Dance

How can we use art as a lifeline to communicate, connect, and heal the world around us? 

Art is a Lifeline is a virtual symposium featuring artists and art advocates who are currently creating artworks, projects, and programs that empower individuals and communities to thread art into their lives in order to rise above difficult situations and challenges. Embracing the healing process of art making is key to our well being.  In this symposium, the non-profit art organization, Art is Moving, will host a series of art conversations, workshops, and artwork about transformation, process, and self care for all people and places. The symposium will create an environment for connection, inspiration, education, and provide ideas and recommendations to aid artists and other organizations working to create their own art and wellness centered practice, project, or artwork.  

In addition to welcoming proposals for art conversations and workshops, we welcome readings of creative writing, poetry, video art, music or theater performances (pre-recorded) in relation to this year’s symposium topic. 

Elements of the Symposium

• Pre-recorded art conversations
• Pre-recorded performance, video art, etc. regarding the symposium topic
• Live Virtual Workshops led by selected applicants, moderated by Art is Moving
• Live Group Conversation and Connection with those selected for the conversations, workshops, and artworks

Possible categories of conversation, presentation, and expertise:

• Using Art for Community Development
• Strategies for Communicating the Benefits of Art
• Art as a Wellness Practice
• Art in the Medical Field
• Art in the Corporate Sector
• Art as an agency for well being during and after Global Pandemics 

deadline for applications: 31st January 2022

The Florence Dance Performing Arts Festival firmly believes in the artistic value of dance and performing arts, in the ability and possibility of creating a universal language and aims to be a channel through which future generations can be led in the determination of their own artistic identity. Research and dance development are its cornerstones, creating the basis for the evolution and deepening of contemporary art.

At the beginning of 2021, to infuse new life into the scenario of international contemporary dance and allow Italian and European dance companies (but not only) stopped by the pandemic, to be able to return to perform in Italy, we launched a Call for Artists - Twilight in the Round which from 110 companies that took part, 50 proposals were selected and presented in 5 evenings of dance during the month of July.

From this exciting moment of presentation, a video-archive was created, made up of interviews with the artists, behind the scenes footage and performances on the circular stage of the Great Cloister of Santa Maria Novella. An archive that tells of different artistic sensibilities and choreographic visions, of the beauty and sense of unity of which art is the bearer.

From today, December 13th, the Digital Dance Platform Twilight in the  Round / Serious Moonlight,, created ad hoc in collaboration with the Cinema La Compagnia Firenze and shared on MyMovies on the Più Compagnia website, 

will be aired - a public video archive created during the month of July, when Twilight in the Round went on stage and which aims to be a virtual container and stage for emerging Italian and European choreographers and companies.

Given the enthusiastic response of the artists and the audience, an indication of the cultural and social need to return to enjoy the performing arts live, the artistic directors Marga Nativo and Keith Ferrone are determined to pursue this project line and hereby invite you to participate in the new Call for Artists - Twilight in the Round 2022.

Call for Artists - Twilight in the Round 2022

The project has the main purpose of hosting, supporting and promoting the new creations of emerging companies and young choreographers, Italian and European, favoring the realization of innovative and contemporary-inspired choreographic projects, supporting their staging and facilitating mobility and the exchange of artists from the international dance art scene, thus creating  fertile ground for artistic and professional exchange and growth.

The selected performances will be presented on the stage of the 33rd Florence Dance Performing Arts Festival which will be held between June and July 2022 in the Great Cloister of Santa Maria Novella - Florence, within the Florentine Summer 2022 review of the Municipality of Florence.

Choreographers and dance companies will face the challenge of performing on a circular stage that will test their choreographic material that will have to be designed for a 360º vision. In the last edition many of the selected artists have found in this peculiarity a stimulus to observe their work through a new lens, rethink it and find new possibilities of staging.

One of the guidelines launched for the Estate Fiorentina 2022 project is "Back to the 80’s", a multidisciplinary and widespread retrospective dedicated to the decade of creative fervor that was the 1980s, in this regard the artistic proposals that will draw from it inspiration will be taken into particular consideration, however companies are free to submit projects inspired by other themes to participate the Twilight in the Round Call for artists.

Recipients of the project

- young Italian and European companies;

- young emerging and creative choreographers;

- professional groups who can and would like to travel to Florence to perform.

Categories

Category 1 - Reserved for soloists and couples with a choreography lasting at least 7 min. and a maximum of 10 minutes.

Category 2 - Reserved for groups, composed by 3 dancers, with a choreography lasting at least 10 min. and a maximum of 15 minutes.

Category 3 - Reserved for groups, composed by 4  dancers, with a choreography lasting at least 10 min. and a maximum of 20 minutes.

Category 4 - Reserved for groups of at least 6 dancers with a choreography lasting at least 10 min. and a maximum of 50 minutes.

PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS

all participants must be at least 18 years old (of age);

in the case of Italian dancers: obligation to provide a copy of the certificate of ‘agibilità’ for the performance;

in the case of European dancers who are not resident in Italy: obligation to provide a copy of the A1 Social Security document for the performance;

in the case of non-European dancers: obligation to present a regular residence permit that allows the artist to work and a copy of the Social Security document for the performance.

WHAT THE FESTIVAL OFFERS

Attendance fee +  expense refund, as defined as follows:

Category 1

Soloists will receive an attendance fee of € 200 + expense refund of  € 100, for a total of € 300.

Couples will receive an attendance fee of € 400 + expense refund of € 200, for a total of € 600.

Category 2

Groups of 3 dancers will receive an attendance fee of € 600 + expense refund of € 300, for a total of € 900.

Category 3

Groups of 4 dancers will receive an attendance fee of € 800 + expense refund of € 400, for a total of € 1200.

Category 4

Groups of at least 6 dancers will receive an attendance fee of € 1000 + expense refund of € 600, for a total of € 1600.

The Florence Dance Festival is available to undersign requests for grants and funding from companies, which request it, to third-party institutions that support expenses for foreign artists from their country of origin to perform in Italy (Consulates, Cultural Institutes and Foundations, etc.)

The Florence Dance Festival will be pleased to provide information and details on possible accommodation facilities, restaurants, taxis and means of transport, but does not assume any responsibility of economic nature, beyond the attendance fee + expense refunds.

Serious Moonlight - Digital Dance Platform 2022

During the period of the staging of the Twilight in the Round 2022 project in the Great Cloister of Santa Maria Novella, the evening performances will be recorded on video as well as interviews with the artists backstage. The collection of this material will be part of the second edition of the Digital Dance Platform Serious Moonlight on MyMovies / Più Compagnia in December 2022.

METHOD OF PARTICIPATION

To participate in the Call for Artists, the following documentation must be sent:

Title and brief description of the project;

Video presentation of the dance work or video of the work-in-progress of the performance;

Curriculum vitae of the choreographer and of each artistic collaborator (whose ages cannot be less than 18 years);

Application format (at the following link: https://forms.gle/BFLm4dR5VAq37hn77)

The dance works or projects that are presented can be creations previously presented in public, in the form of a study, or in a state of work-in-progress.

All required documentation must be sent to the following e-mail address: festival@florencedance.org  no later than January 31, 2022.

* We remind you that the performances will take place at sunset, for this reason the use of theatrical lights is not foreseen, but it is possible to have scenography and other technical tools, including audio, of which we would like to receive  details in order to heòèp with selection.

COMMISSION

The Commission for Evaluation in the pre-selection phase will be composed of the artistic directors of the Florence Dance Festival, Marga Nativo and Keith Ferrone, whose judgment will be final and unappealable. The Commission reserves the right to request an interview (via Zoom etc.) with the candidates.

SELECTION

The results of the selection will be published on the official website www.florencedancefestival.org by March 15, 2022.

The selected artists and companies will be contacted personally by the Florence Dance Festival after the publication of the results.

EXECUTION OF THE PROJECT

The selected shows will be staged from June 27th until July 3rd at 8.00 pm in the Great Cloister of Santa Maria Novella in Florence.

In the registration format candidates have the possibility to choose the dates on which the dancers are available to perform, subsequently the performance dates will be communicated on the basis of the calendar established by the Festival management with a consequent schedule of performances.

The shows will take place at sunset, at dusk - in the twilight - with reinforcement lighting on the dancers and the stage. The circular stage has a diameter of 14 meters and will be equipped with a proper audio system and lighting system, as specified above.

The show must take place on the stage, it will not be possible to use other spaces.

Seats for the audience will be positioned around the stage at 360 °, in the round.

The rehearsals will be carried out the day before the show, from 17:00 it will be possible to access the Great Cloister of Santa Maria Novella and start the warm-up on the stage. From 19:00 a rehearsal schedule will follow, previously provided to the dancers, with the possibility of presenting a general rehearsal. It will be possible to warm up and have a rehearsal of the final bows also on the day of the show, from 17:00 to 19:30.

PROMOTION AND VISIBILITY

For the benefit and support of the finalist projects, a series of specific actions will be activated to promote the Twilight in the Round 2022 project by the press and communication office of the Florence Dance Festival:

• creation of specific information material both on paper and online (programs)
• communication via social networks and usual press channels
• production of video and photographic material
• inclusion of finalist projects on the official website www.florencedancefestival.org accompanied by program notes, photos and presentation of the authors
• participation on the Digital Dance Platform / Serious Moonlight 2022

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