Dance City is seeking applications from dance artists/makers from across the North East to apply for our annual Commission programme which will support up to 6 artists/companies to develop new dance work from an overall budget of up to £31,000.

There are 3 commission strands available:

· Full Production

· Early Stage Work

· Charlotte Grant Early Career Award

This commissioning programme is exclusively for artists who are from, who studied at undergraduate level or above, or who are based in the North East of England.

All strands are open to all artists/companies (not NPOs), regardless of whether you’ve applied for or received a commission from us previously. Across the 3 commission strands we actively encourage application from artists who self-identify as black, Asian, ethnically diverse, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, neurodiverse, disabled and mature (10 years plus of professional practice), the latter an area highlighted by our 2019 sector consultation. We define dance in this context as all styles and genres of movement focused work, including aerial and circus arts.

All strands welcome artists/companies who are producing a full-length live performance, film or outdoor dance work. Any film work is to be in accordance with Arts Council England’s definition, ‘creative films that involve artists working in our supported artforms and where film is the medium for their work.’

*Please note if you are interested in site responsive or specific outdoor work a further round of commissions will be launched in early 2021.*

The start date for the commission period is April 2021 – March 2022.

The application process is in three stages:

1. Stage 1 – Expression of Interest

2. Stage 2 – Full Application

3. Stage 3 – Interviews

For information specific to the Full Production commission strand, please skip to 08:44

For information specific to the Early Stage commission strand, please skip to 12:55

For information specific to the Charlotte Grant Award, please skip to 16:44

For general commission work guidelines, please skip to 21:42

Dance City commissions are as follows:

Full production

This opportunity is for artists/companies who are producing a full-length live performance, film or outdoor dance work (minimum of 50 minutes in length)

Up to 2 artists/companies will be awarded up to £10,000 each

Please note, only up to one grant could be awarded for a full-length film or outdoor dance application.

Find full details in the information pack below.

Early Stage Production

This commission is for development of early stage work – a live dance performance, film or outdoor dance work (15 – 30 minutes in duration)

Up to 2 artists/companies will be offered up to £4,000 each

Please note, only up to one grant could be awarded for an Early Stage Production film or outdoor dance application.

Find full details in the information pack below.

Charlotte Grant Early Career Artist Award

This commission strand is kindly supported by the Charlotte Grant legacy donation gifted by her family, and supported and match funded by Arts Council England. This commission strand is created in memory of Charlotte who trained and developed her professional career here at Dance City, and generously pays forward this opportunity for more artists to follow in her footsteps.

This commission is to support recent BA or MA graduates who have graduated in the last three years and who are from, who live and/or who have trained at undergraduate level or above in the North East of England.

There are two opportunities for commissions to develop early stage work – a live dance performance, film or outdoor work (5 – 15 minutes in duration)

Up to 2 artists will receive a commission of up to £1,500 each

At least one of the commissioned pieces will be a live performance to be showcased in Dance City’s theatre.

Find full details in the information pack below.

Application Process

Please complete the Expression of Interest application form below, answering all the questions. If you have any access requirements and need support with the application process, please contact Alex Anslow at Dance City: Alex.Anslow@dancecity.co.uk We can accept video applications, with responses following the expression of interest questions, or we can arrange a face to face meeting with one of our team which constitutes a verbal application.

If submitting a written application please email the completed Expression of Interest form/video to Alex with Dance City Commission 2021/22 in the subject line, by 12 noon, Thursday 7th January 2021. (Applications submitted after this date will not be considered)

2021-2022 Commissions Information Pack 

2021-2022 Commissions Information – Easy Read 

2021-022 Commissions Panel

Expression of Interest Form 

Dance City Equal Opportunities Form

Pictured: How long is a piece of String? by Fully Booked Theatre/Jennifer Essex

Image by Luke Waddington