The theme for this year's festival is STORY.  We are thinking of story and storytelling in an expansive way. We have all shaped and been shaped by story. Octavia Butler, in her infinite wisdom, said, "Every story I create, creates me." What stories are we creating, what stories touch us, move us, invite us more deeply into our aliveness? What stories do we resist, which ones do we embrace, what stories are uniquely ours to tell. We welcome the linear, the  non-linear, the surreal, the political, the abstract, the archival, the ecological, the speculative, the transcendent, the mythic, the mundane, the wilder than fiction, the polyphonic, the whispered, the haunting, the haunted, the harmonizing. We are interested in how stories are portals and the ways embodiment and inter-connectedness can be explored through this lens.

 

The theme is inspired by the two newest exhibits at Grounds For Sculpture and their focus on story and storytelling as necessary act and offering. You can learn about the exhibits here and here. 

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Apply Here

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DETAILS ABOUT OPEN CALL

We are seeking proposals for new site-specific dance pieces that are between 7 – 12 minutes in length. Choreography is to be in conversation with specific sculptures and the land/surroundings at Grounds For Sculpture (GFS) along with the theme of STORY.

 

We are looking for proposals from choreographers of marginalized genders. This includes people who are trans, cis-gender women, non-binary, two-spirit, agender, gender fluid, gender expansive, or those who may be questioning their gender.

The Outlet Dance Project (TODP) is committed to supporting all dance forms. We strongly encourage artists from traditionally underrepresented communities to apply.

 

Selected work will be performed 2 times during the day on October 7th, 2023 with a dress/tech rehearsal that morning. The event rain date is October 8th, 2023. The festival is outdoors.

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Selected artists are expected to visit the park at least 2 times while developing their pieces. Admission fees to the park are waived for rehearsals. You may go to GFS as frequently as you would like during the time leading up to the festival. All participating artists are to be in regular communication with the directors so that we can support your work as much as possible.

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TODP will provide professional photos and video of your performances along with a modest honorarium of at least $300. We hope to be able to offer more than this but cannot say if we are able to yet. A note about honorariums: TODP is an entirely volunteer-run effort that is greatly relieved the years we can break even. We are presently doing everything we can to secure more funding for this year’s festival with the intention of increasing what we can give participating artists.  

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Sculpture Options

This year there are 21 sculptures to choose from this year for your site-specific proposals.  Listed alphabetically by sculptor, they are: Rondo VI by Bruce Beasley, Pitchfork Lightning by Susan Pulman Brooks, Sinjin by Zero Higashida, Cloud Swing by Isometric Studios, Spartan by Berj Krikorian, Where is Geometry by Peter Lundberg, Cuckoo's Nest by Zoran Mojsilov, Hillary by Robert Murray, Skyhook by John Newman, Beast by Karen Petersen, Split Ritual II by Beverly Pepper, Space, Conquer or Die – Swiatowid by Andrzej Pitynski, Schatz's Spaceship (Inspired by The Oloid) by E.C. Powel, Converge: Gharaib Bag by Michael Rees, Sumo by Ernest Shaw, Arch II by Elizabeth Strong-Cuevas,  Standing Vase with Five Flowers by James Surls, Three Graces by Toshiko Takaezu, Three Indeterminite Lines by Bernar Venet, Resting Place by Roy Wilson, & Hawthorne Tree II by Isaac Witkin.

 

Photos and elaborate descriptions of all of them found here: bit.ly/sculptureoptions

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Work Sample

Sample should be 5-7 continuous minutes in from a single piece, without excessive editing. Please include a time stamp for the 5-7 minutes you would like us to view, if the video is longer. 

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The sample should be one that best represents your work as a choreographer, it need not be a polished production-wise.

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Application Fee:

 

Before we are able to review your application, we need to receive your application fee. Until August 1st the application fee is $10. After August 1st, it is $12. This festival is run by volunteers. The application fee helps defray costs and garners you a complimentary ticket to the festival.​​

 

For PayPal and Zelle we use: contact@theoutletdanceproject.com for Cash App, we are $dancinghathor. 

If the application fee is a true hardship for you and makes applying inaccessible, please send us an email at contact@theoutletdanceproject. 

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2023 LIVE PERFORMANCE APPLICATION

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FILM FESTIVAL APPLICATION

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