Calls to Artists: Click on the tabs below to learn about artist opportunities at dance Immersion.
IMMERSION MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
The 2024 Immersion Mentorship Program Application is now closed.
The Immersion Mentorship Program is an initiative geared towards exchanging knowledge between established Black artists and emerging Black artists within the Toronto arts community. Through this program, established artist mentors are paired with youth choreographers/mentees to exchange artistic knowledge, guidance, and support as they develop or expand the mentee’s dance work. The program also includes open-access Connectively Moving seminars providing tools for building a successful dance career.
The Immersion Mentorship Program is made possible with a community investment from RBC.
The principal goal of this program is to provide the mentees with the necessary tools to thrive, create strong work, and build their creative careers by connecting them with experience, space and guidance.
Four (4) mentees will be chosen for the 2024 program.
*An emerging choreographer is defined as someone aged 16 – 29 who is in the early stages of their artistic career, and has yet to present a full-length work of their own. dance Immersion will select the mentees from this open call.
*Selected mentors selected by dance Immersion are choreographers that have honed their craft through training and practice for 10+ years; have presented full-length dance work to the public; have 3+ years of teaching experience; and are actively engaged within their community through their art form.
The 2024 IMP Mentors are: Rodney Diverlus, Nickeshia Garrick, Pulga Muchochoma, and Dainty Smith.
Program Components
A. Mentorship Link
Between the week beginning January 22 and March 16, 2024, each mentee will meet with their mentor for four (4) hours per week for seven (7) weeks, and then participate in an In-Studio Showcase on the eighth week. The mentors and mentees will receive three hours of studio time weekly, and will meet online or in-person for discussions for an additional hour each week. This can be scheduled between the mentee and mentor, with dance Immersion scheduling the studio time.
During the studio time, the mentee/mentor pairs will discuss the mentee’s choreographic ideas and put them into practice as the mentee develops a brief choreography. The program also provides the mentee with fees to cover 20 hours with a musician or an additional dancer to collaborate on the brief choreography (i.e. the mentee’s pieces will either be performed by a solo dancer + musician or be performed by the mentee and an additional dancer). The works-in-progress will be presented for feedback at the In-Studio Showcase, and the mentees will receive a recording and photographs of their presentation. *The mentees are expected to plan and develop their choreographic ideas in between studio sessions with their mentors.
B. Connectively Moving Seminars
It is a requirement of this program that selected mentees attend all five of the Connectively Moving seminars, either in-person or reviewing the recorded sessions.
The five Connectively Moving seminars running daily 10am – 1pm from February 20 – 24, 2024 will cover:
1. The Dance Ecosystem: Teaching, creating, presenting, touring – What key roles and systems will dance artists connect with over the course of their careers and how is the ecosystem navigated?
2. Crafting a Dance Work: What are some elements of strong choreographic works and how can choreographers integrate them into their everyday practice?
3. Collaboration in Creation and Performance: What are the key collaborator roles and how do choreographers effectively engage with them to create strong work?
4. Guiding Research and Rehearsals: How to conduct conscientious research of your concept and communicate and transmit ideas to dancers, musicians, and designers as you build dance works.
5. The Business of Dance: Budgets, biographies, grants, artist statements, marketing, outreach – What are these key administrative and community-building elements and where are the resources to help guide development of these essential pieces to a successful career in dance?
A networking mixer will be held on Saturday, February 24 to conclude the Connectively Moving seminars.
Each seminar will contain components of self-esteem building and self-care for a thriving career.
C. Evaluation
Program evaluation will include:
- Check-in meetings with dance Immersion staff
- A post-presentation group mentee/mentor meeting to discuss outcomes
- A written or video survey to include both mentee and mentor feedback.
Each of the Selected Mentees Will Receive:
– 28 hours of one-on-one time with a mentor for discussion and dance piece development, including free studio space
– A fee of $2,000 ($50/hour for 40 hours of work on their piece)
– An additional $1,000 to cover 20 hours of fees for either a musical or dancer collaborator
– The Connectively Moving for Youth seminars + additional movement sessions
– Networking opportunities during the program
– An In-Studio Showcase to present their work-in-progress and receive feedback.
Key Dates
Applications to be a Mentee are Open: September 11, 2023 until November 13, 2023
Successful applicants will be notified: December 5, 2023
Mentee acceptance is due: December 12, 2023
Program Runs: The week of January 22 to March 16, 2024, with a wrap-up meeting and survey to follow
In-Studio Showcase: March 16, 2024
Connectively Moving seminars running daily 10am – 1pm from February 20 – 24, 2024
Eligibility and application requirements
*This program is geared towards individuals who are in the early stages of their choreographic career and have yet to present a full-length work of their own.
Four (4) mentees will be selected who:
- Identify as Black, African, or of the African Diaspora
- Are aged between 16 and 29
- Present a proposal for the work, or a remount/re-imagined idea of an existing work
Application:
Click below to apply to be a 2024 Mentee. The application requests your artist statement (telling us about your dance practice in either writing or with a video); information on the piece you would like to create or develop (what is it about and what stage of progress is it in?); video documentation of your artistic practice (either a link or upload of video of your dancing/choreography).
CLICK HERE TO APPLY (September 11 – November 13)
DANCE IMMERSION NATIONAL SHOWCASE PRESENTATION
The 2024 Showcase Application is now closed.
We are bringing back our semi-annual National Showcase Presentation beginning in the 2024-2025 season!
For the Showcase, five (5) performances of 10-15 minutes each in length will be presented together each night for two nights. Artists will be selected from across Canada. Projects for this opportunity must be dance-centred and led by a Black choreographer/director.
We are interested in presenting a variety of artists with different perspectives and practices; therefore, there is currently no specific theme to the Showcase beyond the presentation of strong Black-led dance works from across the country.
2024-2025 Showcase Presentation Details
Showcase Presentation Timing: October 5 & 6, 2024
Number of Artists/Performances Presented: Five
Length of Each Piece to be Presented: 10 -15 minutes
Showcase Presentation Venue: Harbourfront Centre Theatre
APPLICATION DEADLINE: January 7, 2024 at 11:59pm
NOTIFICATIONS: January 14, 2024
ARTIST ACCEPTANCE DUE: January 22, 2024
SHOWCASE PRESENTATION DATE: October 5 & 6, 2024
**The early application and notification is intended to provide selected artists with an opportunity to develop their work further and seek additional support before the presentation, if desired.
Each Selected Applicant Will be Provided With:
- A total fee of $5,000 CAD per selected application
- A letter of confirmation from dance Immersion that can be used for funding applications, if required
- Pre-performance feedback on live or recorded rehearsal progress
- A Lighting Designer, Stage Manager, and Production Manager
- Performance Venue, Technical Rehearsal + Theatre technical crew
- Shared dressing room facilities during the technical rehearsal and performances
- Travel, accommodation, and per diem for four nights – if coming from outside Ontario
TO APPLY
Complete the application form below. Projects for this opportunity must be dance-centred and led by a Black Canadian choreographer/director. The application form will open from November 20, 2023 to January 7, 2024. The form requests your:
- full name
- email address
- phone number
- city/town of residence
- attachment of your CV, Resume, or Biography (PDF format)
- description of the dance work. Note: The work can be already completed, in development, or new (maximum 500 words typed or pasted into the form)
- Link to or upload of a video of the work or of previous related work. Rehearsal video can be submitted.
Note 1: Submit video clips that do not contain many cuts/edits so the selection committee can see the arc and flow of your choreography.
Note 2: Pieces can include projection, live or recorded sound, and minimal set pieces. However, with five pieces presented on the same bill, there will be limited time to move large or complex set pieces between works or to set up and strike complex rigging or technology.
Note 2: You may apply more than once if you have different pieces you would like to propose for the showcase. In this case, you will need to submit separate applications for each piece.
IMPORTANT DATES
Application will be open on November 20
Application deadline is January 7
Selected artist notification is by January 14
Selected artist acceptance is due by January 22
2024 Showcase Presentation Timing: October 5 & 6, 2024
*dance Immersion staff will review the applications. Please note that only selected artists will be notified by the date listed above. However, if desired, any applicant can request feedback on their application.
The 2024 application is now closed.
DANCE IMMERSION YOUTH SHOWCASE
We have added a new event to the 2024-2025 season: The dance Immersion Youth Showcase!
The Youth Showcase gives Black-led, GTA-based dance studios and youth groups an opportunity to:
-
Present their strongest pieces to the general public
-
Promote their studios, classes, and programs to a new audience
-
Further develop their students’ performance skills with an additional opportunity to perform for an audience
-
Receive an archival video recording and photos of their pieces.
When: Saturday, February 1, 2025
Time: 7:30 PM
Where: Meridian Arts Centre – Studio Theatre
5040 Yonge Street, North York, ON
Further Details:
- The Showcase will provide space for 15 groups to each present a work of up to 5 minutes in length.
- Pieces will be selected for the Showcase from eligible registrations on a first-come-first-served basis.
- The Youth Showcase is open to Black-led studios/groups/programs for young performers aged 7 – 21.
- Pieces can be choreographed by someone of any age who identifies as Black or of the African Diaspora, though not all performers have to identify as such.
- Solos, duets, and group pieces welcome.
- A $500 honorarium will be provided to each group included in the Showcase to defray costs of travel to/from the venue, parking, and snacks/meals.
- Note: Given the number of acts in the show, we will not be able to accommodate the use of set pieces or digital projection.
Rehearsals:
- There will be a required in-studio rehearsal of the entire show on Sunday, January 26, 2025 from 2:00 – 4:30 PM. Venue TBC. This will allow the production manager, stage manager, and lighting designer to see the work and set lighting and other cues for the show.
- Technical rehearsals will be held after-school hours on Friday, January 21, 2025 and during the daytime on Saturday, February 1, 2025. The production manager will communicate tech rehearsal times to participants in early January. This is an opportunity to practice your piece on the stage with the sound and lighting.
Registration:
- Registration will be open from November 15 – December 6, 11:59 PM.
- Groups will be notified of the results on or by Friday, December 13, 2024.
- The registration form will request information on the age and number of dancers in the proposed piece, and the description of the piece, which should include the form of dance.
- The first 15 eligible pieces will be selected for the Showcase.
REGISTER HERE!
PLUS! DANCE CAREER INFO SESSION
As part of the Youth Showcase activities, the dance Immersion team will also be offering a virtual seminar for youth, teachers, and their caregivers about the bridge between student and professional dance lives, and what professional dance careers entail today. This Zoom discussion will include dance Immersion staff and two professional dancers giving insights into dance careers.
When: Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Time: 7:00 – 8:30 PM, including a Q & A
Note: This event will be recorded and uploaded to the dance Immersion YouTube channel, for those who cannot attend.
Click here for registration!
DTM CREATION LAB
INCUBATION & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT – Dance/Theatre/Music!
dance Immersion will be a company in residence at Tarragon Theatre beginning in the 24-25 Season!
Tarragon Theatre is a creation and playwrights theatre. We seek to create theatre that investigates artistic form, from non-traditional practices and methods of storytelling, to movement, music or non-text-based performance – all toward creating enriching and provocative theatre experiences. Equally a hub for creation, development and education – Tarragon is Canada’s Neighbourhood Theatre.
Within this interdisciplinary partnership:
- Tarragon Theatre will host presentations curated by dance Immersion at its wonderful Toronto venue
- dance Immersion and Tarragon will periodically develop and produce co-curated new works by local artists, and
- Our two organizations will collaborate on an exciting new shared professional development program for dance and theatre artists.
Our first such professional development program is DTM Creation Lab, a two-week paid creation residency that will provide four artists with dramaturgical, musical, and choreographic mentorship and development space. DTM (dance/theatre/music) Creation Lab will foster cross-disciplinary collaboration, spark inspiration, and create shared insights and experiences between dance and theatre artists that help build meaningful, career-changing connections. The two-week intensive will culminate in an In-Studio Showcase of the artists’ works-in-progress.