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Northwest Dance Project conducts our innovative LAUNCH 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 LAUNCH 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 LAUNCH 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

LAUNCH: 7 info below.

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PRETTY CREATIVES PROJECT

Northwest Dance Project announces a call for entries for our fourth annual Pretty Creatives Project to identify two emerging choreographers who will have an opportunity to create an original work during LAUNCH: 7.

Northwest Dance Project 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 16 to 21, 2012 during our LAUNCH: 7 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. Northwest Dance Project'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 (USD - check payable to NWDP)

Complete applications must be postmarked by March 31, 2012 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, 2012.
For more information, contact info@nwdanceproject.org

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LAUNCH: 7

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: 7     July 10 - 21 / 2012

Master the repertoire of:

Nederlands Dans Theater
     Paul Lightfoot and Sol Leon
     Crystal Pite
     Medhi Walerski
     
Northwest Dance Project
     Patrick Delcroix
     Sarah Slipper
     Didy Veldman
     
ezdanza
     Edgar Zendejas


Our seventh installment of LAUNCH is designed is designed for the professional dancer (18+) seeking opportunities to see and be seen. Be twisted, turned, torqued, motivated, developed, inspired pushed beyond your current boundaries.

Selected dancers will work for two intensive weeks. In addition to a daily professional ballet class taught by our roster of master teachers, the first week will focus on mastering the repertoire of Paul Lightfoot and Sol Leon, Crystal Pite, Medhi Walerksi, Didy Veldman, Sarah Slipper, Patrick Delcroix and others. LAUNCH: 7 also provides the opportunity to collaborate in the creative process.

During the second week, dancers will work with the winners of our annual Pretty Creatives international choreographic competition. These two unique, emerging voices in dance will have 18 hours each to create original works on our LAUNCH dancers that will be shown before a public audience on the final day.

All interested dancers must apply and audition in-person for LAUNCH unless they have participated in a previous LAUNCH Project within the last two years.

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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


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 Theater
Lauren Edson


LAUNCH: 3   Guest Artists:

Noam Gagnon / The Holy Body Tattoo
Susan Gaudreau / BJM Danse

LAUNCH: 3   Repertoire Focus:

Aszure Barton
Sarah Slipper
Crystal Pite
Noam Gagnon
Andrea Miller
Maurice Causey


LAUNCH: 4   Guest Artists: /

Hélène Blackburn / CAS Public
James Canfield / Nevada Ballet Theatre
Robert Moses / Robert Moses' Kin
Sarah Slipper / Northwest Dance Project
Paul Vasterling / Nashville Ballet


LAUNCH: 4   Pretty Creatives Winners:

James Gregg
Loni Landon


LAUNCH: 5   Guest Artists:

Lucas Crandall / Repetitor / Nederlands Dans Theater
Sarah Slipper / Artistic Director / Northwest Dance Project
Rachel Tess / Artistic Director / Rumpus Room Dance
Edgar Zendejas / Artistic Director / ezdanza


LAUNCH: 6   Pretty Creatives Winners:

Pedro Dias
Gregory Dolbashian
Marina Mascarell


LAUNCH: 6   Guest Artists:

Lillian Barbeito / Artistic Director / BODYTRAFFIC
Emily Molnar / Artistic Director / Ballet BC
Gustavo Ramirez Sansano / Artistic Director / Luna Negra Dance Theatre
Sarah Slipper / Artistic Director / Northwest Dance Project
Paul Vasterling / Artistic Director / Nashville Ballet