Opportunities

This is the page for auditions, job openings, commissioning competitions for composers and choreographers, and other opportunities to work with us or be presented by us.

Photo: Choreographer Bradley Shelver and composer Tonia Ko collaborated on Count Off as winners of one of our first competitive programs. Photo by Rachel Neville, 2015.

Periapsis Open Series

The Periapsis Open Series

Periapsis Music and Dance is offering paid performance opportunities to choreographers and companies who are working with composers and/or live music. Performances will take place on May 10 and 11, 2019, at Kumble Theater for the Performing Arts at LIU Brooklyn. This is not a collaboration with Periapsis’s resident company, nor do we match choreographers with composers for this series. We want to discover and give exposure to the many innovative projects and collaborations that are already happening in the community!

This will be the fourth installment of the Periapsis Open Series. Over the last three seasons we’ve presented work by such artists as Emery LeCrone; konverjdans; Company Stefanie Batten Bland with Burnt Sugar the Arkestra Chamber; Rovaco Dance; BodyStories: Teresa Fellion Dance with John Yannelli; New Chamber Ballet; Maleek Washington with GypjaQ; Zara Lawler: The Flute on its Feet; Alison Cook Beatty Dance with composer Dorian Wallace; and many more.

This year’s Open Series will be extremely competitive, with only three available slots. There will be one show on May 10 and two on May 11, with each selected artist performing on two of the three shows.

Please read carefully the information below, and contact us at info@periapsismusicanddance.org with any questions:

Artist eligibility: This opportunity is open to any choreographer or dance company based in New York City (within the five boroughs). Individuals must be eligible to work in the US. You must create a login on our website (it’s free!) to access the application.

Work eligibility: To be eligible for this series, the work(s) presented must have been created in collaboration with a composer or sound artist and/or be performed with live music. If the music is written for musicians it must be performed live; recordings may only be used when that’s the nature of the work (like a sound score or work for electronics). The choreographer will be responsible for providing proof of permissions for use of all protected music or other components. The performance must be between ten and fifteen minutes long.

Here are some eligible scenarios:

You collaborated with a composer who will perform their own music live.
You collaborated with a composer whose music will be performed live by other musicians.
You collaborated with a composer who created a work that only exists as a recording or sound file.
Your work is set to public domain music that will be performed live.
Your work is set to protected music that will be performed live, and you’ve obtained a grand rights license for the music from its copyright holder.

Here are some ineligible scenarios:

You collaborated with a composer who wrote the work for live instruments, but you want to perform with a recording.
You created your own audio track by editing and/or combining existing recordings.
You’re using music from an online database of royalty-free tracks for dance.

Compensation: All choreographers/companies will receive a guaranteed stipend of $250, plus a percentage of the box office for the shows they appeared on, as well as basic video and some publicity. We understand that these stipends may not necessarily cover the complete cost of preparing and performing the work, but we hope that they make a significant contribution. We firmly believe in a model in which artists are paid for their performances, not charged participation or production fees. And we’ll need your help to keep this series going, by actively publicizing and helping us get the word out and fill the hall!

About the venue: Kumble Theater is located in Downtown Brooklyn, a short walk from the DeKalb Ave, Nevins St, Atlantic/Barclays, and several other subway stops. The theater stage is about 40′ wide by 30′ deep, with wings. Baby grand piano is available. Basic theatrical lighting and some audio support will be available. Any large equipment or special tech requirements must be approved in advance. More technical information about the space is available here.

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED. THANKS FOR YOUR INTEREST!

Emerging Artist Residencies

Emerging Artist Residencies for Choreographers and Composers:

What this is: This program is an opportunity for two pairs of emerging choreographers and composers to develop new work on a subset of Periapsis Music and Dance’s ensemble of dancers and musicians over a period of eight days. Selected participants will receive rehearsal time with the artists, two workshop sessions with guest teacher Janis Brenner, including a work-in-progress showing at the end of the residency, and a small stipend to offset costs of attending. It is possible that one or both works may be selected to be expanded into a commission for the 2019-2020 season.

When and where: This will take place Tuesday-Friday evenings (7pm-10pm) from May 21 to May 31, 2019. Sessions will be in dance studios at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in the East Village.

Eligibility: Choreographers and composers must

be emerging artists in the early stages of their career (there is no age limit);
not be enrolled in any degree-granting institution at the time of the residency (ABD is okay);
be based primarily in New York City;
be able to attend the entire 8-evening program (no exceptions);
demonstrate significant artistic potential based on previous work;
embrace the idea of creating work in a highly collaborative environment.

A jury of at least three composers and choreographers will select the participants.

Note to choreographers: We maintain a wide stylistic diversity within a modern/contemporary dance idiom, so your work samples should demonstrate ability within that genre (i.e.—if you only submit ballet choreography, it will be hard for us to tell how you would create for our ensemble).

Note to composers: Our core ensemble consists of violin, viola, cello, clarinet, percussion, and piano, and your work would be for 1-2 players within that instrumentation. Your work samples should demonstrate score-based, solo/chamber writing.

Note to both: Choreographers and composers may apply as a pair, but you will be evaluated separately and would need to both be accepted to be able to work together. You would each fill out your own application, and there is a field on the form to indicate that you’re applying with a partner.

Timeline:

March 10, 2019: Applications close
March 24, 2019: Notification of results
Spring, 2019: Selected participants discuss preliminary ideas with the artistic director to settle questions of instrumentation and basic casting (specific dancers and musicians may not be known until later). Composers create a draft of their score in close consultation with choreographers.
May 15: First draft of musical score and parts are due
May 21-24: Rehearsals
May 28: First workshop session with Janis Brenner
May 29-30: Further rehearsals
May 31: Work-in-progress studio showing, including public workshop session with Janis Brenner and audience talkback

With both composer and choreographer involved with all the rehearsals, we expect the music to develop alongside the choreography, and we encourage all artists to move outside of their comfort zone and explore new processes. Our past iterations of this program were meaningful experiences for all involved, and in both cases we selected a work for a full Periapsis production the following season. This is a truly unique opportunity, and we can’t wait to see the work that it inspires!

We are excited to welcome back Janis Brenner as our guest teacher to guide the creation of these new works. Artistic director of Janis Brenner & Dancers and faculty at The Juilliard School, Janis maintains an active and highly esteemed career as dancer, choreographer, singer, and teacher. You can learn more about her here!

Note: To access the application you’ll need to log in to our site. Don’t have a login? Sign up here, it’s free and quick!

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED. THANKS FOR YOUR INTEREST!

The Composer List

Composer List: an ongoing opportunity for composers

Are you interested in seeing your music choreographed and/or developing new collaborations with dance artists? Choreographers are always searching for new music that speaks to them, and Periapsis Music and Dance is developing free resources to facilitate these collaborations:

The first such resource we’re creating is an uncurated list of composers interested in collaborating with dance, with links to the individuals’ websites. Choreographers from around the world will be able to peruse the list (also for free), visit your site, listen to your music, and get in touch if they’re interested. The list is organized by city, and you may enter up to two locations of residence.

To join the Composer List:

Create a free login on our login page.
Visit our Composer List page (also found under Information).
Click the “form” button on the right-hand column and fill out a quick Google form.
That’s it! We’ll verify your link and add you to the list within a few days, often sooner. Choreographers
searching for composers will then be able to easily find you.

The only requirement is that you be a composer with a website, and the site should have examples of your music and a way to contact you (or your representative)—if you have your own standalone site that’s great, but you can also use a SoundCloud page, New Music USA profile, etc. (Note: Please see the FAQ on our information page for some exceptions to this.) We will not post a link to an email address or to any site that appears to compromise the security of visitors.

Participating in no way obligates you to collaborate with anybody or offer your work for free if you don’t want to. It simply gives choreographers an easy way to find you and connect, knowing that you might be interested in hearing from them. Your stuff is already out there—this is just a tool to get you more traffic and more listeners, potentially including some people who would want to set your existing music or collaborate on a new project.

Also, this is not a competition. Aside from making sure the links aren’t spam or otherwise illegitimate, we don’t filter, and composers of all genres are welcome to participate. If you would like to be removed from the list at any point, or need to change your link, just send us a message at info@periapsismusicanddance.org. (We will also check the list periodically to remove broken links.)

We’re also developing other informational resources for artists working at the intersection of dance and music, with pages for choreographers about working with music and musicians, and for composers about working with dance. So please check in with us over the coming months, and thanks for participating!

For a printable PDF of this announcement, please click here.

Dancer Auditions

We’re not currently hiring dancers. Information below from our most recent auditions for reference only.

Periapsis Music and Dance seeks dynamic, creative, experienced performers to join its ensemble. Our repertoire is built with our resident artists and commissioned guests, and is distinguished by highly collaborative processes between choreographer and composer. Our resident choreographers are Erin Dillon and Hannah Weber, and guest choreographers we’ve worked with in the past include Seán Curran, Janis Brenner, Joshua Beamish, Kate Skarpetowska, Helen Simoneau, Miro Magloire, Manuel Vignoulle, and Wendell Gray II. Artistic director Jonathan Howard Katz is composer-in-residence, and other composers we’ve worked with include Richard Carrick, Mary Kouyoumdjian, Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti, Leah Asher, and Shawn Jaeger.

Spring 2019 activities include our season at Kumble Theater in May (featuring guest choreographer Norbert De La Cruz III), our Emerging Artist Residencies in later May and/or June, and several additional potential performances currently in planning stages. Please have a look at this video for an overview of our work, and visit our video libraries and photo galleries for more!

Auditions will be held on Wednesday, December 12, at 2:30, 3:45, and 5:00 pm at GK Arts Center (29 Jay St, Brooklyn).
Callbacks will be held on Friday, December 14, 2:00-4:00 pm at GK Arts Center.

Periapsis Music and Dance is a freelance company that rehearses at various studios around NYC. We offer a competitive hourly salary (W-2) for rehearsals and performances.

Qualifications:
– At least three years professional dance experience
– Strong, versatile modern technique grounded in classical training
– Superior partnering skills, ability to learn quickly, strong improvisation skills
– A team player eager to experiment and be challenged
– Professional attitude, organized, punctual, with excellent communication

Pre-registration is now closed. For last-minute inquiries, you may email us at auditions@periapsismusicanddance.org with your name, contact info (phone/email), and headshot/resume as attachments. Please keep in mind that we will not be able to read or respond to messages after about 2pm today (12/12).

Periapsis Music and Dance is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on creed, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or any other category protected by law.