The Place is to support 18 dance artists and collectives to explore and develop new performance ideas through its Choreodrome programme, consisting of two strands: research residencies, where artists are commissioned to explore new ideas with no pressure to work towards a finished product, and the research workshop where artists can work with a mentor to further their skills.
Running from 22 July to 22 September 2019, Choreodrome is part of The Place’s range of development opportunities. For the first time, Choreodrome also includes a new Startin’ Point Research Residency Commission, jumping off from the Startin’ Point Festival created and curated by Hakeem “Mr Impact” Onibudo in 2018, which supports artists who identify their work as rooted in dances of the African Diaspora. Wellcome Collection is also partnering on the scheme, offering research residencies to selected Choreodrome artists in its unique Reading Room.
Through an International Exchange Programme Choreodrome will be offering one residency to a Korean artist with ARKO, which supports artists participating in overseas artist-in-residence programmes to expand the international network of Korean arts.
Eddie Nixon, Artistic Director of The Place, said about the programme, "over the summer at The Place, we are supporting artists to let the seed of a new project grow in unexpected ways. We always want to make new connections, so we're collaborating with artists we've never worked with before as well as continuing our support for choreographers who have created with us in the past who have innovative ideas they want to explore. I hope this will be a great few months of dance experiments."
Léa Tirabasso, Choreodrome Artist 2018, said, "my research during Choreodrome was decisive in the making of the piece: we created a strong and solid base for our future development phases and the feedback we received helped me shape, understand and refine what it was I was making. It was extraordinary to work on the very beginning seed of the project, without the pressure of that seed having to be something already. It was just like dipping my toe in water before diving in."
The artists who are part of this year’s Choreodrome Research Residencies are Anders Duckworth, Elinor Lewis, ERRATICA, Eva Recacha, Eve Stainton, Janina Rajakangas and Neil Callaghan, Mickael Marso Riviere, Robert Clark, Ruby Portus, Subathra Subramaniam, The Yonis and Thick & Tight.
Startin’ Point Commission Research Residency artists are Jamaal Burkmar, Kloé Dean, Tyrone Isaac-Stuart and Kate Scanlan.
Cathy Waller, Elinor Lewis, Mickael Marso Riviere, Rob Clark, Subathra Subramaniam and Thick & Tight will take up a Reading Room Residency at the Wellcome Collection.