Call for Artists, Teen Summer Dance Intensive Instructors

Photo Courtesy of CUBCAKES

Overview

The Teen Summer Dance Intensive supports middle and high school–age dancers, from the Canoga Park and greater Los Angeles area, in their development in the art form, and in their understanding of the field as a career path. By using a collegiate dance intensive format, the program contributes to the preparation for dance possibilities at both the college level and in the dance artist profession in general.

This program is also a work opportunity for professional dance instructors. DCA’s Performing Arts Division is offering five commissions for dance instructors and choreographers with expert experience in ballet, jazz, modern, hip-hop, classical Indian, and other traditional world dance forms. Dance artists chosen for these commissions must have the ability to teach technique classes in one or more of the aforementioned styles of dance, and to choreograph and set a 3- to 5-minute dance piece on the teen dance intensive participants within two weeks of rehearsal. Experience working with youth is preferred although it is not required.

TEEN SUMMER DANCE INTENSIVE PROGRAM GUIDELINES

Artist commissions will be between $2,400 and $1,500 depending on the number of hours the dance instructor/choreographer is awarded. The Intensive will run Monday, July 10 through Friday, July 21 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The culminating showcase will be Friday, July 21, in the evening.

Examples of Commissions include, but are not limited to:

This commission is to support the development of the Canoga Park Arts District. All classes will be held at the UNITE Cultural Center, 21710 Sherman Way, Canoga Park, CA 91303. Artists who live and work in Canoga Park are preferred, but all are encouraged to apply.

DCA has identified funds to support professional and youth dancers in the 3rd Council District through the Madrid Theatre Cultural Hub (MaTCH). A peer panel review process will be used to determine the awardees. Each award is for both instruction of technique classes, the creating and setting of choreography on the youth dancers, and a 2- to 3-minute solo piece from the awardee. All choreography must be family friendly. The culminating showcase will be free to the friends and family of the participants.

Dance professionals should apply below. Award payments may take up to four months to process.

ELIGIBILITY

 Applicants must be a professional dance sector artist; heritage-based dance practitioners and culture keepers; dance educator; and/or choreographer who are engaged in diverse commercial, nonprofit, and independent dance practices, including classical, traditional and contemporary forms. Professional dance artists create meaningful contributions to the field, community, and dance ecosystem; are essential to the field; produce cultural content for the audiences of LA County; and/ or maintain knowledge and expertise of their dance discipline.

It is preferred that applicants live or work (inside and outside the field of dance) within the geographic boundaries of Council District 3. To see if your location is within the 3^rd Council District, applicants may visit neighborhoodinfo.lacity.org (link will open a new browser tab), enter your physical street address in the search field, and click on “FIND.” In your search result, you should see your City Council District number and the LA City Councilmember’s name listed under Elected Officials. Adjacent districts will be considered. Applications for those outside of the Council District 3 will be considered.

Applicants must have a social security number.

We encourage those who identify as BIPOC, LGBTQIA2s+, and/or physically and neurologically diverse to apply.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

DCA will review and score each complete proposal. Proposals will be determined to be eligible for review and scoring based on the responsiveness and factuality or verifiability of the proposal

documentation and information. Proposals shall be evaluated based on the following categories and may include consideration of any or all of the listed factors at the City’s sole discretion. These same criteria will be applied to evaluating Proposer’s performance during and after the contract period. Evaluation criteria include:

APPLICATION

A complete application consists of answering the questions in the google survey—link is indicated below–and submitting the required documentation to cassandra.reyes@lacity.org by the application deadline: 11:59 p.m., June 4, 2023. The subject line should read: Teen Dance Intensive, Your Name.

Instructor/Choreographer Application for 2023 Teen Summer Dance Intensive

ATTACHMENTS

Please provide the following documents by emailing them directly to cassandra.reyes@lacity.org with the subject line “Teen Dance Intensive, Your Name” by the deadline listed above:

1. Artistic Resume or CV in a pdf format;
2. A 5-7 sentence Artist Bio in word format;
3. A Headshot and a Movement Photograph in either a jpeg or png format; and
4. Photography/Videography Waiver in pdf format (this will be sent to applicants once their application is received.)

2023 PROJECTED SCHEDULE

• Friday, May 26 – Call for Applicants
• Sunday, June 4 – Applications DUE
• Tuesday, June 6 through June 12 – Peer Review Panel Scoring
• Friday, June 14 – Awardees Announced
• Tuesday, June 20, 1:00 p.m. – Virtual Meeting – Artist Info/Introduction
• Tuesday, June 27, Time TBD – Site-Visit Planning Meeting (UNITE Cultural Center)
• Thursday, July 6, 1:00 p.m. – Artist Final Virtual Meeting
• Monday, July 10 through July 21 – Teen Summer Intensive
• Friday, July 21, 7:00 p.m. – Culminating Participant and Artist Showcase
• Tuesday, August 1, 1:00 p.m. – Virtual Meeting – Project Debriefing

ABOUT AWOKE/UNITE CULTURAL CENTER

The GR818ERS (pronounced ‘great-one-eighters’) was founded in 2010 by young people as a grassroots collective dedicated to improving racial and social tensions in the San Fernando Valley. As high school students, they organized themselves in an effort to combat the disenfranchisement and stereotypes they fell victim to as residents of Pacoima, a Los Angeles neighborhood challenged with poverty. For the past decade, The GR818ERS have harnessed their raw talent, creative genius, and passion for Hip Hop culture to provide positive outlets for young people and families alike to grow, heal, and organize with their community. They implement arts and athletics programming, community development projects, and cultural events to empower young people and young adults to become leaders in their community. The founding members of The GR818ERS are regarded as neighborhood heroes and are global leaders in Hip Hop education and community activism.

In 2017, The GR818ERS established AWOKE, a nonprofit organization dedicated to furthering its impact, and supporting similar efforts in Los Angeles County and globally. AWOKE envisions a world anchored in the principles of collaboration and equity – fusing culture, creativity, and service. It engages artists, athletes, and activists as changemakers by connecting them to service opportunities in their community. AWOKE works to improve access to the arts and athletics, increase civic engagement, and foster positive youth and community development.

After nearly a decade of building the movement, they opened the UNITE Cultural Center (UNITE) in Canoga Park in 2019. UNITE serves as a hub for creative transformation, civic engagement, and collective healing. The Los Angeles City Council, California State Assembly, and United States Congress recognizes The GR818ERS and UNITE as driving forces in youth and community development across Los Angeles County and beyond. The GR818ERS and UNITE are projects of AWOKE, a charitable tax-exempt organization.

ABOUT THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS (DCA)

As a leading progressive arts and cultural agency, DCA empowers Los Angeles’ vibrant communities by supporting and providing access to quality visual, literary, musical, performing, and educational arts programming; managing vital cultural centers; preserving historic sites; creating public art; and funding services provided by arts organizations and individual artists.

Formed in 1925, DCA promotes arts and culture as a way to ignite a powerful dialogue, engage LA’s residents and visitors, and ensure LA’s varied cultures are recognized, acknowledged, and experienced.  DCA’s mission is to strengthen the quality of life in Los Angeles by stimulating and supporting arts and cultural activities, ensuring public access to the arts for residents and visitors alike.

DCA advances the social and economic impact of arts and culture through grant-making; public art; community arts; performing arts; and strategic marketing, development, design, and digital research.  DCA creates and supports arts programming, maximizing relationships with other city agencies, artists, and arts and cultural nonprofit organizations to provide excellent service in neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles.

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