Made In The North East Commission

Dance City is seeking applications from professional dance artists/companies for a brand-new commission ‘Made In The North East’ in partnership with a new consortium of 8 North East venues and their new and existing audiences.

Generously supported by The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, the aims of this commission for the partners are to develop a better understanding and commitment to programming dance performances in the region. To achieve this the partners are participating in a collective process of development and training activities to best enable the production of new work and touring support through a consortium approach.

We are looking for an artist/company who either lives, is/are based or are from the North East, and who is/are committed to making their work here and investing long term in the dance ecology of our region.

The project budget available for this commission is £25,000 (inclusive of commission fee and guaranteed performance fees). For this project to be realised to its full potential and taking into consideration the varied needs of our partners we realise that the commission fee is not enough, therefore there is an expectation that additional funding will be sought from other partners/funders. Dance City will support you with approaching partners and funding applications.

We want the North East to be a place where great dance is made and happens in a variety of contexts. The consortium’s collective ambition is to make a world class piece of work with national significance, made here in the North East. With our team of in-house experts, we have created this strategic partnership project to share, diversify and develop the art of programming quality professional dance into more places and spaces in the region, giving confidence and deeper insight for venues, audiences and artists about the process of producing a touring dance productions.

Our partners are:

Alnwick Playhouse (Alnwick),
Queens Hall (Hexham),
Middlesbrough Town Hall (Middlesbrough),

The Witham (Barnard Castle),
The Fire Station (Sunderland),
Darlington Hippodrome (Darlington)
Hartlepool Town Hall Theatre (Hartlepool)
Gosforth Civic Theatre (Newcastle)

The work created will need to be suitable to present indoors, onstage at each of the above venues. Technical Specifications available on request. Ingenuity and adaptability to a range of space dimensions is essential. The ‘Made In The North East’ Project Producer will support the artist/company throughout the commission, though artists/companies are also welcome to supplement with their own in-house producing support.

Partner venues have indicated that they can offer rehearsal space for the creation period between May 2021 – January 2022, with a tour likely to take place between in Spring 2022. (exact dates still to be negotiated)