Boston Dancemakers Residency

Call for Applications 2026–2027 Season

Application deadline: Monday, June 1, 2026 by 11pm.

 

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Considered Boston’s most comprehensive dance-focused residency, the Boston Dancemakers Residency is designed to support new work from conception to performance. Two choreographers selected for this opportunity will receive incubation elements for research, experimentation, production, and marketing support, business practices, artistic risk-taking, and growth within the dance industry in a customized manner for the artist’s practice.

 

RESOURCES for EACH RESIDENT DANCEMAKER

 

Artist Stipends

$3000 Dancemaker stipend

$1500 Collaborator stipend – costume designer, dramaturg, set designer, and other artist(s) to enhance the growth of the proposed project.

$6500 Dancer stipends – hourly at current minimum wage 

$2400 Honorarium for retreat – divided among ensemble members

Totaling $13,400

 

Space

350 Hours of Rehearsal Space within a 10 month period of September 2026 through June 2027.

3 Day Rehearsal Retreat at a regional retreat center within 200 miles of Boston.

4 weeks of Virtual Showing of the filmed performance through BCA platforms after the in-person showcase.

1 Week of Performance Space to showcase work created. 

1 year of 50% Discount on all BCA space rentals after residency completion.

5 years of Alumni Discount on all BCA space rentals after residency completion.

 

Documentation

Photographic documentation of the work in progress at midpoint of the residency and of the culmination performance. 

Video documentation of the culmination performance to be used for the virtual showing and industry outreach.

 

Professional Development Opportunities such as artistic mentorship, industry advocacy, grant writing support, organizational coaching, and outreach, administrative, production, and marketing facilitation by Andrea Blesso, Director of Dance & Interdisciplinary Arts and other staff members at BCA, Boston Dance Alliance, and resident alumni.

 

Grant Value is over $30,000

 

ELIGIBILITY

• The residency must be used to develop new work, and rehearsal time must be dedicated to the proposed project.
• Lead artists must be current residents of the Boston metropolitan area (within route 495).
• Ensemble/company must include a minimum of three local dancers performing in the work created, not including the choreographer. 
• Choreographers must have created original work for a minimum of four years. We seek dancemakers who are actively working at their craft at the present time.
• Since the focus of this residency is evening-length ensemble work, preference will go to those who have developed long format work (40+ minutes) or made two dance films (10+ minutes) within the past three years. 
• This program is open to a range of dance genres and movement-based artists. Artists of color, artists with disabilities, artists whose original work is based on culturally specific dance forms, and those working in alternative formats are encouraged to apply.

• Once awarded a Boston Dancemakers Residency, choreographers must wait at least three full years after their residency season before reapplying for the program.
• Students enrolled in either undergraduate or graduate programs in any field at the time of application are not eligible.
  
  Interested applicants who do not meet this criteria or have had barriers preventing them from meeting criteria should reach out to us ahead of applying to inquire about eligibility. 

 

 

CRITERIA

Applications will be evaluated by guest panelists on the following criteria:  

• Proposed concept of work to be developed during the residency.
• Potential impact on the development of the dancemaker’s career and risk taken in the creative process.
• Clarity of work shown in application materials and overall capacity to bring a concept from idea to presentation.

ARTISTIC ETHOS

Our goal is to gather a diverse and inclusive community of artists for the purpose of supporting innovative work across disciplines, connecting artists with peers and resources, and providing a vibrant platform for new art in Boston.

 

Experimentation. We support artistic work that displays innovation and openness to new ideas, perspectives, and techniques.

 

Responsiveness. In the process of supporting new and innovative work, we value ideas that are relevant to contemporary interests and conversations.

 

Community engagement. We encourage an artistic practice that engages meaningfully with the ecosystem where it exists through collaboration and exchange among artists and audiences.

 

Potential impact. We seek to support artists for whom our involvement has the potential to propel their practice creating a path for growth artistically and professionally.

 

HOW TO APPLY

Applications are due on Monday, June 1, 2026 by 11pm.

Applicants will be notified of their acceptance by August 2026. 

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

 

Please apply through this online form. 

 

Andrea Blesso, Director of Dance & Interdisciplinary Arts is available to answer questions about the residency and provide support with access needs.  (andrea@bostonarts.org) 

 

ABOUT BOSTON CENTER FOR THE ARTS
Boston Center for the Arts (BCA) supports working artists to create, perform, and exhibit new works; develops new audiences; and connects the arts to community, and has for over five decades engaged the creative community for public good. While the organization’s physical residence is in the historic South End, BCA touches every part of Boston’s cultural ecosystem. A leading force in the city’s cultural community, BCA has supported thousands of individual artists, small organizations, and performing arts companies, who add depth and dimension to the Boston arts ethos. Through residencies and programming, BCA serves as an epicenter for an expanding cohort of artists working across all disciplines, and has catalyzed careers by providing fertile ground for experimentation and artistic risk-taking. To learn more about Boston Center for the Arts, visit www.bostonarts.org.

 
The Boston Dancemakers Residency was created through a partnership between Boston Center for the Arts and Boston Dance Alliance (BDA), a combination of their individual residency programs that comprised a year-long, comprehensive incubator program for dancemakers to make new work in the City of Boston. Like the choreographic process itself, the partnership has continued to evolve with BDA emphasizing the development of crucial business practices to fund and sustain the creative livelihoods of rising dancemakers, through direct service and its growing Fiscal Sponsorship Program, which in 2024 disbursed $443,000 to dozens of dance organizations.

 

This special opportunity is made possible in part by the Aliad Fund at The Boston Foundation, Liberty Mutual Foundation, and Massachusetts Cultural Council. 

 

PREVIEW APPLICATION QUESTIONS

PROPOSED CONCEPT: 

Please describe your proposed concept. What do you plan to develop or explore during the residency? (max 750 words)

 

POTENTIAL IMPACT: 

How would this residency push you to take a creative risk, adapt your process, or propel your career as a dancemaker? (max 750 words)

 

WORK SAMPLE: (You may share a maximum of three video samples with a required minimum of one.)

Include a video sample link of your work that most closely supports the proposed concept. No longer than five minutes. If your work sample is longer, please indicate which consecutive five minutes you would like presented to the panel. Please no highlight reels or promo videos.

 

How do your work sample(s) relate to what you will develop during the residency?

 

Would you like your proposal to also be considered for the Dance Lab at BCA? (This will not impact your selection status.)