Projects } About
The Northwest Dance Project conducts innovative dance Projects offering top dancers 18+ years old valuable opportunities to study and work with world-class directors, choreographers, mentors and dance coaches in an open and inclusive company setting.
Today's foremost choreographers and companies seek dancers with the versatility to perform a wide range of work. Our Projects are a unique way for dancers to see and be seen while increasing their ability to perform dynamic works of contrasting styles and making crucial professional connections.
Participation in all Projects is selective and limited in order to provide each dancer the opportunity to work directly and intimately with our guest artists.
We are pleased to announce that over 45 dance company contracts have been offered to Northwest Dance Project dancers as a direct result of their participation in our Projects.
"The Northwest Dance Project is a great opportunity to see and work with developing dancers. It's the rare opportunity to see potential company members in a working environment. I'm able to get to know them as people and artists and evaluate their work in a much more meaningful way as opposed to the superficial view I would receive in an hour and a half audition."
-- Paul Vasterling / Artistic Director, Nashville Ballet / Guest Artist
PRETTY CREATIVES PROJECT
The Northwest Dance Project announces a call for entries for our third annual Pretty Creatives Project to identify two emerging choreographers who will have an opportunity to create an original work during LAUNCH: 6.
NWDP is committed to working with artists of diverse experiences and backgrounds, and utilizes our Pretty Creatives Project as a way to help develop new voices in dance.
Selected choreographers will participate in a six-day summer residency from July 18 to 23, 2011 during our LAUNCH: 6 Project. During the residency period, selected choreographers will be offered a 3-hour daily creative period during which they will have an open forum to create and develop new choreographic material. An informal presentation of the resulting "works-in-progress" or completed works will be shown in our Studio + Performance Center on the final day and open to the public. Choreographers will be asked to work with all our LAUNCH dancers, but the developed piece can be set on a smaller group of dancers. NWDP's Artistic Director, Sarah Slipper, will help guide this residency.
The residency includes:
- creative honorarium
- 6 days of rehearsal time with the dancers (18 hours total)
- travel to and from Portland, per diem and hotel accommodation
To apply for consideration, please send:
- DVD of recent choreographic work (one or multiple works, not to exceed 10 minutes)
- current résumé plus choreographic biography
- brief proposal (no longer than one page) of choreographic intent, which may include style of dance, musical selection and format
- $35 application fee (check payable to NWDP)
Complete applications must be postmarked by March 31, 2011 and sent to:
Pretty Creatives Project
Northwest Dance Project
PO Box 42488
Portland OR 97242
Application packages or selected materials (DVDs) will be returned upon request if the entrant provides a self-addressed, postage-paid mailer.
Entrants will be notified of our decision by April 15, 2011.
For more information, contact info@nwdanceproject.org
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LAUNCH
LAUNCH participants must demonstrate advanced ballet technique, be versatile and movement oriented, open to artistic direction and suggestion, and be explorative and highly professional. Acceptance is limited and selective in order to emphasize individualized instruction, professional mentoring and close collaboration. LAUNCH requires that our dancers have the stamina and commitment to dance intensively up to ten hours per day.
LAUNCH serves as the audition process for acceptance into our Company.
LAUNCH: 6 July 12 - 23 / 2011
Guest Artists /
Barak Marshall / Barak Marshall TheaterdanceEmily Molnar / Ballet BC
Gustavo Ramirez Sansano / Luna Negra Dance Theatre
Sarah Slipper / Northwest Dance Project
Paul Vasterling / Nashville Ballet About our LAUNCH: 6 ARTISTS
Our sixth installment of LAUNCH is designed for the professional dancer (18+) seeking opportunities to see and be seen. Be twisted, turned, torqued, motivated, developed, inspired and pushed beyond your current boundaries. Selected dancers will work for two intensive weeks alongside leading Artistic Directors and two selected emerging choreographers on movement exploration, improvisation and choreographic mastery.
In addition to morning master ballet classes and working closely with our esteemed guest directors, experiencing their artistic and company's style and making critical professional connections, LAUNCH: 6 provides the opportunity to collaborate in the creative process. Working with two unique, emerging creative voices, the two winners of our annual Pretty Creatives choreographic competition, dancers will have an opportunity to present newly created works in an informal setting before a public audience on the final day.
All interested dancers must apply and audition in-person for LAUNCH: 6 unless they have participated in a previous Project.
Audition info HERE.
(Guest artists subject to change)
Project Fee: $935 ($875 previous LAUNCH participants)
Print the Pretty Creatives FLIER
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LAUNCH: 1 Guest Artistic Directors:
Robert Battle / Artistic Director / Battleworks Dance Company
James Canfield / Artistic Director / Nevada Ballet Theatre
Lucas Crandall / Associate Artistic Director / Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
Robert Moses / Artistic Director / Robert Moses' Kin
Benoit-Swan Pouffer / Artistic Director / Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet
Sarah Slipper / Artistic Director / Northwest Dance Project
The Northwest Dance Project's LAUNCH program and dancers from LAUNCH: 1 in December are featured on Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet's site - part of the cool "project52" video series! Check it out HERE
LAUNCH: 2 Guest Artistic Directors:
James Canfield / Artistic Director / Nevada Ballet Theatre
Bebe Miller / Bebe Miller Company
Paul Vasterling / Artistic Director / Nashville Ballet
Septime Webre / Artistic Director / Washington Ballet
Edgar Zendejas / Artistic Director / ezdanza
Jamey Hampton / Artistic Director / BodyVox
LAUNCH: 2 Pretty Creatives Winners:
Maurice Causey / Nederlands Dans TheaterLauren Edson
LAUNCH: 3 Guest Artists:
Noam Gagnon / The Holy Body TattooSusan Gaudreau / BJM Danse
LAUNCH: 3 Repertoire Focus:
Aszure BartonSarah Slipper
Crystal Pite
Noam Gagnon
Andrea Miller
Maurice Causey
LAUNCH: 4 Guest Artists: /
Hélène Blackburn / CAS PublicJames Canfield / Nevada Ballet Theatre
Robert Moses / Robert Moses' Kin
Sarah Slipper / Northwest Dance Project
Paul Vasterling / Nashville Ballet
LAUNCH: 4 Pretty Creatives Winners:
James GreggLoni Landon
LAUNCH: 5 Guest Artists:
Lucas Crandall / Repetitor / Nederlands Dans TheaterSarah Slipper / Artistic Director / Northwest Dance Project
Rachel Tess / Artistic Director / Rumpus Room Dance
Edgar Zendejas / Artistic Director / ezdanza