PROGRAMME
ATLAS – create your dance trails is a modular training programme in the scope of ImPulsTanz – Vienna International Dance Festival. It offers both artists with first choreographic experience and artists in the middle of their career, including from other disciplines, a dynamic environment for their artistic development. The programme aims to meet two of their central needs: first, to have access to studio space to do research and work on pieces, and second, to receive new input through individual training programmes, by watching international productions and by exchanging ideas with artists from more than 100 countries, as well as through peer-to-peer exchanges among the ATLAS groups.
Dramaturgical advice is provided by coaches supervising the participants’ work during the course of the programme. In 2024, these are performer, singer and dramaturge Angélique Willkie and choreographer, director and dancer Marco Berrettini. Applicants for ATLAS 2024 have the opportunity to choose between the two coaches.
“Chinese contemporary artist and activist Ai Weiwei has said that ‘Everything is art, everything is politics’. In our complicated world, creating poetry, magic and dreams – especially through dancing bodies – is powerfully political. ATLAS is about taking the time to suspend expectations and dive together into the questions that make your art possible.”
“We accumulate experience and skills throughout the years as a dancer and choreographer. But as time passes, I realise there is no miracle solution or a method to all the questions that might arise when we work on pieces. It is rare to be in a balanced state where everything inside of us matches perfectly and your dance creates itself, as in a dream. That’s why I trust in education and observation. Education means reading, watching and listening to all kinds of work related to our passionate profession. And observing means that we work with dancers, choreographers, technicians and colleagues without a pre-set mind and judgement; especially if we are supposed to help others do their work. It’s about being in the moment as much as possible. To me, dance and choreography are serious matters where we should stay light and have fun to avoid losing focus. On the other side, dance is a simple and light matter. That’s why we should take it seriously so that we don’t only scratch the surface. This related contradiction is the delicate line on which we progress in the ATLAS group.”
The participation fee is 2,900 euro.
The participation fee does not include travel costs, visa fees, health insurance and food.
Applications can be submitted via the online tool as of now: education.impulstanz.com
When applying for ATLAS 2024, applicants have the option to join the programme either with coach Angélique Willkie or with coach Marco Berrettini.
For the application we need the following information (in English): personal data, a CV, a letter of motivation, a portrait photo and links to videos of past artistic works. Applicants are invited to describe the project they would like to work on during their stay in the motivation letter.
We will inform applicants by the end of January 2024 of their acceptance or rejection. To formalise your participation in the ATLAS programme, a down payment of 800 euro must be made no later than four weeks after confirmation of acceptance. Participants must be of legal age.
After receiving the down payment or the total participation fee, we will send you an official invitation letter including confirmation of acceptance. This letter is intended to help with applications for travel subsidies, grants or other types of financial support. The ATLAS assistant will be happy to advise you on available funding opportunities.
Application deadline
15 December 2023, 12:00 (CET)