Resident Company – Dance Makers Collective

The Inaugural Resident Company has been awarded to Jannawi Dance Clan!

Dance Makers Collective is excited to announce the establishment of our Resident Company program.

As a collective-led arts organisation, DMC champions the power of collective decision making and collaboration. As a Western Sydney based organisation, we also observe our peers in the region working in deeply collective ways, and find ourselves inspired by the breadth and depth of diverse dance practice that is bubbling away in community.

The Resident Company program aims to uplift one Western Sydney dance group by providing mentorship, financial support, business advice, a home at LOT7 on Darug Country in Seven Hills (studio and office space) and opportunities to collaborate on programming and creative projects for the future.

The Resident Company will be engaged for a two-year period, with the potential to extend their residency beyond that engagement. As part of the program, in negotiation with DMC, the Resident Company will receive:

$10,000 in the first year and $15,000 in the second year.
Free studio space and office space.
Business mentorship from our General Manager.
Free auspicing and grant writing support.
Cross-programming and priority access to our existing programs.
Producing support.

As with all of DMC’s programs, reciprocity is a primary principle, and so rather than the Resident Company engaging with us at arms-length, we are seeking a dance group who want to genuinely engage with DMC. In exchange, DMC will request that a representative (or representatives) from the Resident Company be willing to:

Take up a position on our Board.
Participate in Pitch Lab (this is a paid program).
Facilitate training opportunities for DMC and/or Future Makers and/or DMC’s Community of Artists (this would also be paid).

We are currently seeking expressions of interest for the program, which will be open for six weeks (EOI’s close on July 19). DMC and representatives from our Board will assess the EOIs and reach out to shortlisted applicants for an interview. We hope to appoint the Resident Company in August with the engagement commencing in September 2024.

The criteria we will use to assess the expressions of interest are:

The creative quality or potential of the group.
The group’s alignment with our company values and objectives.
The complementarity of the group with DMC and our programming.

In the EOI, we will ask you the following questions:

Tell us your story: how did your group start out, what brought you together, what have you done together and what do you do now? (up to 500 words)
What are your aspirations, and how do you think this opportunity could help you get there? (up to 500 words)
Where do you see an alignment with DMC and our programs? Are there things we have done or currently do that you see synergies with your own work or opportunities for you to engage? Do you see any opportunities for exchange with DMC, what could you offer? (up to 500 words)

Applicants can also provide support material, including footage of existing work, links to websites/social media and/or letter/s of recommendation.

This opportunity is open exclusively to dance groups with a strong connection to Western Sydney (i.e. the group predominantly lives and/or works in the region).

_{You do not need to be a registered company to be selected for this program, you must simply demonstrate to us that you work as a collective of artists (being a sole trader or partnership working with others under a shared brand is perfectly fine).}

_{As this is the pilot year of the program, DMC will co-design the opportunity to appropriately suit the selected applicant. This means that if certain elements of the offer are not quite right, we may adjust the conditions to best fit the needs of the chosen applicant (for example, office space may not be required, the nature of exchange with DMC programs may change or the level of investment in the chosen applicant may be adjusted). The selected applicant will also be required to partake in a review of the program at the halfway mark (12-months in) to evaluate the impact of the program, which could also result in an adjustment to the following 12-month engagement.}