Program Information
Overview
The Final Tuning residency offers two dance companies the time, space, and resources in a spectacular mountain setting to take their previously developed work to the next stage. Selected companies will receive access to a Banff Centre dance studio for three weeks to work on rehearsing their proposed project. During the second and third weeks, artists will have access to either the recently renovated Jenny Belzberg Theatre, or the Margaret Greenham Theatre (as assigned), to begin implementing technical elements into their projects. Both companies will be given the opportunity to present their work (or work-in-progress) to the public.
What does the program offer?
Selected projects will work with Banff Centre’s dance faculty and production teams in applying final production elements to their work (lights, music, projection, costumes, etc.). You will enjoy hands-on engagement with the faculty - dramaturgy, choreography, sound composition, and other design – to assist in putting together your project. The two companies will work in the theatre in repertory and have the opportunity to fine-tune and present a performance to a public audience. You will also have access to professional production photographs taken of your work for your portfolio.
Who should apply?
Emerging and/or established choreographers and dance companies, working in any form, seeking to work on the finishing touches of their projects. They should have a project and choreography at a late stage of development and be ready to work on layering in elements of lights, projections, sound, etc. for production on the stage. We invite applications (18+) from around the world. Please complete the program budget template to demonstrate that you understand the full costs of the residency and have all additional funding in place required to attend, or a clear plan to obtain funding.
Itinerary
Schedule Breakdown:
Week 1 – Creative Team to work with production in the theatre, Dancers to work in rehearsal studios
Week 2 – Integrate Dancers into the theatre with the creative team
Week 3 – technical rehearsal, rehearsal and shows
*all company members to attend for the full duration of the residency, scheduling will be collaborative with Banff Centre’s production team*
Participant performances are provisionally scheduled for Friday February 21, 2025 and Saturday February 22, 2025.
Faculty
Alejandro Ronceria
Alejandro Ronceria is an internationally acclaimed director/choreographer/dance dramaturge based in Toronto. He directs and produces dance/theatrical productions internationally and mentors Indigenous choreographers and productions.
Ronceria was the co-founder/Program Director of the first Aboriginal Dance Program in North America at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. During his five-year tenure, the groundbreaking program brought together Indigenous and Inuit performers from across Canada, the U.S., Mexico, Greenland, and New Zealand. His dance films have screened at TIFF and Sundance. Classically trained in ballet in Colombia, he holds an MFA in Dance Dramaturgy from York University. Ronceria was inducted into the Dance Collection Danse Hall of Fame.
Faculty
Ana Sánchez-Colberg
Ana Sánchez-Colberg is a Puerto Rican multidisciplinary artist working internationally. Her trajectory begins in choreography and dance. She established Theatre enCorps in 1989-2021and has a track record of award-winning works created and performed in over forty cities world-wide. She has been awarded Fellowships by the Swedish Research Council, Arts Council of England, British Council amongst others. She has also been a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Award in 2016 and the recipient of the highly coveted MAP Funding (USA) award in 2019, among other awards and recognitions.
Since 2016 Sánchez-Colberg moves fully into non-stage multidisciplinary/cross-arts works based on experimentation with generative compositional rules to create new forms of collaborative and participatory contemporary art. The works defy categorization as they bring together elements of fine and visual art, audio composition, movement, photography and film, live documentation in works that question the relationship between art institutions, the 'art-object' and the subjects involved in the creation and reception.
She is the Artistic and Executive Director of Vision.AI.R-e, a company developing multidisciplinary projects integrating performing arts and new technologies.
Faculty
Edgardo Moreno
Edgardo Moreno is a Canadian-Chilean composer based in Hamilton, Ontario.He has been commissioned for projects in Canada, Venezuela, Mexico, Sweden, Norway, Argentina, Colombia, England and USA. He has worked extensively with contemporary dance choreographers and artists including Penny Couchie, Justin Manyfingers, Alejandro Ronceria, Allen Kaeja, Karen Kaeja, Olga Barrios, Tara Butler, Lilia Leon, Norma Araiza, Rulan Tangen, Starr Muranko,Tasha Faye Evans, Jeanette Kotowich, Carlos Rivera, Sara Roque, Diana Lopez. He is presently working in creating video and live sound pieces that are part of his Fireflyproject. www.musicamoreno.com www.fireflyproject.ca
Faculty
Arun Srinivasan
Arun has worked extensively in the performing arts for 30 years. He trained at York University earning a Specialized Honours B.F.A in Design & Production. Select dance collaborators have included Robert Desrosiers, Peter Chin, Danny Grossman, COBA, Kaha:wi Dance Theatre, Tiger Princess Dance Projects, The National Ballet School and ProArteDanza. He has been the resident designer for Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre since 2002. Theatre credits include Soulpepper Theatre, Tarragon Theatre, Pleaides Theatre, Crow’s Theatre, The Stratford Festival, Factory Theatre, The Canadian Stage Co., The Globe Theatre, Cahoots Theatre Projects, Musical Stage Co., Luminato & Buddies In Bad Times Theatre. His career has garnered him nine Dora Mavor Moore Award nominations for Outstanding Lighting Design in both the theatre and dance categories.
In the musical theatre world, he was the Toronto Associate designer for The Lion King for Mirvish Productions. In addition to theatre and dance, he has designed concerts for The Art of Time Ensemble, New Music Concerts and Nagata Shachu Ensemble. He has worked on galleries at The Royal Ontario Museum and for The Thompson - Landry Gallery. Arun has had the privilege of teaching lighting design at York University, TMU (formerly Ryerson University), the University of Waterloo and mentorship at The National Theatre School. Productions have taken him to Ukraine, Malaysia, Singapore, India, China and across North America. He is thrilled to be joining the faculty here for this new exciting program. Following his time here, Arun will be returning to The Stratford Festival to design Much Ado About Nothing.
Faculty
Technical Requirements
Participants will have access to the appointed theatre's house lighting plot (with specials). Consideration will be given to pieces that can work festival style as we will be presenting, rehearsing, and tech’ing two pieces in rep. Selected companies will have to work within production deadlines, and with the allotted crew and technical resources available.
You are expected to have been working with a composer or sound designer at this stage of the process as well as lighting designer, all costume, props, and scenic elements in place, along with any other design elements.
Faculty are there to support and mentor, but not able to design or build in any area. Banff Centre will not construct any new wardrobe pieces but may be able to assist with sourcing elements from our inventory. We will not be able to build any scenic elements for your project but can rig and install minimal elements that you bring.
Travel and shipping costs for any set, costume, instruments, materials, etc. will be at the cost of the artists. Please consider this when looking at the overall scope of your proposed project and include these costs in your budget template.
What's Included
Single Room
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Your program fee includes a single bedroom on the Banff Centre campus for the duration of your program.
Get connected with other artists on campus and focus on your projects in a creative environment while we take care of the day-to-day essentials.
Full Flex Meal Plan
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Using a credit-based system to dine on campus, our flexible meal plans allow you to select meals according to your own needs during your stay. Banff Centre can respond to most dietary requests.
The Full Flex meal plan is equivalent to $70 credit per day, equivalent to breakfast, lunch and dinner at our Buffet service.
Group Seminars/Workshops
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Join in group seminars/workshops.
Performance Opportunities
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During the second and third weeks, artists will have access to Banff’s Centre's Jenny Belzberg Theatre, to begin implementing technical elements into their projects. Both companies will be given the opportunity to present their work or work-in-progress to the public at the end of the program.
Studio Space
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Create in one of our specialized studios.
Paul D. Fleck Library and Archives
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The Paul D. Fleck Library and Archives - Current Services
The Library is delighted to support Banff Centre Participants, Artists, and Faculty with the following services:
- Open hours: 9:30 am to 1 pm, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
- Access to collections, including program relevant books, scores, artists’ books, recordings, periodicals, and object library.
- Library accounts for borrowing materials.
- Digital Library, on campus and remote access.
- Library research assistance, by appointment.
- Archives research, by appointment only.
Please email library@banffcentre.ca or archives@banffcentre.ca for more information or assistance.
Gym Membership
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Participant Resources
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Enrich your experience and get to know other artists on campus by taking advantage of the activities and support provided by our Participant Resources team.
Box Office Discounts
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Enjoy special artist rates for ticketed performances or complimentary access to events.
Fees & Financial Assistance
You pay (per person fee after scholarship applied)
$1 764.00
Total fee per person (Tuition, Accommodation and Meal Plan)
$8 568.00
Scholarship amount applied*
$6 804.00
Application fee: $65 for individuals or groups ($35 for applicants who identify as Indigenous).
Application Fees are non-refundable.
Individual group members must pay an additional registration fee of $35 on acceptance.
*Scholarship of 100% is available and will be applied to cover tuition, and 50% is available to offset meals and accommodation costs.
Scholarship of 100% is available to Canadian Indigenous participants and will be applied to cover tuition, meals and accommodation costs.
If you would like to be considered, please complete the Financial Aid section when uploading your supporting materials.
Banff Centre will issue official tax receipts for eligible tuition fees and financial assistance and awards as required by the Income Tax Act. Each individual will receive a T2202 (Tuition and Enrolment Certificate) for eligible tuition fees paid and a T4A (Statement of Pension, Retirement, Annuity, and Other Income) for applicable financial assistance and awards.
Help fund your experience at Banff Centre. View a compiled list of national and international opportunities here.
How to Apply
Learn more about the steps to Complete Your Application.
Holiday Closure
The student application and payment system is now closed for the institutional rest period.
It will reopen at noon on Thursday 2nd January.
The Admissions Office closes Thursday 19th December and reopens Thursday 2nd January.
Resume
A one-page resume or C.V. describing academic, professional, and other relevant experience.
Letter of Intent
A 500 word description of why you wish to attend this program, what you hope to learn or achieve and what impact it could have on your artistic practice.
Detailed Project Proposal and Timeline
In 1000 words, describe the framework of your proposed project; your weekly execution plan, details of the mediums you propose to use and your level of knowledge in the processes required, and outline any specific technical or support requirements. You must also include a list of the complete project team.
Please be as clear and complete as possible with your technical requests for your proposed project as it will assist the adjudicators in determining the scope of required technical elements for the performance of your work at the end of the residency. Please note: although your project will be supported by Banff Centre technical staff, we will not have capacity to support robust requests for scenic building or building new costumes, but can assist in pulling wardrobe elements from our already existing stock.
Resource Request
Outline all studio, equipment, software, facility, or staff support requested. Final resource allocation is at the discretion of the department. This form can be found in Slideroom.
Complete checklist
Confirm you understand that your work is at the final stages required for this program and will be in a position to perform at the end of the 3-week residency on February 21 or February 22, 2025.
- The musical score is developed and will require minor adjustments;
- Concept for lighting has been designed and thought through;
- Creative team has been identified (dancers, composer, designer(s), dramaturg, etc.);
- 60 – 90 minutes of Choreography has been developed; and
- Any elements of prop and set design can be clearly communicated with Banff Centre technical staff and are the responsibility of the applying artist(s) to provide.
- Projection images/design is developed and will require minor adjustments/alterations.
Budget Planning
Download and complete the Dance Participant Budget Planning Tool to show that you have considered all costs associated with your residency application. Completed budget files must be uploaded into SlideRoom along with your Project Proposal.
Note: Please download and complete in Excel, and save as PDF prior to uploading. Download Excel file here. If you are not able to access the file, please email DanceAdmissions@banffcentre.ca for a copy.
Portfolio
Please upload video of research and/or workshopping and/or performance archival, related to the proposed project (10 minutes).
Adjudication
Participants are selected by impartial adjudicators on the basis of their submitted material. In addition to artistic merit, consideration will be given to the likelihood that the artist's work will benefit from the program. Applicants will be notified of their status as soon as adjudication is complete.
Additional details: Please be as clear and complete as possible with your technical requests for your proposed project as it will assist the adjudicators in determining the scope of required technical elements for the performance of your work at the end of the residency. Please note: although your project will be supported by Banff Centre technical staff, we will not have capacity to support robust requests for scenic building or building new costumes, but can assist in pulling elements from our already existing stock.
Eligibility
Emerging and/or established choreographers and established dance companies, working in any form, who are seeking to work on the finishing touches of their projects. You should have a project and 60-90 minutes of choreography almost entirely developed and want to work on layering in elements of lights, projections, sound, etc. to do a production of it on the stage. You are expected to have been working with a composer at this stage of the process and should be arriving with a developed score for their public performance at the end of the program.
Final Tuning invites applications from anywhere in the world, and artists of all ages (18+), backgrounds, gender identities, and expressions.
International Applicants
Banff Centre welcomes domestic and international applicants for this program. Please note, Banff Centre programs do not meet Canadian Student Visa eligibility requirements, you must obtain a Visitor Visa to enter Canada. Accepted individuals are responsible for identifying and complying with the immigration requirements to enter Canada as a visitor from their country of origin. Current wait times to receive a visa are much longer than normal, so applicants who require a Visitor Visa should check the current expected processing times prior to applying.
Disclaimer
All programs, faculty, dates, fees, and offers of financial assistance are subject to change. Program fee is subject to applicable taxes. Non-refundable fees and deposits will be retained upon cancellation. Any other fees are refunded at the discretion of the Banff Centre. The application deadline is 11:59 p.m. Mountain Standard Time.
