Velocity Dance Center is proud to announce a call for three experimental performance artists from the Pacific Northwest Region to research and premiere a new, 20 minute work in Next Fest NW: TOTAL CHAOS. Selected artists will be paid $1000 to be Artists in Residence at Seattle Festival of Dance + Improvisation where they will research for one week and show their work in an informal showing at the end of their residency. The artists will also receive a $2000 stipend to premiere their work over two weekends in Seattle in December of 2024.
Next Fest NW is a Velocity Residency Program that supports two Seattle based artists and one artist from the greater PNW region. Contextualized by a new theme every year, this residency program incubates and presents new experimental dance and performance works in our region by providing artists with free rehearsal space, in process showings, regular meetings with Velocity Staff, and the full production and presentation of their 20 minute work in a festival style show over two weekends. This program is recommended for artists who have participated in festival style shows before and are looking to build regional audiences around their work and expand their skills on the following:
Artistic mentorship: mentorship and community support to make artistically innovative projects focusing on:
- Managing Long-Term Artistic Goals
- Creative Process + working with creative collaborators
- Production + Technical Scopes of their Work
Financial resources: fees to pay yourself, your collaborators, and your project expenses
Reciprocal Relationship building: understanding your part in the larger ecology, and how to work collaboratively to connect and sustain your career within your ecosystem of artistic collaborators, local and national presenters, funders, and audiences by meeting about:
- Group Collaboration within a Vision
- Relationship between Institution + Artist
Business development: how to manage projects and undertake long-term collaborations and career planning through:
- Audience Cultivation
- Meetings about Marketing as an extension of an Artist’s Work
- Maintaining an Individual Project Budget
Program Commitments:(meetings are all over zoom unless specified)
Meeting 1: May 30 | 3 – 4:30PM – Grounding Introductions
Meeting 2: Jun 27 | 3 – 4:30PM – Residency Planning
Residency at SFD+I: Jul 14 – 19 | Must Rehearse Once a Day
Cohort Gathering at SFD+I: Jul 17 | 6 - 7:30PM
Cohort Residency Showing: July 19 | 5:30 – 7PM
Meeting 3: Aug 15 | 3 – 4:30PM – Finance + Budgeting
Meeting 4: Sep 12 | 3 – 4:30PM – Institutions + Artists
Individual Meetings: Sep | TBD – Long Term Artistic Goals
Meeting 5: Oct 10 | 3 – 4:30PM – Marketing + Audience Cultivation
Meeting 6: Oct 24 | 3 – 4:30PM – Production + Technical Scope
Meeting 7: Nov 7 | 3 – 4:30PM – Production Meeting
Meeting 8: Nov 14 | 3 – 5PM – Virtual Technical Showing
Meeting 9: Nov 28 | 3 – 4:30PM – Production Meeting
Seattle-Based Artist Technical Rehearsal: Dec 4 | 11AM – 2PM or 4 – 7PM
Out of Town Technical Rehearsal: Dec 5 | 1 – 4 PM
Dress Rehearsal: Dec 5 | 6:30 PM
6 Performances: Dec 6–7 | 7:30PM + Dec 12–14 | 7:30PM + 2PM on Sat
2 NFNW Seattle-Based Artists will receive:
1 Week of Residency Time with a Showing at SFD+I | July 14-19
$1000 Residency Stipend
Free Tuition to all SFD+I Programs
Mentorship and production support from Velocity staff and creative residents
6 in-person, festival style performances that are fully produced
Lighting design by Velocity technical staff
$2000 Presentation Fee
1 NFNW Out-of-Town Artist will receive:
1 Week of Residency Time with a Showing at SFD+I | July 14-19
$1000 Residency Stipend
$500 Residency Travel Stipend
Free Tuition to all SFD+I Programs
Mentorship and production support from Velocity staff and creative residents
6 in-person, festival style performances that are fully produced
Lighting design by Velocity technical staff
$2000 Presentation Fee
$500 Residency Travel Stipend
Ok, but how will this work? We have set a few parameters. The show dates will be two weekends in December in the studio theater at 12th Ave Arts, and we will select the three artists through an open application. Velocity will provide a baseline of technical staff, administrative and marketing support, and the front of house staffing needed for the performances. Beyond that, we will provide resources, guidance through structured creative team meetings, a paid residency at SFD+I, production meetings, in-process showings, and press showings, so that the artists can collaboratively vision and plan the shared evening.
We welcome Pacific Northwest-based dance artists from all backgrounds and styles making experimental work to apply.
About the Application + Panel Process
This application will close on April 4th, 2024 at 11:59pm, and we are not able to accept late applications. The curating team is comprised of Velocity Curating Artist in Residence Amy O’Neal, Creative Producer Shane Donohue, Allie Hankins, and Keyes Wiley. Panelists will review each application and score proposals using the below criteria, with scores from strongly meets criteria - somewhat meets criteria - does not meet criteria.
The eight highest scoring applications will be advanced to a discussion stage, where the panel will curate three projects for this year’s performance, two from Seattle and one from the greater NW region. Beyond scoring, the curators’ will be selecting based on what three pieces together create a varied and exciting collection of works for the event. The Velocity Curating Artist in Residence and the Velocity Creative Producer will be available to provide feedback on unsuccessful applications.