Visiting Artist Programme

ongoing

The movement of contemporary dance works, artists and professionals in Europe is greatly activated during international dance festivals. They are ideal contexts to foster transnational artistic development of dance works, professionals and concepts. International dance festivals receive dance programmers from other cities and countries to watch the performances live and are pivotal points for touring expansion, offering meeting spaces where artists, festival directors and programmers can meet and exchange. The Visiting Artists Programme (VAP) is one of Europe’s largest and most relevant initiatives to create possibilities for dance artists starting to tour internationally to better understand this setting and its complexities. Groups of 5 to 8 artists from European regions and beyond visit VAP partner festivals together, stimulating artistic development, creative exchange and valuable networking. These selected artists will have the opportunity to follow a programme curated by experts which will fit their needs and offer the best opportunities at each visit. They will reach diverse dance festivals across Europe, meeting local artists, attending performances and gaining inspiration and expertise as they progress in their visit, engaging with presenters and promoters, providing essential networking opportunities for them. The project is creating intimate meetings within a larger network, leading to much more guided and profound effects, and giving confidence, contacts and tools to the artists involved to act internationally. The project also makes it possible to integrate Ukrainian artists to the circle and implement greener travel, with an offer of extra travel support to visitors having more than 8 hours low emission trips. It will also tackle diversity and access issues through the inclusion of disabled artists, with training being provided to host festivals in partnership with Associate Partner Europe Beyond Access.