Open call: Writing about dance (in the time of Corona)

The new project Dance and Performing Arts Criticism in Europe, a collaboration of Czech Dance News and Performing Arts Hub Norway, organises a four-day online seminar for emerging dance critics, which will address the practice of dance criticism, but also the challenges and new ideas appearing during the pandemic. 

What do you get:

• Free coaching seminar from professional dance critics

(including lectures on writing methods, analysis, watching online performances, one-to-one consultations and feedback)

• Acknowledgement of participation
  
• ​Published reviews (guarantee 50-150 EUR per published text)  

When:  5th - 8th July 2021

The workshop contains lectures by experienced dance writers from Czech Republic and Norway, coaching and discussions about the seen performances, the texts and the practice of dance criticism in general. The participants will reflect together what the dance criticism entails today: how to look at dance of different genres and in different formats/media, and how to reflect it in various contexts. They will also discuss new approaches to criticism. Although remaining in their home countries, the participants of the seminar will be able to see selected performances digitally. Based on these viewings, the lectures and discussions, the participants will be invited to produce their own texts – reviews, reports or essays. These texts will be then discussed with the lecturers and within the group. Finally, their texts will be published at the website of Czech Dance News, and their authors will be rewarded accordingly (the fee for text could be between 50 and 150 Euros).

Coaches and lecturers: Anette Therese Pettersen, Petra Dotlačilová and Josef Bartoš, all experienced dance critics of Czech and Norwegian dance scene. 

The seminar is for free and open to everybody, previous experience with writing about dance is not required. The language of the seminar is English.

Application deadline: 25th June 2021

Please send a short description of your work and a motivation essay why you would like to participate via email to petra@tanecniaktuality.cz. You will be informed about the results by 30th June 2021.

Schedule: 

Monday 5th July

10-12:30 Writing about dance on and off screen by Petra Dotlačilová (lecture and discussion on the topic in various contexts and text forms )

• approx 90 mins of individual work on the first writing task.

Tuesday 6th July  

10-12:30 Best (and worst) writing practices led by Josef Bartoš (lecture and discussion on the texts about dance)

• approx 90 mins of individual work on the second writing task.

Wednesday 7th July 

10-12 Group activities and discussion around the produced texts.

• approx 90 mins of individual work on the third writing task.

Thursday 8th July

10-11 - Strategies in writing about performances that are a mismatch by Anette Therese Pettersen (lecture and discussion)

• approx 90 mins of individual work and we reconvene again for one hour at 

17-18.30 final discussion, feedback and closure.

During the workshop, the participants will be expected to watch at least four on-line performances that will be provided to them in advance, and produce three texts - the texts will have to be sent to the coaches until midnight of the same day when the writing task is given.

After the workshop, the participants will be offered individual coaching sessions on their texts that will be published on Czech Dance News.

Join the Facebook event here.

All those who are considering their participation are also invited to the open panel discussion Dance Criticism in the Time of Corona, taking place on 15th June 2021, where we will touch on these topics.
 

The project is supported by EEA Grants 2014-2021.