Call for Artists

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The Chicago Cultural Center Dance Studio Residency is a program of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE). This opportunity is for the research and development of new dance and movement work, and provides space, time and $10,000-$25,000 in funding for selected Chicago dancemakers.

The goals of the Dance Studio Residency Program include:

• Support the creation of new work in its early stages of development
• Position the Dance Studio as a community asset for the development of new work
• Create intersections between performing artists and the public
• Offer co-learning opportunities for Chicago’s dance community
• Support a cohort of artists reflective of the city of Chicago and its cultural landscape
• Elevate “Art is Labor” conversations through models of direct investment

DCASE is now accepting applications for the fourth cohort of resident dance artists. The link to apply is at the bottom of this page. Deadline to apply is Wednesday, September 3, at 5 p.m. CT.

The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) is dedicated to supporting artists and cultural organizations, investing in the creative economy, and expanding access and participation in the arts throughout Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods. As a collaborative cultural presenter, arts funder, and advocate for creative workers, our programs and events serve Chicagoans and visitors of all ages and backgrounds, downtown and in diverse communities across our city — to strengthen and celebrate Chicago.

The Chicago Cultural Center Dance Studio Residency is supported in part by a grant from the Walder Foundation.

• Each awardee receives approximately 80 hours of studio space access.
  • Residency hours will be scheduled between November 2025 and June 2026.
  • The 80 hours includes applicant’s public events.
  • Awarded projects will be given access to the Dance Studio 15 minutes prior to the start of their scheduled rehearsal time and 15 minutes after. This prep/wrap time, if used, does not count towards the 80 hours.
• Selected projects will receive funding from $10,000 - $25,000.
• Applicants will submit a budget plan. Please see “Budget Information” below.
• This is not a technical residency. DCASE does not provide technical staff during the Residency, there is minimal access to technical equipment, no theater lighting and no build space for any fabrication.
• Awardees will provide 2 public engagement activities during the Residency.
  • These engagements will be proposed by the applicants.
  • DCASE determines the dates and times of engagements in cooperation with awardees.
  • DCASE can provide a technician during these public engagements.
  • DCASE provides coaching for the further development, outreach and delivery of engagement activities.
• Because this program funds the development of new work, a final complete work is not an expected deliverable, though it could be an outcome.
• At the end of a residency, awardees will respond to a survey regarding their experience and their project.

• Individuals, companies, collectives and organizations working in dance/movement-based practices may apply.
• Applicant must have at least a 2-year history of public performance in dance/movement-based work.
• Applicant must reside/organization must be located within Chicago city limits; proof of Chicago residency is required for application.
  • For individual applicants, a copy of your current valid IL Driver’s License, State of Illinois ID or Chicago CityKey will need to be submitted. No other proof of residency is accepted for individuals.
  • For organizations, see additional information below.
• Organizational applicants must have an operating budget of less than $500,000. Organizations will submit a recent IRS tax filing to demonstrate operating expenses under $500,000. The submitted document is also used towards verifying the organization’s Chicago address.
  • P.O. Boxes will not be accepted as proof of Chicago address.
  • If the organization’s IRS filing uses a P.O. Box, applicants are advised:
    • Submit your completed application with IRS filing before the deadline.
    • DCASE will email a request for additional documentation.
• Individual applicants must be at least 18 years of age (Note: Organizations can propose activities that include artists younger than 18).
• Individual applicants cannot be full-time students in an undergraduate degree program.
• Individuals currently funded by DCASE’s Individual Artist Program (IAP) remain eligible; however
  • Priority consideration will be given to those not currently receiving an IAP grant; and
  • The project for the Dance Studio Residency cannot be the same project funded by IAP.
• Prior recipients of the Chicago Cultural Center Dance Studio Residency (2022-present) are not eligible.
• Artists or organizations with active or current artist residencies with any other DCASE or City of Chicago department-affiliated artist residency, including any “sister-agency” artist residency (ex: Chicago Park District; Chicago Public Library), are not eligible.

Applications will be submitted through SurveyMonkey and reviewed by a panel that includes DCASE staff and external reviewers who have dance or live art experience as artists and/or cultural workers.

Proposals will be evaluated on:

• Quality and feasibility of proposed project. This includes:
  • artistic strength, quality, vision, and originality of the proposed project (if need for Residency is based on early devising or an exploratory process yet to begin, applicant clearly articulates how the Residency will inform the development of new work);
  • alignment of project scale with the resources provided;
  • activity proposed can be carried out within the Residency timeframe;
  • and applicant has submitted a clear and realistic budget for the project that prioritizes payment to ensemble members and creatives and for research and related creative development costs.
• Quality of opportunity for the public and dance community in proposed activity plans, in particular a range of activities that creatively engage diverse constituencies (examples: general audience for dance; other dance artists; specific neighborhood or community-based audiences) and supports the applicant in developing their work;
• Potential benefit to artist or organization;
• Artistic merit of applicant, demonstrated by a work sample and application showing artistic capability and a history of quality work and investigation, relative and in proportion to their time in the industry.
• Demonstrated need for space for a specific project in development or new work concept.
• Additionally, DCASE’s Dance Studio Residency strives for an equitable distribution of support for artists and organizations working and living across the city. When evaluating applications, panelists will be instructed to consider geographic access as one of many criteria to ensure the support of projects created by or serving residents of community areas which have been historically under-resourced.

All applications require submission of a project budget.

• There is no required budget template. Budget can be organized at the discretion of applicant.
• Budget must outline the full range of itemized expenses. Be specific.
• Submitted budgets should prioritize payment to ensemble members and creatives and focus on research and related creative development costs.
  • When applicable, include the hourly rate used to calculate fees.
  • Additional line item for primary project facilitator(s) – ex: Choreographer, Production Manager – that represents time spent on project preparation outside of rehearsal will be allowed, if applicable. This is not meant as a commission or fee for work conducted prior to the award, but as reasonable compensation for administrative or other preparatory labor undertaken during the Residency period.
• Funding is not to be used towards rental costs for other facilities, capital purchases or any direct costs associated with producing a premiere, an external presentation of the work in development, or other production.
• Awardees will be responsible for providing a Certificate of Insurance (COI) that includes $1 million (per occurrence) and $2 million (aggregate) commercial liability, and when applicable, $1 million in Auto Liability and $1 million in Workers Comp. Also, an Umbrella or Excess Liability Insurance must be maintained with limits of not less than $2,000,000, and a general liability endorsement “Designated Person or Organization” showing City of Chicago as additional insured is required.As appropriate, include estimated insurance cost in your budget.
  • Complete insurance requirements for the Dance Studio Residency are available for download or review online. Download PDF
• Applicants are encouraged to consider tax liability, as appropriate to their organizational or individual tax status, when budgeting for the project.
  • Applicants without tax-exempt status will be taxed on the full amount awarded. The percentage will be based on the applicant’s taxable income bracket.
  • A line item for the estimated tax on the award can be included as part of the budget.
• Reasonable and necessary commuting costs related to rehearsals at the Chicago Cultural Center, including nearby parking, can be included in the budget. This Residency opportunity does not include any parking at the Chicago Cultural Center nor does it offer parking discounts.
• It is important that the funding request align with the scale and description of the project. DCASE may award less funding than requested.
• Budget should be balanced, and expenses should be consistent with project proposal. Consider adding expense details and any clarifying notes in the budget as these can help tell the story and scope of the project.
• If the proposal is for project development that is part of a larger sequence of developmental workshops, only include project costs for the Chicago Cultural Center portion.
• DCASE will provide:
  • ASL and other accessibility services for select engagement programs to be coordinated in advance with awardees and in response to any audience requests, when applicable
  • Photography for at least one (1) event during Residency (ex: work-in-progress, artist talk), to be coordinated in advance with each awardee.
  • Co-promotion of Residency activities (DCASE newsletters, social media, website, on-site signage, etc).

Applicants will submit one (1) web URL that is a direct link to a 5-minute video clip of their work.

• Relevant links may be from YouTube, Vimeo, an organization's website, etc.
• Links to account-based file sharing websites like Dropbox or Google Drive cannot be accepted.
• If the video sample is longer than 5 minutes, applicants are directed to include the cue time(s) of the 5-minute segment.

The Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington) can be accessed by multiple CTA train and bus routes and the Millennium Park Metra station. A ramp entrance with automatic doors is at 77 East Randolph. There is no designated parking at the Chicago Cultural Center, but paid parking options can be found throughout the area.

The Dance Studio is accessible and located on the first floor of the Chicago Cultural Center. The Dance Studio is approximately 42’9” x 36’. The dance floor is a durable multi-purpose floor suited for all movement activity including tap, hip-hop, ballet, modern, ballroom, jazz, flamenco and more. One wall of the studio is mirrored and has a curtain that can be drawn over the mirrors. A 2-speaker PA system and small, 8-channel audio mixer are in the room for audio playback using a mini jack (3.5mm) or Bluetooth connection. One wired mic (with mic stand) is part of the room inventory; additional wired mics and stands may be available on request. Ballet barres are available. The room is equipped with three folding tables and folding chairs. An upright piano can be made available.

Current Chicago Cultural Center building hours are Sunday-Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and are subject to change.

• Requests for rehearsal times outside of current building hours are allowed.
• Available times for rehearsals will generally be Monday-Friday 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Applicants for the Residency will be asked to submit their preferred rehearsal schedule and their flexibility for alternative dates and times.

There are no dressing rooms or green room. Storage options are limited: there are small storage lockers in the dance studio that will be assigned to awardees (awardee provides lock); additional storage space is not guaranteed. Consumption of food is not allowed in Dance Studio: a public space adjacent to Dance Studio can be used for eating. Beverages are allowed in rehearsal rooms. Water fountains are also available. There is no kitchen space, refrigerator or microwave available during rehearsal periods.

Public restrooms are available on the first floor. The Chicago Cultural Center does not have gender neutral or un-gendered bathrooms.

• Thursday, August 7, 2025 – Application opens  Apply Online
• Wednesday, September 3, 2025, at 5 p.m. CT – Application deadline
• October 2025 – Notification of results sent to all applicants

(Registration link below; attendance optional):

• Online: Wednesday, August 20, Noon - 1 p.m.

Register for Info Session

For any applicants interested in visiting the Chicago Cultural Center Dance Studio (78 E Washington Street) prior to applying, a Drop-In Visitation Date has been scheduled. No reservation is required. You can drop-in during the listed times to explore the space and speak with John Rich, DCASE Dance and Theatre Coordinator. Drop-In Visitation dates do not include a formal presentation. 

• Thursday, August 21, 4-8 p.m., open as part of Chicago Cultural Center Open House and Chicago House Music Conference. Visit conference website for additional event information.
• Saturday, August 23, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

To read about previously awarded projects, please use the following links:

• 2024-2025 Cohort
• 2023-2024 Cohort

DCASE strongly recommends submitting your application earlier than the stated deadline. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted or reviewed.

It is also recommended that you review all application questions before beginning, and that you draft your responses on a separate document and copy/paste them into the application. You will need to complete your application in one session.

Apply Online

If you have any questions regarding the Dance Studio Residency program or the application, contact John Rich, DCASE Dance and Theatre Coordinator.

John.Rich@cityofchicago.org | 312-744-0529

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