Citymoves Dance Agency, Dance Base Scotland, Dance North, Dundee Rep & Scottish Dance Theatre, Tramway Glasgow and The Work Room are pleased to announce their collaboration on a programme of Artist Bursaries. The three bursaries will provide three Scotland-based artists with a fee of £6,000 to support them to continue their artistic work while forming a deeper connection with one or more of the partner organisations across Scotland.
If you are reading this and wondering if it is for you then please do read on – and if you have any questions, need some assistance with your application, or have any access requirements that we need to meet, then our team are here to help! Please just contact Kirsty Somerville on kirsty.somerville@dancebase.co.uk to arrange a time to speak.
The last 2 years have had a profound impact on the arts sector with the performance and creative landscape suddenly closing down, and then reopening with a new set of challenges. As we look forward to the next 12-18 months the world around us still feels uncertain and unsteady, both for artists and organisations, and the need to work collectively and collaboratively is more urgent than ever.
It is with this focus that the Love Dance Scotland network now expands to gladly welcome Dance North and The Work Room alongside Citymoves Dance Agency, Dance Base Scotland, Dundee Rep & Scottish Dance Theatre and Tramway Glasgow, to pool their funding from the Creative Scotland Recovery Fund for Cultural Organisations along with their own resources to provide a programme of artist bursaries.
The aim of these bursaries is to support three dance artists with the funds, infrastructure and support to continue their work as dance artists and for them to use this period to form a deeper connection with the partner organisations. Our hope is that this will continue the development of innovative creative practice in Scotland while also strengthening the wider ecology of Scotland’s dance sector.
The bursaries will run from March 2023 and we anticipate that they will be spread over a period of four to six months, though shorter or longer periods of engagement are welcome.
The exact form and structure that the bursary activity takes will be directed by the artist and supported by the organisations. We anticipate that it will involve a combination of some or all of the following elements:
- Artistic creation: Continuing to develop artistic and creative project work with regular dedicated time. This could be spent researching, developing ideas in the studio, applying to funders and/or connecting with collaborators, with support from the partners.
- Building sector connections: Spending focused time with one or more of the partner organisations to join in conversation, share knowledge, build connections and widen understanding for both the artist and the organisations. This may include attending planning meetings and/or shadowing team members across the management and artistic roles.
- Community engagement: Engaging with the wider community through a regular period of research or engagement to aid your personal practice and research. This could be by connecting with a specific group via one of the organisations or continuing to work with a community with whom you are already engaged.
- Personal development: Taking time and space to focus on active reflection, potentially through a series of coaching sessions. We understand that the nature of the arts sector often provides little room for personal reflection and you may choose to use part of the bursary to prioritise a space for deeper thinking (the partners can support with connection to coaches).
- Professional development: Taking time and space to focus on training, upskilling, mentoring and/or attending relevant performances or events.
The focus and structure of each placement will be defined and led by the artist according to their area of interest and while the bursary period should involve a combination of the above elements, the different areas of activity do not need to relate to the same project.
This bursary is not about creating or commissioning new work or projects, but rather on supporting artists to continue the work that they are doing as artists, while providing the resources, funds and networks for them to form a deeper connection with the dance organisations across Scotland.
During the bursary, each artist will be supported by a dedicated member of the partner organisations team.
What the Love Dance Scotland Artist Bursaries will provide:
The Love Dance Scotland Artist Bursaries have a total budget of £23,000 with £18,000 being allocated directly to artists. This will support three bursaries of £6,000 each.
The remaining £5,000 will be used to support access, travel and accommodation requirements for each artist (as required).
Each artist will receive a bursary of £6,000 to be used from March 2023. The artist will manage their budget and timeline according to their interests and needs, and we ask that this is detailed in the budget document at application. We anticipate that the majority of the bursary will support the artists own time, with the remaining used towards project development and provision of professional and personal development.
As an example, the budget breakdown may be:
- £3400 for your personal artist fee (to cover the daily work of an artist and time with the organisations, this is based on a day a week for 4 months at £200 a day)
- £1600 for a project budget (to cover items such as a weekly residency fee, studio hire or collaborators fees etc.)
- £1000 for professional and/or personal development (to cover support such as mentoring, training, event attendance or coaching etc.)
In addition, the bursaries will be accompanied by:
- A separate travel and accommodation budget to support travel to the partner organisations. Travel and accommodation for other elements of the bursary activity such as attendance at an event or training opportunity should be covered by the bursary fee, though additional support will be available for artists based beyond the central belt if needed.
- A separate budget to support any access requirements the artist may have.
Alongside the financial support, each organisation can also provide access to the following resources, with studio space subject to availability and staff engagement subject to capacity. We ask that you identify what you will require from the organisations as part of your application.
- Citymoves Dance Agency: engagement with their staff team, studio space in Aberdeen, hot desking space in Aberdeen, connection with their community groups
- Dance North: engagement with staff team with tailored practical support and direct support from Creative Lead, facilitated engagement with communities & dance groups in the North East, hot-desking opportunities in Findhorn
- Dance Base: engagement with their staff team, studio space in Edinburgh, hot desking space in Edinburgh, connection with their in-house dance companies
- Dundee Rep & Scottish Dance Theatre: engagement with their staff team, shadowing experience with the Artistic Director, Rehearsal Director or Choreographers, participation in company class, observation of rehearsals, connection with their community groups and hot-desking in Dundee
- Tramway & The Work Room (working together): engagement with their staff teams at both organisations, hot-desking in Glasgow, studio space
Budget to Support Access Requirements:
The Love Dance Scotland Partners are committed to ensuring that all artists can engage with this placement and 10% of our overall budget (£2,300) will be ringfenced to support access requirements for artists selected.
In order to help our Producing team anticipate the budget spend we ask that you identify potential costs in your budget in the section provided. This information will NOT have any impact on the panel’s decision and any associated costs or adjustments will be discussed with the successful applicant(s) after the decision is made. The partner organisations will endeavour to provide the support required and this will be agreed in conversation between the Artist and the partners once the bursaries are offered.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss this further, please contact Kirsty Somerville, Head of Professional Programme at Dance Base, on kirsty.somerville@dancebase.co.uk
Black and POC Artists (people of colour):
The Love Dance Scotland Partners recognise that there are significant barriers to working in the dance sector and that these challenges are experienced more acutely by those facing marginalisation and deep-rooted systemic injustice.
We are committed to increasing the diversity of artists working in our sector and especially welcome applications from those who identify as having characteristics currently under-represented in our sector.
As part of our ongoing commitment to support artists who have this lived experience and ensuring that we support the full vibrancy of the dance sector in Scotland, we guarantee that at least one of the awards will be made to an artist who identifies as a Black or POC artist (people of colour). This is a minimum but not a limit.
Artists are invited to identify if they are part of this community in the application form and this will be brought into the decision making as the bursaries are allocated.
Who the Love Dance Scotland Artist Bursaries are for:
The Love Dance Scotland Artist Bursaries are for Artists who:
- Are predominantly based in Scotland
- Work in dance and choreographic practices. Formal dance or choreographic training is not a requirement.
- Are working at a professional level and are at any stage of their career
- Are interested in connecting with one or more of the partner organisations through conversation and knowledge sharing
The Love Dance Scotland Artist Bursaries are not open to:
- Artists who are predominantly based outside of Scotland
- Artists who are in full time academic study
How to apply:
To apply applicants will be invited to complete and submit the following items:
- An Online Application Form: The online application can be completed in a written or video/audio recording format. The form details word count and recording duration. Visual quality, camera and editing skills will not be taken into consideration for filmed submissions, and spelling and grammar will not form part of the consideration of written
The form will ask:
- How would you like to use the Love Dance Scotland Artist Bursary and what do you hope to achieve during this time? (max. 800 words / 6 minutes)
- What support do you require from one of more of the Love Dance Scotland partners? (max. 600 words / 4 minutes)
- What is your anticipated timeline at this stage? (max. 300 words / 2 minutes)
- Is there anything that you want us to know that we haven’t asked (max. 300 words / 2 minutes)
Please also provide a link to more information about your practice – this could be a CV, personal statement or a link to your website. You will receive a copy of your application once you have submitted and edits can be made up until the deadline.
- A Bursary Budget: The budget should detail how you anticipate using the £6,000 bursary. Please use the template provided and attach this to your application form.
Timeline:
Launch: Wednesday 14th December
Deadline: Wednesday 1st February 2023, 11:00am
Panel meet: Thursday 9th February 2023
Artists Informed: Thursday 16th February 2023
Placements commence from: March 2023
Selection Criteria:
The selection process will have two stages. Firstly, all applications will be read by representatives from the partner organisations to confirm whether the scope of the application is manageable and that they can support accordingly.
The applications will then be read, discussed and selected by a panel of 3-4 practicing artists from across Scotland, meaning that the final decision on the allocation of the bursaries will be made by artists rather than the partner organisations. All applicants will be informed of who the panel members are once their application is received so that they can alert us to any conflict of interests.
The artist panel will base their decision on a range of factors including:
- The information provided in the application and how this gives a sense of the artists aims and ambitions
- How the artists will use, and ultimately benefit from, the time, support and resources provided
- Whether the scope of the placement is realistic and manageable in the time frame that the artist has identified, and the resources available
- Whether the organisations can provide the support requested
- The geographic spread of the bursaries
- The diversity of voices represented through the bursaries
Should you wish to have a conversation about the application process, require this information in an alternative format, or have access requirements we need to meet to support you in making an application please contact: Kirsty Somerville, Head of Professional Programme at Dance Base on kirsty.somerville@dancebase.co.uk
Download the full info pack here