SPACE 2 CREATE

Choreographic Commission Opportunity

Alex Gosmore and Imogen Mae. Image by Emily Almodovar

Space 2 Create – Commission Call Out

Call out for Artists: £11,000 Commission for a new dance theatre piece.

East London Dance is looking to commission an artist to create a powerful new dance theatre work.

Space 2 Create is a brand-new annual commission supported by The Linbury Trust. As East London Dance approaches its 40th anniversary we are launching a new annual commission to create new exciting dance theatre in our beautiful east London home, the Talent House.

Space 2 Create will provide an annual opportunity for a dance theatre maker to make new work, explore new collaborative relationships and take their work to the next level. We look forward to deepening our relationships with a new wave of choreographers and developing a series of impactful commissions in the lead up to our 40th anniversary in 2028 and beyond.

“At East London Dance, we are committed to championing artists and dance forms that deserve greater visibility and investment. With this new £11k commission, we are excited to support groundbreaking work from hip hop, club styles, South Asian, and African dance creators – voices that have long shaped the dance landscape but remain underrepresented in theatre.

This initiative is about more than just funding; it’s about empowering artists to push boundaries, tell new stories, and inspire the next generation of dance makers & audiences. As we approach our 40th anniversary, we’re excited to deepen our relationships with a new wave of choreographers.”  

Kate Scanlan, Co-Creative Director & CEO, East London Dance 

Call to Artists:

We are looking for a groundbreaking dance maker with bold ideas, who wants to bring powerful storytelling to the stage.

  • Are you pushing the boundaries of dance theatre?
  • Are you telling stories through hip hop dance, club styles, South Asian dance styles and/or African dance styles?
  • Do you want to bring a new collaboration to the fore, creating work for new environments?
  • Are you telling untold stories to reach and engage new audiences?
  • Are you interested in having original music that helps you push your work to new heights?
  • Do you have ideas about the spaces, venues, cities and countries you would like to present your work in?
  • Do you want to scale your practice, reach new audiences and look to work internationally?

If your answer to theses questions is emphatically yes, this Space 2 Create commission is for you! We want to talk to artists with an ambition to scale their practice, work internationally and reach new audiences. 

We are particularly interested in hearing from artists from or passionate about east London and its communities and those who are underrepresented in the sector, such as those who identify as D/deaf and/or disabled, those from low socio-economic backgrounds, those from the LGBTQIA+ community, those from Global Majority heritages* or those who have experienced racism**.

Our first Space 2 Create commission is in partnership with The Place who are a co-commissioning partner, investing cash, space and mentoring time for new work that could be presented at The Place and other mid-scale theatres. For more information about The Place’s theatre programme please see their website

What does the Space 2 Create commission include?

  • Cash commission: £11,000 – broken down as £8,000 commission, £2,000 toward the creation of original music, £1,000 toward working with a Dramaturg of your choice.
  • Free space: 2 weeks at East London Dance’s Talent House studios and up to 2 weeks at The Place.
  • Producing support: Arts Council England Project Grant writing support, a producer’s eye in the studio and wellbeing support from East London Dance.
  • Marketing: Development of a marketing & press pack including photography & videography.
  • Relationships: Opportunities to build relationships with key East London Dance partners, and promoter networking opportunity.

Please read our Info Pack carefully HERE for full eligibility and criteria before applying. You can also see an easy read version of the Info Pack HERE.

Apply HERE

  • We recommend preparing your written answers on a separate document and copying them into the form once you are ready to submit.
  • If you wish to submit your answers as audio or video clips please include a link to the answers in the available text boxes of the form.

Timeline:

  • Applications open: 7 February, 2025
  • Information session: 26 February, 2025 (time and location to be shared soon)
  • Applications close: 17 March 2025 23:59
  • Interviews: w/c 31 March, 2025

If you have any questions or need support with your application, please contact us on the following details:

*By the term ‘Global Majority heritages’ we are referring to individuals of African or Caribbean heritage, South Asian heritage, East Asian heritage, West Asian heritage, Central Asian heritage, South East Asian heritage, people of Middle East and North African heritage.

**By the term ‘those who have experienced racism’, we are referring to individuals who have experienced discrimination based on the colour of their skin, race and/or their culture.

Space 2 Create is part of East London Dance’s TALENT HOUSE IGNITE programme and is supported by The Linbury Trust and Arts Council England. This year’s iteration is a co-commissioning partnership with The Place.

Information

DateDeadline: Monday 17 March, 2025

Time23:59pm

Location The Talent House
3 Sugar House Lane
London
E15 2QS
Map

Read the Info pack HERE

Apply HERE.

Space 2 Create is supported by The Linbury Trust and Arts Council England. This year’s iteration is a co-commissioning partnership with The Place.

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