Open Art Surgery - Edinburgh

Where hip hop is dissected, examined and put under the microscope

31 October - 4 November 2022 at Dance Base Scotland

Whether dancer, rapper, DJ, spoken word artist or graff writer - bring your art, bring your creative side and create something new.

Breakin’ Convention and Dance Base Scotland are delighted to be partnering together to offer FOUR Scotland-based hip hop dance artists with the opportunity to take part in Breakin’ Convention’s unique Open Art Surgery!

Jump to section: About the project | What the project will provide | Who Open Art Surgery is for | How to apply | Judging criteria

Running from Sunday 30 October – Friday 4 November, Open Art Surgery will provide a week-long professional development project for hip hop theatre performers and makers to develop and experiment with new ideas, and receive hands on support from experienced hip hop theatre mentors Jonzi D and Jane Sekonya to inspire and advise.

The residency will take place at Dance Base in Edinburgh and provide a supportive space for artists to take creative risks, try something different and test ideas.

At the end of the week on Friday 4 November the artists will be invited to take part in a live performance in the Dance Base theatre, hosted by Dance Base Artistic Director Tony Mills, to showcase what they have been developing and discuss it with the audience.

Open Art Surgery is about breaking down the fourth wall and showcasing raw talent and new work so bring your art, bring your creative side and create something new! Previous pieces that have been developed during Open Art Surgery have gone on to feature in Resolution, Just Jam, Edinburgh Fringe and Breakin' Convention's international tours. 

Presented in partnership with Dance Base Scotland.

What the Open Art Surgery will provide:

We are seeking proposals from independent dance/movement artists and choreographers based in Scotland who work in hip hop dance styles. Applications can be made for solo artists and duets, and a total of 4 artists can be supported.

The selected artist(s) will receive:

• A total artist fee of £750 (based on £600 for the residency week and £150 for the performance day) This fee is being provided through the Dance Base programme of support for professional artists.

• A week-long residency at Dance Base, Edinburgh from the Sunday 30 October – Thursday 3 November, with shared studio access from 09:00 – 17:00 each day. Residency space will also be available on Friday 4 November, and artists will share space between Dance Base and The Hub, Edinburgh.

• Participation in a live performance held on the evening of Friday 4 November at Dance Base to present the work that has been developed alongside the other Open Art Surgery artists

• Mentoring and support from the Breakin’ Convention team to develop your work for the stage

• Technical support from a theatre technician during the day on Friday 4 November to incorporate sound and lighting into your live work

• Full documentation of the performance (photos/film)

• Travel and accommodation expenses if based outside of Edinburgh

• An additional budget to cover any access requirements as required to support your engagement in the week, including childcare costs. *

Who Open Art Surgery is for:

The Open Art Surgery is for artists who:

• See their work as based in hip hop dance styles including, but not limited to, Breakin’, Street, Locking, Popping, Krump, Free Style and House

• See themselves as working at a professional level and are at any stage of their career

• Are prepared to present a live public performance at the end of the residency and receive feedback following the performance

• Are predominantly based in Scotland

Access Budget:

Dance Base are committed to ensuring that all artists can access the Open Art Surgery programme, regardless of their access requirements. To enable this, additional funds are available to support any access requirements for artists and their collaborators, including childcare costs.

We will endeavour to provide the support required and this will be agreed in conversation between the Artist and Dance Base once the opportunity is offered.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this further please contact Ondine Oberlin, Professional Programme Coordinator, on ondine.oberlin@dancebase.co.uk

Accessibility information on Dance Base can be found here: https://www.dancebase.co.uk/about/facilities-access-to-our-building-1998

How to apply:

To apply applicants are invited to complete and submit the following items:

An Application Form: The online application can be completed in a written or video/audio recording format and the form details word count and recording duration. Visual quality, camera and editing skills will not be taken into consideration for filmed submissions and spelling and grammar will not form part of the consideration of written applications. Please also provide a link to more information about your practice - this could be a CV, personal statement or a link to your website. You will receive a copy of your application once you have submitted and edits can be made up until the deadline.

In the application you will be asked to answer the following questions:

• What idea are you interested to explore as part of Open Art Surgery? Tell us a little about the theme or inquiry, why it interests you and how you might approach it.

• Why would you like to undertake this opportunity and show your work at Dance Base?

• Aside from the live public performance, how else might you engage with audiences during this residency?

An Equality, Diversity and Inclusion monitoring form: This is anonymous and will be used to capture who we are reaching with our call outs.

Judging Criteria:

The selection panel will be comprised of Tony Mills (Dance Base Scotland), members from the Breakin’ Convention team and members of the Dance Base Artist Advisory Group.

The panel will base their decision on:

• The information provided in the expression of interest, and how the questions are answered

• Whether the scope of the proposal is realistic and manageable in the time frame and resources available

• The diversity of voices represented through Dance Base’s residencies

• The distribution of opportunities across the sector

If you would like to have a conversation about the application process, require this information in an alternative format, or have access requirements we need to support you in making an application please contact: Ondine Oberlin, Professional Programme Coordinator, on ondine.oberlin@dancebase.co.uk