Call for Choreographers – Dusk Dances 2024

CALL FOR CHOREOGRAPHERS – BE PART OF DUSK DANCES’ 30TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON IN 2024

Deadline: Monday, January 8, 2024, at 11:59pm

Dusk Dances is inviting proposals for dance works to be presented at Dusk Dances 2024 at Withrow Park in Toronto from August 3 – August 11, 2024. Send your proposal to: [email protected]

 

We are inviting engaging proposals of solos, duets, trios and quartets, for a remount / re-imagination / adaptation of an already existing dance work. Applications for commissioned works, or for new works still-in-development, will not be considered at this time. Dusk Dances is looking for dance works that are approximately ten (10) minutes in length.

Dusk Dances is an equal-opportunity organization that values equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility. We fully welcome and prioritize applications from People of Global Majority, Trans People, Queer People, Disabled People, Black, Asian, South Asian, Latin, Brown, Indigenous, and all named and unnamed folx who feel compelled. We invite you to self-identify in your proposal.

Four to five (4-5) dance works (solos, duets, trios and quartets only) will be selected for Dusk Dances 2024 at Withrow Park by Festival Director Sofi Gudiño, with curatorial support from Sylvie Bouchard.

We welcome proposals from Toronto/GTA-based artists as well as out-of-province artists.

* Please note that the total number of performers (4 maximum) must include all artists who are performing live in the work (e.g. musicians etc.).

* In exceptional and exciting collaborations, Dusk Dances works with choreographers who engage with community (non-professional) performers alongside professional dancers. These group pieces exceed the maximum of four performers and often require extra time and outside funding to become realized. If you are working in a community engaged capacity and would like to begin the conversation, we invite you to informally share with Sofi at [email protected]

 

ABOUT DUSK DANCES

Dusk Dances is an outdoor dance festival that brings dance to public parks. As dusk descends, a theatrical host leads the audience to an array of unique dance pieces that unfold in different areas of the park. Choreographers are invited to perform ten-minute pieces inspired by the park’s natural environment. Audiences are invited on a pay-what-you-wish basis to an innovative site-specific festival. 2024 will mark Dusk Dances’ 30th anniversary season and the first season with Sofi Gudiño as Festival Director.

 

WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• Choreographers who create site-specific work that engages with and responds to the environment it is danced in, or choreographers who are interested in developing a site-specific practice;
• Artists / companies that can legally work in Canada;
• Artists who are available for all the performances (from Sunday, August 4th to Sunday, August 11th, 2024), as well as for a production meeting on Friday August 2nd, and a technical rehearsal on Saturday, August 3rd, 2024. Performances commence at 7pm.

* Please note that the dates of Dusk Dances 2024 (August 3 to 11, 2024) are subject to the City’s confirmation in January 2024. They may change to July 27 to August 4, 2024.

* Dusk Dances will not accept proposals from students currently enrolled in a post-secondary college, university, or conservatory institution.

* Decisions will be made by March 4th, 2024 at the latest.

 

APPLICATION INFORMATION

Written materials, audio, and video materials will be accepted. For additional access needs, please contact [email protected].

 

1. In PDF format, please share with us:

• Contact information (name, address, phone, email, website);
• A biography (maximum 350 words), which includes information about your choreographic experience and artistic motivation (recent works, residencies, commissions, awards, etc.);
• An online link to watch a full-version of the work you are proposing.*

*The length of the proposed work (must be approximately ten (10) minutes in length).

* Please note that the proposed work can be an excerpt from a longer work.

*If you are proposing an excerpt of a longer work, please submit the full-length video, and identify the section (s) that you plan to remount (include time-code markers). Please specify whether you will adapt this piece into a solo, duet, trio, or quartet.

*Please do not include additional video documentation for other choreographic works – we will only view video of your proposed work.

 

2. In 500 words, or 5 minutes of video/audio content, please share with us the following:

• The title of the proposed work and a one-paragraph piece description;
• A paragraph regarding your previous experience with creating site-specific works, highlighting any outdoor presentations. If you do not have previous experience with creating site-specific / outdoor works, tell us about why you are interested in site-specific / outdoor presentations;
• A brief statement, describing your interest in adapting this proposed work for an approximately ten (10) minute presentation in an outdoor setting, and how you will accomplish this.

 

DUSK DANCES WILL PROVIDE

• A presentation fee that covers rehearsals, a performance fee for the artists and a fee to the choreographer;
• All logistics for the festival, including the venue;
• Technical personnel and equipment (including microphones and sound systems);
• Marketing and publicity (posters, postcards, newsletters, social media, house programs);
• Per diem, accommodation, and transportation costs for out-of-province artists.

*For reference, Dusk Dances pays a fee to the applicant, who then will disseminate it to their cast. The fees per piece are $4,500 for a solo, $7,000 for a duet, $9,000 for a trio, and $11,500 for a quartet. These fees include the choreographic fee, rehearsals, remount, and the presentation of the work.

 

HOW TO APPLY

Kindly send your application to Shivani Joshi at [email protected] (with “Call for Choreographers 2024” in the subject line) by Monday, January 8, 2024 at 11:59pm. Applications must be submitted as one (1) PDF file, in addition to an audio/video response format.

For more information, visit Dusk Dances’ website.