2025 APPLICATION CLOSED
Information about the 2026 Commission for Developing Choreographers will be released in early 2025.
BalletCollective’s Commission for Developing Choreographers, now in its sixth year, offers choreographers the chance to partner closely with a composer and a “source artist” in a “collective” that ultimately produces an original dance-based work with an original score. The work’s premiere, with live accompaniment, is included in BalletCollective’s annual fall season in New York, NY.
Previous recipients include Gabrielle Lamb (2017), Preston Chamblee (2019), Bryn Cohn (2022), Omar Román De Jesús (2023), and Houston Thomas (2024).
By its nature, BalletCollective consists of a rotating group of artists and collaborators, and with each new collective new ideas, new challenges, and ultimately, new forms of expression that emerge.
Expert panelists who helped select the 2025 Commission for Developing Choreographers recipient include:
Troy Schumacher (BalletCollective Founder and Artistic Director, choreographer, director, and New York City Ballet dancer)
Gabrielle Lamb (Choreographer, Director of Pigeonwing Dance, 2024 Hearst Choreographer in Residence at Princeton University, and recipient of the 2017 BalletCollective Commission for Developing Choreographers)
Michael Sean Breeden (BalletCollective Rehearsal Director, former Miami City Ballet dancer, co-founder of the “Conversations on Dance” podcast, and répétiteur for Justin Peck)
Daniel Applebaum (Frequent BalletCollective collaborator, New York City Ballet dancer, and writer for Opera News, Dance Magazine and Pointe Magazine)
Kristen Segin (BalletCollective Artistic and Administrative Manager and New York City Ballet dancer)
“Immersing myself in the creation process of new music and other art forms through BalletCollective’s signature process has expanded my ability to choreograph in ways I could never have foreseen. I am incredibly proud to offer this opportunity to others for the sixth time.”
ABOUT THE COMMISSION for Developing Choreographers
BalletCollective’s Commission for Developing Choreographers is open to members of the dance community who have prior professional choreography experience.
The selected choreographer will be asked to commission, with BalletCollective’s support and guidance, a composer to create an original score for their piece. These two collaborators will then be tasked to work together to identify a “source artist” (any non-performative creator or thought leader) to create or curate a piece of “source art”—a contemporary work of art in any medium—that will serve as the starting reference point for their work. Past source artists have included photojournalists, board game designers, visual artists, architects, and more, and it is through the interpretation, exploration of, and response to the source art that the dance-based work and its score ultimately arise.
The selected choreographer will receive a commission fee that ranges from $12,000-$18,000 based on commission length. Additional commissioning fees are paid by BalletCollective to the selected composer and source artist. BalletCollective will also provide to the choreographer:
dance studio space during creative residencies in New York, NY and Millbrook, NY
assistance with travel and housing during creative residencies in New York, NY and Millbrook, NY
the chance to work with an ensemble of exceptional dancers and musicians
2025 COmmission for developing choreographers - KEY DATES
Application opens: Monday, February 26, 2024
Virtual Office Hours (optional): Monday, March 11, 2024 from 1PM-1:30PM ET (register here) and Sunday, March 17, 2024 from 1PM-1:30PM ET (register here) Please note, due to software limitations, participants must be located in the USA to take part. If you will be located elsewhere and have questions, please contact Kristen Segin at info@balletcollective.com
Application is due by: Monday, March 18, 2024 by 11:59 PM ET
Interviews with applicants who make the shortlist will take place virtually April 1 - April 7, 2024
Applicants will be notified of their submission status Friday, April 19, 2024
The recipient of the 2025 Choreographic Commission and the names of their collaborators will be announced to the public in early 2025.
The New York, NY residency will take place over two weeks in June 2025. Travel and housing support is available for choreographers who are not New York residents.
The Millbrook, NY residency will take place over two weeks in July 2025. Housing, travel, and transportation for choreographers is provided.
The New York, NY premiere will take place in late October or early November 2025. Travel and housing support is available for choreographers, composers, and source artists who are not New York residents.
FOR APPLICANTS
When the application is live, a form will be linked here, You will be asked to provide the following:
Full name, current place of residence, and email
Resume/CV in PDF format
A minimum of one (1) and maximum of three (3) work samples, all via link; we recommend Vimeo or YouTube. Please note that reels are acceptable, but only as a secondary work sample.
A short note explaining 1) why you are applying and 2) why collaborating with BalletCollective would be meaningful for you at this stage of your career (400 words or less)
Please note:
A knowledge of music or musical training is helpful, though not required, for choreographic applicants.
A strong desire to collaborate with others is paramount.
Applicants are required to be a minimum of 21 years of age by June 1, 2025.
We encourage prior applicants to reapply with updated work samples! Several of the choreographers we have ultimately commissioned have been repeat applicants.
Please reach out to Artistic & Administrative Manager Kristen Segin at info@balletcollective.com with any questions or if you encounter technical difficulties.