Artist Programs
OUR PROGRAMS
Creative Incubator Programs
Velocity’s Creative Incubator Programs are a series of platforms that provide resources to support the creation of new work by local and regional dancemakers.
Each incubator program engages artists at five sequential stages of their careers: locally emerging (Bridge Project), regionally emerging (OUT THERE), regionally established (Co Production), nationally emerging (Made in Seattle), and nationally established/mid-career (Curating Artist in Residence). These programs support the process of developing and producing new artistic works, while also helping artists build stable careers in dance.
These programs each aim to support artists in four key areas:
- Artistic mentorship: mentorship and community support to make artistically innovative projects
- Financial resources: fees to pay yourself, your collaborators, and your project expenses
- Reciprocal Relationship building: understanding your part in the larger ecology, and how to work collaboratively to sustain your career within your ecosystem of artistic collaborators, local and national presenters, funders, and audiences
- Business development: how to manage projects and undertake long-term collaborations and career planning
EMERGING CREATIVE INCUBATOR
BRIDGE PROJECT
Velocity’s Emerging Creative Incubator, Bridge Project, supports local dance artists who have been making work in the greater Seattle area for 5 years or less. This yearly program provides resources, residency, and mentorship to three artists to each create a new 20-minute work presented in a shared program. LEARN MORE
Jordan Macintosh-Hougham, Bridge Project 2018, Photo by Erin O’Reilly
REGIONAL CREATIVE INCUBATOR
OUT THERE
Velocity’s Regional Creative Incubator, OUT THERE, is a new residency program and festival for West Coast experimental dance artists. The goal of this program is to connect regionally emerging artists with Seattle artists and audiences through the creation and presentation of 30-minute works. LEARN MORE
Marco Farroni, NEXTFEST 2019, Photo by Jim Coleman*
REGIONALLY ESTABLISHED CREATIVE INCUBATOR
CO-PRODUCTION
Velocity’s Regionally Established Creative Incubator, Co Productions, are for Seattle-based artists who want to collaborate with Velocity to share the development, production and presentation of a new full-length work. These artists have experience self-producing their own full-length work, and usually set specific goals for this program that help them grow their long-term artistic mission, vision, and audience, while increasing their work’s technical scale, budget, and impact. LEARN MORE
The Seattle Project, Co Production 2024, Photo by Erin O’Reilly*
NATIONALLY EMERGING CREATIVE INCUBATOR
MADE IN SEATTLE
Velocity’s Nationally Emerging Creative Incubator, Made in Seattle, provides support to Seattle-based artists through early ideation, development, premiere, and national tour of the work. In this program, Velocity provides a seed commissioning fund, and encourages artists to schedule the development of their work over a few years with both creative and technical residencies alongside setting a full development and touring strategy that includes building relationships with national presenters and applying to both local and national creation and tour funding. LEARN MORE
*Lavinia Vago, Made in Seattle 2024, Photo by Erin O’Reilly
CURATING ARTIST IN RESIDENCE
Velocity’s Curating Artist in Residence is a two-year program that supports established artists and choreographers interested in curation, arts administration, and program development. The selected artist will receive mentorship while supporting in the curation and coordination of the Incubators Programs as well as their performative outlets: Bridge Project, OUT THERE, Co Production, Made in Seattle and aspects of Seattle Festival of Dance + Improvisation. The intention of this program is to ensure that there is working artist leadership at Velocity, while supporting the professional development of artists as curators and arts administrators. LEARN MORE
*Amy O’Neal, Velocity’s current Curating Artist in Residence
PRESENTATION PROGRAMS
In addition to the incubator programs above which help artists to create and premiere new works, we also have a limited number of programs where we present existing works to Seattle audiences. We present works through two programs, our Guest Artist Series and Seattle Festival of Dance + Improvisation.
GUEST ARTIST SERIES
Velocity’s Guest Artist Series is our platform where we present existing works by nationally established visiting and local artists. In contrast to our other programs that are focused on supporting the creation of new works, Guest Artist Series provides artists with a more traditional presentation model to share their existing work in Seattle.
SEATTLE FESTIVAL OF DANCE + IMPROVISATION
During Seattle Festival of Dance + Improvisation, Velocity also presents work by local and visiting faculty members. These presentations range from work-in-process sharings to larger scale productions, and are often one-night-only presentations. We also commission artists to work with participants to create new work that is shared during the festival.