Dancehouse’s Emerging Choreographers Program (ECP) is a year-long capacity building and professional development initiative. The opportunity gives 20 young choreographers from diverse cultural and training backgrounds support to develop the skills required for ongoing self-sustaining artistic enquiry, including the concrete tools needed for creating  and administering their work. Additionally, the program encourages a dynamic and critically reflective environment by nurturing both the practice and the thinking of the practice in resonance with contemporary society.

This program is funded by the Packer Family and Crown Resorts Foundations.

The pilot program was proudly supported by Clifton Hill/North Fitzroy Community Bank Branch – Bendigo Bank and the Robert Salzer Foundation.

ECP Guiding Principles

Responsibility: the artists are the main drivers in making this opportunity work for them; they assess what they need.

Self-determination: the artists are in charge of determining what their goals are and how they might achieve them.  This is not a course of study with predetermined assessments or learning outcomes.

Practising Practice: the program is focused on developing artistic processes not creative products.

Building Networks of Support: Dancehouse staff, workshop facilitator, mentors and the other participants are sounding boards for the path the artists need to negotiate.

Cultural Safety:  the program is committed to validating diversity and creating a safe space that recognizes, respects and embraces all identities.

ECP #3 2022

Artists

Amelia Jean O’Leary, Caitlin Mewett, Carolyn Ooi, Chelsea Byrne, David Prakash, Deepa Mani, Derrick Duan, Erin O’Rourke, Gabriella Imrichova, Gemma Sattler, Hayley Does, Jacqui Maida, Jayden Lewis Wall, Kaitlin Malone, Lekshmi Sarath, Molly McKenzie, Shyama Sasidharan, Theodore Cassady, Thomas Woodman, Vuong Oliver Le.

Mentors

Stephanie Lake, Dr. Priya Srinivasan, Efren Pamilacan, Amrita Hepi and Insite Arts.

Co-ordination

Ashley Dyer and Beth Cross

ECP #2 2021

Artists

Alec Pernes, Anthony Poeung, Jimmy Nguyen, Michaela Ottone, Shelley O’Meara, Adrien Tucker, Alec Katsourakis, Emily Bowman, Shriraam Theiventhiran, Alex Dobson, Ebony Muller, Ngioka Bunda-Heath, Rukshikaa Elankumaran, Yuiko Masukawa, Devika Bilimoria, Kady Mansour, Piaera Lauritz, Zoe Bastin

Mentors

Priya Srinivasan, Joel Bray, Stephanie Lake, Efren Pamilacan and Insite Arts

Co-ordination

Ashley Dyer and Beth Cross

ECP#1 2019–20

Although interrupted and then extended because of COVID_19, Dancehouse’s first Emerging Choreographers Program gave 20 choreographers space and time at Dancehouse to experiment, reflect and develop their own artistic practices.  The artists were supported through in person and online workshops, masterclasses, seminars, sharings and discussions with local, national and international established choreographic artists.  Although the program does not focus on specific outcomes, the group decided to publicly present a mini festival of work-in-progress showings in December 2020: Submerge.

Artists

Abi Benham-Bannon, Aimee Schollum, Alexandra Collins, Angela Valdez, Caitlin Dear, Chris Chua, Emma Riches, Gabriela Green, Hillary Goldsmith, Isabella Whawhai Waru, Isabelle Beauverd, Jennifer Ma, Jess Gall, Kayla Douglas, Luigi Vescio, Lydia Connolly-Hiatt, Mark Brown II, Rachael Wisby, Rhys Ryan and Siobhan McKenna

Facilitators

Andrew Morrish, Philipa Rothfield and Lucy Guerin, Jill Orr, Priya Srivinasan, Rosalind Crisp, Kimberly Bartosik, Takao Kawaguchi, Matteo Fargion, Leisa Shelton, Auspicious Arts, Kara Ward, Dan Koop, Stephanie Lake, Freya Waterson, Daniel Kok, Ahilan Ratnamohan, József Trefeli, Victoria Hunt, Vicki Van Hout, Yumi Umiumare, Jacob Boehme, Angela Conquet, Jonathan Homsey, Audrey Schmidt, Beth Cross and Ashley Dyer.