Job Description
Introduce yourself and your work to Pavilion Dance, the dance house by the sea...
Our Visiting Artist scheme is open to any UK artist working in a dance or movement-based practice who would benefit from a short studio residency. It is an open-call scheme and there are two awards available – one to an artist based in the south-west region and one to artists based anywhere in the UK.
Dance artists who would like to explore and deepen their practice are invited to apply for our winter award. This is a chance for experimentation and play, taking artistic risks that might not be possible in other outcome-driven settings. We are particularly interested in artists who have not worked with us before and are interested in sharing their practice with others. Our venue is fully accessible and there is a cash bursary of £800. You can use this bursary to pay for travel/ accommodation as well as your time.
What is involved?
Residencies of 5 full days (14-18 December 2026) in one of our beautiful studios with the added benefit of access to advice and support from our in-house dance professionals should you wish. Informal chats with the team are encouraged and there is no expected outcome from your residency. The Pavilion Dance team is keen to learn from our Visiting Artists about how best to support their practice. We are also keen for Visiting Artists to learn from each other so we will devise the best way to do this together.
Thank you and the PDSW team for offering space for me to question my practice, to test new ideas out, to face doubt as well as dreams
Criteria
Applicants for this round will be sorted by the following priorities:
- Applicants (from anywhere in the UK) who have not worked with us before on this scheme
- Practice which has the potential to engage and connect with people in our community
- Applicants producing live performance work (as opposed to film/digital)
- Practice that animates space /s in unusual ways
- Applicants (from anywhere in the UK) who have at least two years professional experience, including the public presentation of at least one choreographic work
We will be assessing applications according to:
- How your work connects with our values: Kind Inclusive Innovative Empowering
- How you propose to connect your practice with people beyond the theatre/studio (either in its current form or in the future)
- What you may be able to share with the other Visiting Artist in terms of experience and practice insight
You must be over 18 years of age, but we are pleased to offer this opportunity to
artists at any stage in their artistic career. Applicants will be assessed using these
priorities and criteria by Victor Fung (Artistic Director & Joint CEO), Jeanette Hinton
(Performances Producer) and one independent artist.
How to apply
Please complete our application form outlining what you hope to achieve from your residency, an outline plan for the week and any career highlights to date.
Alternatively, we are happy to accept application by voice note or video (covering
the three points above in no more than 5 minutes). You will also need to send us a
filmed example of your work. Please send your files to jobs@pdsw.org.uk with
‘Visiting Artist application 2026 (Winter Residency)’ in the subject line.
- Deadline is 6pm on Friday 7 August 2026
- All applicants will be contacted by Monday 21 September 2026
Access
If you feel there is a barrier preventing you from applying, please get in touch to discuss how we can work with you to remove those barriers. Each successful Visiting Artist will be given £800 to support the cost of accommodation, travel and artist fee. Please let us know if you need additional access support in order to do a residency with us, e.g. quiet space or a support worker. You can contact jeanette.hinton@pdsw.org.uk to discuss in confidence.
About Pavilion Dance
Pavilion Dance is dedicated to a world in which dance is celebrated as an integral part of life. We offer dance experiences that are relevant, diverse, inclusive, and captivating. Our seaside creative hub in Bournemouth is home to our dancing community. Through theatre and outdoor performances, weekly dance classes, in-school workshops, evening dance events, and many other activities, we welcome people of all backgrounds to experience the embodied joy of dancing. Pavilion Dance empowers and champions diverse artistic voices. Rather than curating to specific themes, our programme celebrates the unique perspectives and experiences that artists bring to our dancing community across our region and beyond.
