Terms:

Artists’ working periods 15 weeks of research spread over 18 months

Weekly fee of £725

Travel, accommodation and subsistence (per diem) at £28 per night will be covered if not at homebase.

About the Project 

Jones the Dance is delighted to announce that it will once again be the UK partner of the European project International Contemporary Dance Collective / iCoDaCo, for the 2024-2027 edition. Jones the Dance is joined by partners NDCW, Theatr Clwyd and Ucheldre, with Wales’ participation in the European project only made possible with funding from Arts Council of Wales and Wales Arts International. The project and partners in mainland Europe are funded by Creative Europe. 

Jones the Dance will form a collective of Wales based, Welsh and Deaf dance artists to join nine other European collectives in one of the most expansive and innovative dance projects, which will see the creation of the world’s first open-source digital platform for contemporary dance. 

iCoDaCo was originally initiated by Swedish dance company ilDance in 2012, with this its fifth and largest edition. iCoDaCo 2024/27 aims to improve the landscape and opportunities for contemporary dance artists, their producers, presenters, communities and audiences across Europe and beyond, whilst minimising the impact that dance has on global resources. 

Within iCoDaCo 2024-2027, ten national collectives from Sweden, Denmark, The Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Czechia, Latvia, Hungary, Georgia and Wales (with the potential for others) will work together closely, engaging in frequent collaboration, exchange, and practice-sharing digitally throughout the project. 

Beyond the artistic collaboration, the project offers a broad and multilayered support system for the artists, including mentorship, assistance, guidance, learning opportunities and advice.

Furthermore, the project structure includes an 'encompassing collective' of three artist-researchers: Israel Aloni, Lee Brummer and Sebastian Matthias. They will witness the knowledge production and creation processes and reflect upon the wide-ranging perspectives that transcend a specific geographical location or a particular collective.

There are several main components to the project: 

Research - each collective will work locally whilst simultaneously connecting digitally during 15 research residencies. Their research together will forge new knowledge, methodologies and practices. 

Digital / open source platform - the research will be formed into the digitial resource for the global dance community that will be free and available across the world where sharing ideas about dance making in the 21st century can be accessed in sustainable ways.  The aim is that the platform will enhance and evolve sustainability, accessibility and innovation within the field of dance, whilst being a resource to strengthen the contribution that dance makes to other sectors such as academia, and health and well-being, and sections of society. 

Creation of new works - following the creation of the platform and the research stage the collectives will be invited to create 10 new works simultaneously across Europe for public presentations across Europe, several of which will be available to Wales’ audiences in 2027 in a festival of dance and innovation (further funding dependent). 

Mini Festivals - Contribution to and participation in vibrant mini-festival(s) programs, which include performances, workshops, artist talks and lecture demonstrations of the iCoDaCo open access digital platform for contemporary dance practices. The mini-festival programs will include hybrid in-person and digital activities led by members of iCoDaCo collectives and collaborators. All the collectives in iCoDaCo 2024-2027 will present their new collective work in the mini-festival(s) program which will take place in various geographic locations simultaneously, and therefore will enable interactivity amongst different artists and communities through digital, virtual and hybrid mediums.

Community access and engagement - throughout the project local audiences will have access to and be invited to participate in and observe various aspects of the project as it develops. There will be opportunities for artists to work with different communities based on the development of their local research. 

Artist development - throughout the project artists will have access to career,  professional and competencies development led by and offered by the partners across the project.

Key Dates:

Deadline 15th Sept Midnight

Shortlisted applicants conversations between 19th to 27th Sept

Final decision /applicants informed 30th September 

1st residency (if possible for artist to make) 4th November 

Call for Artist 

The initial call is for one independent Welsh or Wales-based dance artist, to join Gwyn Emberton (Jones the Dance’s Artistic Director and choreographer) and Anna Seymour (dancer with Candoco). Due to funding for the Wales Collective, it is only possible to form the core collective for the research stage. Further funding will be sought for the productions and presentation stages in 2026/27. 

The selected artist will: 

• have a contemporary approach, although not necessarily in contemporary dance and be interested in participating in the project at various stages for the next three years. 

• have an interest in and be passionate about exploring the boundaries of dance, embracing diverse perspectives and contributing to a global dialogue through their artistic practice. 

• be interested in or have experience of collaboration and testing ideas through practice based research. They will have an open mindedness and curiosity to venture into a truly collective and collaborative process. 

• have significant experience of dance making and research, with a substantial professional experience of dance making to facilitate a reciprocal and dynamic exchange with other artists in the project. 

• be willing and interested in situating their own physical body (the performing body) in the work, as the research will be done with the artists in the collective researching also (not only) with their own bodies. 

• be willing and interested in connecting with people and communities throughout the process through workshops, artist talks, presentations and communication events.

• an interest in working in relation to the current development of contemporary dance practices in local, national and international contexts. 

• have an interest in working within a Deaf and hearing context (some knowledge of sign language will be a benefit but not essential). 

• will be Welsh (based in the UK) or Wales based. 

• be above 18 years of age (at the time of application) with no top age limit.

• be available for the majority of the residency dates below, to the best of the applicant’s knowledge of current availability. (We can have discussions about particular residencies that clash with other commitments, especially the first residency in November so please do not be put off from applying.)

• have a willingness to engage in multiple formats (text, video, sketches, sound files etc) and contribute with content to the iCoDaCo open access digital platform.

• Given the desire to support the Welsh language within the European context a working-level of Welsh is desirable - there will be opportunities to work in and submit work in the language of your choice. 

• have knowledge of BSL and d/Deaf awareness training experience. 

• have a clean UK driving licence.

About Language

The primary working language across the European collective will be English, applicants will need to be comfortable using English in the work environment. All residencies in Wales and interaction with European colleagues will have BSL interpretation. 

We encourage artists from under-represented backgrounds, with disabilities or who are Deaf to apply - we have some access budget which is mainly to cover BSL interpretation. Where it is possible we will try to accommodate other access requirements. If you do have access needs please inform us of these at the time of application so that we can be transparent about what is possible. 

Additional artists 

We are looking for opportunities for other dance artists, including those who have applied but not been selected, to participate in different stages of the project. Please keep following the project on social media for opportunities as they arise.