• Read the festival EOI document here.

• Submissions are to be made through the ‘Submit your EOI’ link here.

• Select your project type from the drop-down menu. Note: while the festival will include a range of programs from talks, roundtables, digital works, showings, public or outdoor works, films, installations etc, Arts House is particularly interested in commissioning a production or show or a one-off event.

• Select ‘Arts House’ as your preferred festival partner from the drop-down list of all festival partners.
  Please note: Festival Partners confirmed at this stage are listed here. All Festival Partners will have access to view every application, so you may be approached by other presenters about your work if they feel it would be suited to their context or resources. If you specifically want your work to be included in the Arts House festival program, or it is planned as a site-specific work for the North Melbourne Town Hall or Meat Market, please note this in your application. You may select two festival partners if you wish your application to be considered specifically by another festival partner as well as Arts House.

• Upload a one-page project document about you and your proposal. Further details about what to include in your proposal can be found here, but should include the following sorts of information:

– Who you and your team are

– What kind of dance you make

– What your idea for this work is

– What you are investigating

– Who your audience is

– What the project is and what form it will take

– What the audience experience will be and what stage of development the project is in. If your work suits a particular context or community

– What resources you have and what you might need.

The Project Document attachment is the critical component of the submission and can be expressed in a format that best supports you and your project. If you’d like to respond in audio or video, you may do so and provide links in the word or PDF attachment.

We strongly encourage you to include a link to past or current dance material (e.g. video of rehearsal, showing, performance) of no longer than 2 minutes.

No budget is required but please outline the resources you have and/or might require for the project.

The Project Document will not read beyond the 1 page limit. Please be succinct.

• Your project must have a public outcome. This is primarily a festival for audiences.
• Dance projects must be led by independent dance artists and small to medium dance companies based in Australia. International collaborators are welcome.
• The festival’s collective resources are focused on independent Australian dance artists and small-medium companies.
• This is a dance festival with dance projects. You are welcome to define ‘dance’ in its broadest terms.
• The festival is a way for audiences to engage deeply with dance and dance artists outside of ‘regular dance programming’.
• Artists or collectives may submit up to two project EOIs for consideration by the festival. Please provide one submission for each project.
• The festival’s home is Naarm/Kulin Country, although national partners are welcome.
• The festival is committed to making projects accessible, and presenting work by Australia’s leading Deaf, disabled and or neurodiverse dance artists.
• The festival prioritises First Nations leadership and artists at the beginning of its program (opening weekend), and at the core of its program. It collectively creates space and resources for First Nations-led companies and artists to enact the culturally appropriate pathways and mechanisms for the development and presentation of First Nations’ projects and voices.
• Further, artists from marginalised and multiply-marginalised groups are a priority for the Festival’s equity goals, decision making processes, and programming. This framework of evaluation, transparency and accountability drives this commitment.

• The Festival is a partnership between organisations and presenting venues. You may contact these partners to discuss their individual offer but there isn’t a central place or person to call about this. Please bring questions to the briefings on 5pm, Monday 13 June; and 5pm, Monday 20 June.

• Partners and their financial capacity change radically depending on the project’s requirements. For example, size of team, box office earning potential, number of shows, location/space, duration, and equipment will all have an impact. Please consider this when pitching your project.

• Each partner has outlined the types of projects they seek and what they can offer in the new dance festival EOI overview document found here. Please review this carefully when considering which partners may suit you and your project.

• Your project should assume that all artists are paid professional rates by the partner (MEAA Rates). Allowances and accessibility provisions should also be accounted for (e.g. travel, accommodation, per diems, transfers, childcare, translators, support workers). Please consider that many Partners will be limited by their size and financial capacity.

• After the EOI closing date, the Curatorium members will access and review all projects.
• They will meet together to discuss the projects and will provide recommendations which prioritise projects to the Festival Partners.
• The Curatorium will prioritise EOIs that best meet the Principles and Framework
  for the festival and that are exciting and viable for the festival partners. Care will be taken to ensure a diverse, rich and engaging festival for audiences offering a variety of opportunities and ways to experience dance.
• Partners will review the feedback from the curatorium and will contact artists directly about their projects to discuss. These discussions are an opportunity for artists and festival partners to discuss the potential for collaborating together and to seek more information about logistics, resources, requirements and mutual interest.
• The festival partners are not obliged to take any projects from the EOI. The curatorium will advocate for your project and will be influential for festival partners. Festival partners will work with artists directly if the project is produced as a festival activity.
• You will be notified if your project has been recommended by the curatorium to festival partner/s. No further feedback will be available.