CATAPULT - Northern School of Contemporary Dance

The successful artist(s) receive a £3,000 bursary to support their professional development, plus space and mentoring to support their creative practice and strategic development, with a focus on:

• developing and presenting new artistic work
• raising your profile in the region and beyond
• implementing strategies to transition from training to industry
• establishing core organisational skills.

The programme commences in November 2020 and runs until October 2021.

CATAPULT is funded through the National Lottery and delivered by NSCD as a National Portfolio Organisation of Arts Council England, in partnership with Spin Arts.

NSCD and Spin Arts particularly encourage applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates. Those with a disability are also encouraged to apply.

Application Pack Submit Application

The Opportunity

What we can offer:

Creative business advice and management

Producing and business advice from Spin Arts. Services include:

Artist development – coaching about career goals and ambitions
Fundraising – identifying sources of funding and supplying successful examples of applications
Distribution – advice on tour feasibility
Project Management – supplying contract and project planner templates
Financial Management – supplying budget and cash flow templates
Marketing – Advice and promotion via Spin Arts Management, including use of social media sites, and supplying marketing pack examples
Evaluation – discussion and help in shaping evaluation frameworks and providing report examples.

Rehearsal space

• 10 days of free rehearsal space at NSCD (at times to be pre-agreed around the School Schedule, and in line with COVID-19 restrictions)
• Access to Meeting rooms at NSCD (to be arranged as above)

Production Support

• Access to NSCD’s Riley Theatre – an opportunity to present new work or work-in-progress
• Artistic Mentoring, Technical and Marketing support at Riley Theatre, by NSCD staff

Professional development

• A bursary of £3,000 to support theatre trips, promotional material, professional development and artistic mentoring.
• Networking and shadowing opportunities

In return the artist(s) will be asked to:

• Act as an advocate for the CATAPULT programme, NSCD and Spin Arts
• Attend training events, conferences or performances on their behalf
• Share their practice or learning with the local community or local professional community
• Discuss and write a project agreement, outlining aims & objectives prior to being awarded a £3,000 bursary
• Present new work or work-in-progress a minimum of once during the 12 month programme
• Recipients are required to write a final evaluation report, reflecting on achievements and challenges

CRITERIA

In order to apply artists should have:

• Graduated from a dance programme at degree or postgraduate level or equivalent study within the last five years and will have spent at least one year outside training (i.e. graduated between 2015 – 2019)
• Evidence that they are based, living and/or working in Yorkshire, or may have come to study in Yorkshire, and can demonstrate a commitment to the region
• A demonstrable passion and talent for dance choreography that is conceptually relevant to the society that we live in
• A track record of being pro-active, self-motivated and committed to the development of their practice, and a willingness to engage with others in the process of developing and reaching an audience
• A commitment to making at least one new work during the 12-month programme.

HOW TO APPLY

Artists are required to submit the following by Sunday 13 September (noon) to catapult@nscd.ac.uk

Appropriate contact details (If you are applying as a collective please also specify a main contact person)
A brief biography (No more than one side of A4) detailing where you have trained, to what level, a description of the creative team who will undertake the programme– who you are and how you will work together
An artistic statement (No more than one side of A4) including:
a. an outline of key artistic projects to date
b. details of a new artistic project to be undertaken during the programme
c. predicted timeline of when you would hope to realise the project
A rationale for how this programme will benefit you, why it is important to your artistic and career development as well as examples of how you have previously demonstrated being pro-active, determined, self-motivated and committed to making dance that is of relevance to society today (No more than one side of A4)
Contact details for a referee who has witnessed your artistic work in a professional capacity
Up to two clips of your artistic work, supplied via web URL, accompanied by a brief paragraph contextualising the work (No more than 150 words per clip)
A completed copy of the Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form