Springback Academy: Open Call for Dance Writers

by Alice
(London)

Springback Academy offers aspiring dance writers professional mentorship during a 4 day contemporary dance festival, Spring Forward. The project, run by Aerowaves, seeks to boost the profile of quality critical dance writing online.

Since 2014, Springback Academy has accompanied Spring Forward festival, which is held in a different European city each year. This year, Spring Forward will take place in Pilsen, Czech Republic from 22-24 April 2016. Whilst Aerowaves will provide mentorship, accommodation and hospitality at the festival, participants will need to organise and fund their own transport to and from Pilsen.

Throughout the festival, participants will:

- Be mentored in critical writing by our four lead critics – Donald Hutera (The Times, London), Sanjoy Roy (The Guardian, London), Nina Vangelli (Dance Zone/Taneční Zóna, Prague) and Oonagh Duckworth (Editor, Brussels)
- Attend performances and provide short reviews (140 words) which will be published daily on the Aerowaves website.
- Post mini reviews, questions and provocations on Twitter to generate online debate.
- Participate in a panel discussion to review the current dance writing climate,
and its future.
- Contribute one longer opinion-style piece for the Aerowaves website in the week after the festival.

How to apply

- Send us a brief outline of any relevant critical writing or experience of review writing you’ve had to date (140 words or less).
- Send us a sample review (in English) of a dance performance you have seen (140 words or less). This can be an existing review or one you've written especially for this application.
- Tell us in 140 words or less why you want to participate in Springback Academy 2016.
- Tell in 140 words or less a little about your local dance scene.
- Tell us your potential arrival and departure date & time. If selected for the project, you would ideally need to arrive on the afternoon (ideally by 2pm) of Thursday April 21 and depart after midday on Monday 25 April.
- Send all of this in an email to: oonagh@aerowaves.org before 11am (GMT) on Monday 29 February.
- Participants will be notified by email by Monday 7 March whether they have been selected for the project.