The Dance in the Districts program supports Los Angeles dancers by awarding commissions for digital video dance performance works that take place in Council Districts 2 and 3.
Courtesy of Soorya Foundation for Performing Arts
Dance In The Districts Program Guidelines
The City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) Performing Arts Division (PERF), in partnership with the Los Angeles Dance Workers Coalition (LADWC), is awarding commissions of $2,000 to qualified dancers and choreographers to create a 2.5- to 3.5-minute digital video dance performance to be presented in a screening event and an online exhibition. Dance in the Districts was originally designed as a pilot program to provide economic relief to Los Angeles dancers who experienced dramatic loss of livelihood due to COVID-19. The Dance in the Districts program has since become an ongoing stimulus in support of emerging dance artists who live or work Los Angeles City Council Districts 2 or 3.
DCA/PERF has identified funds to support dancers in the 2nd and 3rd Council Districts through the Madrid Theatre Cultural Hub (MaTCH). A significant number of project awards will be available in each district through a peer review panel who will determine the awardees. The awards of $2,000 are intended for career development and consist of $1,000 for the artist fee and $1,000 to produce a dance work in the awardees district. As part of the dance stimulus project award, applicants will be required to produce, present, or provide a 2.5- to 3.5-minute digitally recorded performance that is family friendly, free, and publicly accessible on DCA’s, LADWC’s, and other partner organizations’ websites. Production costs can include any of the following: choreography, costuming, videography, collaborators, and other items related to the cost of production. Performances must take place in the council district the artist is affiliated with and should highlight a place within that district that holds value to the dancer, such as: a park, street, business, home, or public space, among others.
Dancers and choreographers that live and/or work in the districts are eligible to apply. Only one (1) dance commission application may be submitted per person. Award recipients will receive a $2,000 dance commission contract that may be payable in two installments of $1,000. Payments may take up to four months to process.
DANCE COMMISSION ELGIBILITY
Applicants must be a professional dance sector artist; heritage-based dance practitioner and culture keeper; dance educator; and/or choreographer, that are engaged in diverse commercial, nonprofit, and independent dance practices including classical, traditional and contemporary forms. Professional dance artists: create meaningful and essential contributions to the dance field, to the community, and to the dance ecosystem; produce cultural content for audiences of Los Angeles County; and maintain knowledge and expertise of their dance discipline.
Applicants should be emerging artists in the dance field. Emerging artists are those who have been creating work for less than five years, have media documentation of their work, and are actively producing work, but not yet established in the dance profession.
Applicants must live or work within the geographic boundaries of Council Districts 2 or 3. Visit neighborhoodinfo.lacity.org, enter your physical street address in the search field, and click on “FIND.” In your search result, you should see your City Council District number and the LA City Councilmember’s name listed under Elected Officials. Adjacent districts will be considered.
Applicants must have a social security number.
We encourage those who identify as BIPOC, LGBTQIA2s+, and/or physically and neurologically diverse to apply.
APPLICATION
A complete application consists of answering the questions in the google survey—link is indicated below–and submitting the required documentation to dcaperform@lacity.org by the application deadline: 11:59 p.m., June 12, 2023. The subject line should read: Dance in the Districts, Your Name.
Dance in the Districts Online Application
ATTACHMENTS
Please provide the following documents by emailing them directly to dcaperform@lacity.org by the deadline listed above:
- Artistic Resume or CV in a pdf format;
- A 5 to 7 sentence Artist Bio in word format;
- A Headshot and a Movement Photograph of the Choreographer/Dancer in either a jpeg or png format;
- If you have a logo, please send it in a jpeg or png format;
- Photography/Videography Waiver in pdf format;
PROJECTED SCHEDULE
The 2023 schedule is as follows:
- Friday, May 26 – Call for Applicants
- Monday, June 12 – Applications DUE
- Friday, June 16 through June 30 – Peer Review Panel Scoring
- Friday, July 14 – Awardees Announced
- Monday, July 24 through August 20 – Artists Create Dance in the Districts Video
- Monday, August 21 through September 15 – Artists Facilitate Post Production Aspects of Video
- Friday, September 22 – Artists Submit Finished Video to DCA|PERF
- Saturday, October 7 – Project Presentations at the Lankershim Arts Center
ABOUT THE LOS ANGELES DANCE WORKERS COALITION (LADWC)
LADWC is a grassroots volunteer-based group of arts leaders from across dance and arts disciplines who came together at the beginning of 2021 to advocate for relief and recovery for the dance sector. We are looking at the City of Los Angeles to see where we can make a difference. Our core purpose is to support dance in LA by reaching the most vulnerable people in this field: the dancer.
ABOUT THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS (DCA)
As a leading progressive arts and cultural agency, DCA empowers Los Angeles’ vibrant communities by supporting and providing access to quality visual, literary, musical, performing, and educational arts programming; managing vital cultural centers; preserving historic sites; creating public art; and funding services provided by arts organizations and individual artists.
Formed in 1925, DCA promotes arts and culture as a way to ignite a powerful dialogue, engage LA’s residents and visitors, and ensure LA’s varied cultures are recognized, acknowledged, and experienced. DCA’s mission is to strengthen the quality of life in Los Angeles by stimulating and supporting arts and cultural activities, ensuring public access to the arts for residents and visitors alike.
DCA advances the social and economic impact of arts and culture through grant-making; public art; community arts; performing arts; and strategic marketing, development, design, and digital research. DCA creates and supports arts programming, maximizing relationships with other city agencies, artists, and arts and cultural nonprofit organizations to provide excellent service in neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles.
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