Just For You: Black & Global Majority artists' commission

Apply by Friday 27 February, 9am here.

Are you a Black or Global Majority artist based in, or regularly working in, the South East*?

Do you have more than five years of professional choreographic experience and a performance making practice with dance at its heart?

We've joined forces with London-based Hip Hop development charity Just Us Dance Theatre, led by visionary choreographer Joseph Toonga, to offer a package of commissioning and professional development support just for you.

Just Us Dance Theatre

As organisations dedicated to nurturing artists’ resilience, we’re offering one mid-career artist, or small company comprising three artists maximum, a package of support to help you develop an indoor or outdoor work, including:

Commission seed funding of £2,000
Rehearsal / residency space at The Dance Space in Brighton
A production week (Mon–Fri, approx. 10am–6pm, flexible to your needs) at The Dance Space. This includes use of the sound system and lighting rig – and the support of a technician for an amount of time across that week (technician hours to be mutually agreed between artist and South East Dance),
The opportunity to share your work with an audience of industry professionals and local artists and audiences
Mentoring and critical friend support from Joseph Toonga, Artistic Director of Just Us Dance Theatre and Cath James, Artistic Director of South East Dance and/or dramaturgical support
A final performance opportunity in the Just Us Dance Theatre Festival, scheduled for September 2027

Key information

How to apply: Apply by Friday 27 February, 9am, here.
Eligibility criteria:

This residency is open to Black and Global Majority dance artists who can demonstrate that they have been working professionally for 5 years or more and who have a performance-making practice with dance at its heart.

We’re keen to hear from artists who have an idea for a new work, or who are in the early stages of research and development.

We know that Black and Global Majority artists face more barriers when it comes to making and sharing work. With this residency, we want to offer time, space, financial support, and a friendly advisory ear to help break down some of those barriers and enable artists to centre their artistry and creative vision.

Artists should be based in the south east or have demonstrable strong ties to working in the South East

The work should be completed by September 2027 for performance in the Just Us Festival. The work doesn’t have to be fully completed for the Festival performance and can be presented as a work in progress if needed.

On completion, work should be a minimum of 15mins long

Access information:

The Dance Space is an accessible, three-floor building in central Brighton (10 minutes from the train station). You can find more about the building’s accessible features here Access | South East Dance

Application timeline:

w/c 2 March: Applications read and shortlist created

w/c 9 March: Artist interviews, with a panel made up of artistic staff from both companies alongside an external freelance dance professional with appropriate lived experience.

w/c 16 March: All applicants notified of the outcome of their application, whether you have been selected or not.

Questions? Email us at programming@southeastdance.org.uk

* The South East includes the following counties: Bracknell Forest, Buckinghamshire, Kent, Medway, Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire, Reading, Slough, Surrey, Sussex, West Berkshire, Windsor & Maidenhead and Wokingham.