Stomping Grounds Dance Festival is a summer event that grew out of a series of dance performances* created at the Northampton Center for the Arts as a vehicle for connecting the dance community across style, existing cohorts, geography, and experience. Stomping Grounds is open to all artists creating original, movement-based performance pieces. The 2024 festival will take place August 16-17, please scroll down for submission info and form link!
The goal of the festival is:
To share artistic process and performance space in community with other dancers/dancemakers in Western Mass
To offer choreography and performance opportunities to both professional dance artists as well as serious dancers and makers who might not consider themselves professional
To make connections with other dance artists across style, geography, and experience
To have fun celebrating dance in our community!
Criteria for participation:
Choreographers/dance makers living in or close to Western Mass during the summer months are welcome to apply
Pieces should be finished by the festival performance (ie; this is not a works-in-progress performance, although of course we understand that works may go through multiple iterations)
Pieces (or excerpts) must be 12 minutes or less
Choreographers and performers must be available for an initial meet and greet meeting on Sunday 6/30 at 4:30pm, and a CRP-inspired works-in-progress sharing for festival participants only on Saturday 7/20 at 2pm (remote participation may be possible)
Choreographers and performers must be available for tech on Thursday 8/15, the festival reception and highlights performance on Friday 8/16, and the festival performances on Saturday 8/17, exact times TBA
All artists who meet the criteria and can commit will be accepted; if more people apply than we can accommodate, participants will be chosen by lottery
What the festival offers:
A chance to present or perform dance/movement art in community with others
A high quality video of the performance from multiple angles
Photographer documentation
Two hours of rehearsal time in the Flex space or Carole's Dance Studio
Complimentary admission for choreographers/performers to all festival performances
Note: while we aren’t offering compensation for participation, there is also no submission fee
How it works:
Choreographers and dance makers, submit your work via this form (one per maker) by 6/22
Hold all relevant dates
Support digital marketing efforts (materials provided)
Come dance with us this summer!
* Links to related projects/performances:
Stomping Grounds Community Dance Performance (2023, festival pilot)