Call for projects
Danse en amateur
et répertoire

Characteristics of the help programme

This programme is intended for groups of amateur dancers whose members have been working together for at least two years and are committed to long-term collaboration. It offers these groups the chance to discover a particular style of choreography through a significant work from dance history, one that has already been performed on stage, or for dances that are not linked to the stage, to explore the sources of this practice.

For that, the groups and their usual group leader will work with an experienced professional – a choreographer, performer, dance notator or collector – with a view to restaging a work or an extract from a repertoire piece, possibly adapted to the group’s technical level, or else to explore in greater depth the sources of a corpus of traditional dances.

In parallel with workshop work, the groups will be required to work on related cultural actions, for which they will receive information or explanations on the period and style of the work and its artistic and cultural context or sources to work on.

Danse en Amateur et Répertoire embraces all dance styles and is intended to enhance their work by enabling them to explore the choreographic repertoire under the guidance of a dance professional.

Danse en Amateur et Répertoire is aimed at any group of at least five dancers, which has been active for at least two years and which wishes to work, over an academic year, on a choreographic work created more than five years ago or on performing dances not part of the repertoire (regional dances, world dances, etc.).

This choreographic experience must be accompanied by a number of cultural actions centred on the repertoire chosen, and on its artistic and historical context.

The work will be performed during a national event during which all the groups that have received help come together.

 

Beneficiaries

Groups of amateur dancers must meet the following six criteria:

1. the group must be made up solely of amateur dancers (the teacher cannot be included in the group);

2. the group must have been active for at least two years and have already performed dances (it must not be a group created just for the occasion nor a group whose dancers change every year);

3. the group can be associated with various organisations: amateur dance associations, traditional dance circles, cultural establishments, university departments, amateur companies with children or adults;
groups linked with specialised artistic establishments or private dance schools or associations are only entitled to apply if the are made up in part of students not on the course. In particular, the group must not consist solely of pupils from the same class;
groups made up of students from pre-professional training courses or job-seekers are not eligible for this programme, nor are groups of amateurs whose dance practice is part of a diploma course (i.e., dance-study options at engineering schools).

4. the group must be made up of a minimum of five dancers.

5. the group must demonstrate that it has a suitable place to work for the duration of the project.

6. the group’s members must be insured for the activity.

 

The project

All styles of dance styles qualify for the programme.

In each case, the project consists of two parts:

– the first part is centred on the discovery or in-depth study of a repertoire either through the appropriation of a work or extract from a work, or the exploration of a corpus of dances;

– the second part consists in the carrying out cultural actions centred on a repertoire and its cultural context.

1. Discovery or in-depth study of a repertoire

Dance activities linked to a repertoire of works

The chosen work must be a significant work in the history of the art of choreography. It must have been created more than five years ago (in other words, before 2019 for the 2024 edition).

The revival of the work must be as close as possible to the original (it must not be an adaptation or a recreation consisting of choreographic elements from a work). Nevertheless, the work may be adapted to the group’s level or its members or it may be restaged in the form of a succession of extracts. In this case, the decision to adapt the choreography must be explained in relation to the logic of the piece (in particular when the group’s members and the number of the dancers of the original piece are different).

Dances not part of the repertoire (regional dances, world dances, etc.) and not generally intended to be performed on stage.

The work must consist of an exploration of available collections or accounts, experimenting with variants, an identification of the fundamentals of the movements involved, a critical staging of the dances concerned. The final original choreographic proposal must include of all of these elements and must not be limited to a simple presentation of the dance forms concerned.

N.B. In both cases, the collaborating dance artist cannot be the teacher, the usual leader of the group or the dance artist with whom the group usually works.

2. Cultural actions centred on the repertoire and its cultural context

This section is an essential part of the project and is taken into account by the committee when assessing the application.

Groups are welcome to collaborate with a cultural organisation (theatre, CCN, CDCN mediatheque, museum, departmental agency, etc.) when implementing this part of the project, which can take the form of readings, film screenings, talks or cultural outings (performances, exhibitions, etc.).

For repertoire dances

The cultural actions must enable the group to extend its knowledge and understanding of choreography. Depending on local options and opportunities, this will entail studying the process of creation and writing procedures of the work chosen, the work of other choreographers from the same period or sharing the same influences, the historical context, etc.

Dances not part of the repertoire (regional dances, world dances, etc.)

The cultural actions must enable the group to explore the cultural and human context of the dance corpus concerned, the ways it was handed down and the modifications it underwent over time. Where appropriate, it can also explore how corpus has been tackled in choreographic works.

 

Organisation of the project

The project is defined in collaboration with the group leader and the external dance collaborator. The application is presented by the organisation to which the amateur group belongs or on which it relies to carry out the project.

The project will span the academic year. The external dance collaborator will be involved for a total of 30 to 40 hours, scheduled according to the availability of the partners and work requirements.

The group agrees to present its work in public at least twice, including during the national collective event, which will take place at the end of the academic year and will bring together the various groups whose projects were selected.

For this event, the work performed should last no more than 15 minutes. If the work in question or the extract from the work are longer than this, the group and the external collaborator will have to allow time in the schedule to adapt their performance to the time allotted to each group.

For the national event, it is important to remember that the performances of the different groups will follow on from each other and that stage equipment therefore needs to be easy to set up.

The feasibility of performing the work should be taken account of in the project: in particular, when choosing a work the group must be sure that it will be able to get permission to use it from its creator or legal representative and must allow for possible copyright fees. (See the downloadable file: ‘Quelques questions à se poser lorsqu’un groupe d’amateurs travaille sur une œuvre chorégraphique existante’.)

According to the local possibilities, the group will try to share its choreographic culture actions by joining forces with other local actions centred on dance.

A group that has benefited from the programme cannot benefit from the programme again before two years have elapsed, even for a different project. In addition, in order to ensure a diversity of projects and involve the largest number of groups possible, the committee will give priority to new applications, followed by applications from groups that have already been helped but which are presenting a project in a different repertoire from the one tackled previously.
 

The external collaborator

The external collaborator can be the choreographer of the chosen work, one of work’s performers, a ballet master, a dance notator or a dance collector. If he or she is not the creator of the selected work, he or she has to demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the work to teach it (in this respect, approval by the choreographer of the work provides a perfect guarantee).

For non-repertoire dances, the external collaborator must have carried out their own research into the dance corpus concerned or demonstrate their understanding of the research and collecting of equivalent dance corpuses. He or she can enlist the help of a choreographer to help with directing.

The external collaborator is chosen by the group or its leader. The project is put forward following contact and agreement between the two partners.

 

The organisation or structure responsible

The group can perform a project if it has the legal status to perform it: for example, that of an association (i.e., amateur companies in the form of an association) or a municipality (i.e., school of music and dance, conservatoire, MJC). In the event of a partnership between two organisations, the reasons must be explained. One of the two organisations will present the group administratively and financially.

Not allowed are projects presented by state-subsidised cultural establishments for creation, dissemination and training for whom assisting amateur dance is one of their missions, except when these establishments make their collaborators and premises freely available to amateur dance groups.

Funding

Funding is intended to finance:

– The cost of the external collaborator’s activities with the group – salary, social security contributions, expenses and work sessions with the group leader to create the project and then accompany and assess execution;

– Any copyright fees to be paid to the choreographer, composer, etc.;

(See the downloadable sheet: ‘Quelques questions à se poser lorsqu’un groupe d’amateurs travaille sur une œuvre chorégraphique existante’)

– A portion of the costs incurred by the national event in which the group must take part (travel and accommodation expenses for a maximum of two days)

It is awarded to well-documented projects, including details about the provisions made for implementing the two sections of the project. Projects must have balanced budgets with evidence of self-funding, with additional external funding (including contributions in kind and services).

It is paid in the form of a subsidy of the organisation or association to which the group is attached.

It is awarded for a single project executed over an academic year.

Projects for which the request for aid from the Centre National de la Danse is equivalent to the entire projected budget cannot be accepted.
 

Timetable, implementation provisions and application form

The application form must be filled in online.

Warning! The online application procedure has changed.

After creating your application, you can review it, complete it or change it whenever you like anytime up until you submit it. You must upload the supporting documents yourself.

When you have created your application, you will be sent an identification code by email. You will need your email address and this identification code if you wish to review your application.

To approve your application before sending it, you must:

fill in all of the sections of the online form

We advise you to prepare the answers for the form in advance with the aid of the form in the attached PDF.
 

Prepare your application

Uploading all of the supporting documents:

The CV of the project’s external collaborator (specifying the estimated number of hours as well as the hourly rate agreed with the organisation)

The agreement of the choreographer or their rights holder for the use of their work in the project (specifying, where necessary, the total of copyright fees requested) and proof where necessary of the steps taken to pay the copyright fees for the work concerned

Bank account details of the organisation representing the group and which the subsidy will be paid to

The provisional budget for the action –  financial year – in the following form:

PDF file / Excel file

You cannot submit your application if these are missing.

If it so wishes, a group can include any supporting documents it deems useful to the selection committee (programme of the group’s usual activities, detailed programme of cultural activities envisaged, letters from partner organisations, etc.).

A copy of the project (information sheet + project + list of the group + projected budget) will be sent by us to the Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles of the group’s region of residence, for the attention of the officer in charge of dance and/or amateur artistic activities.

Applications will be examined and selected by a voluntary committee appointed by the Centre National de la Danse and made up of dance advisors from the DRAC, dance officers from the ADDM and ARDM, choreographers who have overseen projects with amateurs, and members of the dance inspectorate of the Direction Générale de la Création Artistique.

Link to the online application form
https://fms.cnd.fr/fmi/webd/Saisie_Internet_Dispositif_Pratique_Amateur