Councils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and Creative Scotland. If you plan to do this, please bear in mind the scalability of the work, so that outcomes are not dependent on further funding, as well as relevant timelines and eligibility criteria.
Please note that applications to Arts Council Northern Ireland’s Support for Individual Artists Scheme are accepted once a year and will need to be submitted by 12 noon on 31st August, prior to the deadline for this commission, with decisions expected in November. If applying for an Arts Council Wales Create Large Grant, please note the following deadlines: 23rd August 2023, 4th October 2023, 17th January 2024.
Intellectual Property: It is anticipated that films of the resulting choreographies and some footage of the creative processes will be publicly available on the project website. The intellectual property for these outputs will belong to the choreographer, dancers and any other contributors (eg. film-makers, musicians). However, we aim to share them on an open access basis, via a CC-BY-NC license. This means that the IP remains with the contributors, but the outputs can be used by third parties for any non-commercial use, on the basis that the rights holders/authors are attributed.
Application process
Please submit the following information. You can share your responses to each heading via a single Word document or PDF, or submit a video of yourself talking about each point (8 mins max.).
Description of artistic project (up to 500 words) including:
- Concept (including whether it is a new piece or an adaptation of existing choreography)
- Format (eg. documentation, edited film, live event broadcast via the internet)
- The platform through which the choreography will be shared (eg. Instagram, Vimeo, YouTube)
- Length
Timeline (up to 250 words)
Brief description of how your plan connects to what we’re looking for (see above) (eg. the ways that it offers a new or experimental approach and why you’re interested in sharing your process)(up to 250 words)
Budget (A detailed breakdown that demonstrates that all costs have been considered)
Short bio, including mention of which genre(s) your work aligns to and (up to 3) links to relevant past work or social media profiles(up to 250 words)
Selection criteria and process
Your application will be assessed against the following criteria:
- Originality of artistic idea
- Relevance to call
- Feasibility in relation to budget and timeline
Applications should be submitted to hello@movingonline.coventry.domains by 12th September 2023
Please contact Hetty Blades: hetty.blades@coventry.ac.uk with any queries.
Timeline
12th September, 23.59: Deadline for submissions
Week commencing 16th October: Decision communicated to applicants.
1st February: Commission process begins
June 2024: Premieres
