Tandem Works is delighted to announce the artists for StreamDANCE – the first national project to commission made for broadcast digital dance pieces for young audiences. The project is a rapid response to the global pandemic, directly addressing the lack of digital dance cultural offerings for the youngest in society.
The awarded artists are:
• Anatomical – Doodle Chalk Dance (working title)
• Chad Taylor – When I Hear Music
• Second Hand Dance – Getting Dressed Films
Each artist has been awarded a total of £15,000 towards the creation costs of the work, and an additional budget of £1,500 to cover the cost of making the work accessible. The commissioned works will premiere in January 2022.
Anatomical’s work Doodle Chalk Dance is influenced by American pavement drawing and features playful life affirming choreography around themes of rebellious creativity, togetherness and collective triumph.
Chad Taylor’s When I Hear Music is a hip-hop dance film production exploring the emotional rollercoaster that young people experience during their first day at high school.
Second Hand Dance’s Getting Dressed films will create a digital world of swirling skirts, sashaying socks, and glitter ball dresses in a series of short colourful films for ages 2-8 exploring clothes and identity with a soundtrack of 80s inspired music.
Led by Tandem Works, produced in association with The Place and commissioned by DanceEast, South East Dance and PDSW, supported by Lighthouse and using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
Artist selection: In response to research carried out by the Freelance Task Force suggesting open calls are not successful in ensuring diversity and inclusion, it was decided artists would be directly approached for this opportunity by a broad range of nominating partners.
21 artists were proposed for the commission by a cohort of nine national organisations. Each organisation proposed an existing live work, in conversation with the artist, they felt would adapt well to the digital realm. The nominating partners, chaired by Hassan Madamdallie, shortlisted 7 artists to submit a full proposal.
For more information about the nominating partners and selection panel, please see this page.