CONDER/dance presents :

Breaking Ground 2025

Contemporary Dance Festival

January 24 - 25, 2025

Tempe Center for the Arts

Tempe, Arizona

This year's festival will be presented in the round.

Danceable space will be 30' x 21' with the audience seated on 4 sides. Images of the space are available on the CONDER/dance website.  www.conderdance.com.

Deadline for Submission: November 1, 2024

Artists will be notified of final selections by December 1, 2024

Please choose the category of form that fits your work:

Existing Work

New Work

CURATION PANEL

Carley Conder : Carley Conder is Artistic Director of CONDER/dance, founded in Arizona in 2003. Based in Tempe, Carley has invested her time and talents towards providing opportunities for contemporary dance artists in Arizona. CONDER/dance enjoys artist-in-residence status at Tempe Center for the Arts and Carley’s recent projects include creative collaborations with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and Wonderspaces.  Carley’s choreographic work has been presented at Dixon Place (NYC), Center for Performance Research (Brooklyn), Martha Graham Studios (NYC), John Ryan Theater (Brooklyn), and the Diavolo Space (Los Angeles). She was profiled in "Phoenix's 100 Creatives" by the Phoenix NewTimes and chosen as “Best Dancer of 2015” by the Phoenix NewTimes. Carley has been the recipient of arts funding through the City of Tempe, Arizona Commission on the Arts, Target Arts Grants and the Consulate General of Israel.  Carley is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Dance in the School of Music, Dance and Theater at Arizona State University.

Keith A. Thompson : Keith A. Thompson is a multifaceted contemporary dance artist who currently serves as Assistant Director of the Dance program and Associate Professor within the School for Music, Dance, and Theatre at Arizona State University, as well as the Center for Race and Democracy’s inaugural faculty resident artist. He danced internationally with the Trisha Brown Company (1992-2001), including serving as Rehearsal Assistant (1998-2001); has performed with Bebe Miller Company; and frequently collaborates with Liz Lerman as a performer, choreographer, and rehearsal director. Keith has taught master classes and workshops for Sasha Waltz & Dancers (Berlin), Tanzwerkstatt Europa Festival (Munich), the International Dance Festival (Japan), and the Korea Dance Festival (Seoul), among others. He has served on the faculty at the Florida Dance Festival and the American Dance Festival and has been on the artistic panel for DTW’s Fresh Tracks, as well as an adjudicator for the American College Dance Festival Association. Since 2006, Keith has served as Artistic Director of danceTactics performance group, with his choreography presented at venues such as Dance Theater Workshop (New York), Harvard University, the Montpelier International Dance Festival (France), and the Edinburgh Festival (UK). He earned his MFA Research Fellowship in Dance from Bennington College in 2003.

Zoe Schofield : Zoe is a 2015 Guggenheim Fellow and a Seattle-based dance and visual artist known for her powerful interdisciplinary work. Since 2005, she has collaborated with visual artist Juniper Shuey, blending dance, video, and installation art in pieces commissioned by world-renowned institutions, including Jacob’s Pillow, the MET Museum, NYLA, and the NY Philharmonic. Zoe’s groundbreaking choreographic works have earned her numerous prestigious awards, including the Alpert Award, MacDowell Colony Fellowship, and Princess Grace Foundation support. 

DURATION OF WORK:

The maximum allowable length for each piece is 12 minutes.

FORMAT OF PERFORMANCES:

Audience is seated on all four sides.  Please design your works to be viewed in the round.  

APPLICATION FAQs:

HOW ARE WORKS SELECTED? A panel composed of choreographers, educators, and dance professionals from around the country will carefully evaluate artist submissions. Selection is based on criteria such as creativity, originality, thematic development, choreographic structure, technical execution, diversity, and historical, social, and cultural relevance. The Artistic Director will curate showcases that reflect these recommendations, with an emphasis on equity, representation, and a range of local, regional, and national pieces. Additional considerations include time and space constraints, the number of performers, and the overall tone. The festival seeks to present a lineup that is engaging, diverse, and of the highest artistic standard. Despite this, many excellent works cannot be included due to limitations. If your piece is not selected, we encourage you to apply again in the future.

CAN I SUBMIT MULTIPLE PIECES? Yes, multiple submissions are welcome. Please note that each work must be submitted separately, along with its corresponding application fee.

WHAT KIND OF WORK ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? Breaking Ground features a broad range of contemporary dance forms. We encourage you to interpret this in your own way, as the definition is intentionally flexible.

CAN I REQUEST A SPECIFIC PERFORMANCE TIME? No, we are unable to accommodate special requests for performance or rehearsal times. By submitting your work, you agree to perform in any of the scheduled shows and to attend both a spacing and dress rehearsal prior to your performance.

CAN MY VIDEO SUBMISSION BE FROM A REHEARSAL? Yes, both rehearsal and performance videos are accepted.

HOW WILL I BE NOTIFIED IF SELECTED? You will be informed of your submission’s status via email. Be sure to check your spam folder. If selected, you will be required to promptly accept the invitation. Failure to respond within the specified timeframe may result in your spot being offered to another artist. We highly encourage those who are not selected to apply again next year.

WHY WASN’T MY WORK SELECTED? Not being selected is not a reflection of the quality of your work. Unfortunately, limited space and time mean we cannot accept every submission. Final programming decisions take into account factors such as the tone, length, number of performers, and geographic location of the company. The process is akin to assembling a puzzle, balancing time and space considerations to create a cohesive concert. We do not offer feedback on unselected works, but we hope you will reapply next year for another chance to showcase your artistry.

DO PARTICIPANTS RECEIVE A STIPEND? Yes, participating companies will receive a stipend. However, participants should be prepared to cover their own expenses for attending the festival, such as accommodation, meals, transportation, parking, and other associated costs.

Core Values of Breaking Ground Festival

Artistic Support - Provide a strong platform for artists to develop and present their work in traditional and non-traditional settings to invested, enthusiastic audiences.

Community Engagement - Provide a leadership position that aims to strengthen relationships with community partners that will allow the festival to act as a catalyst to bring isolated communities together.

Inclusive Programming - Actively seek out dance programming that represents the quality, stylistic and cultural range of what contemporary dance has to offer.

APPLICATION FEE

Application Fee: 

$60 General Fee

$30 Arizona Residents

STIPED

All Artists selected for BG25 will receive a $200 honorarium.

No Production Fees are required if selected.

2025 ARTIST REQUIREMENTS

1. No public performances in Arizona of work selected between November 1, 2024 - January 25, 2024.
2. Promotional materials and efforts as requested by Breaking Ground administrative staff, submitted in a timely manner. 
3. Technical and dress rehearsal on January 23, 24 or 25, 2025. 
4. Production Showing on December 10, 2024. This is a mandatory showing for all artists. This is a video showing of the work in its current form.  Studio showings are acceptable. 
5. DISCLAIMER: CONDER/dance reserves the right to remove a work from Breaking Ground programming following the Production Showing if the work is deemed unready for performance, if the work has deviated significantly from original submission and if  requirements have not been adhered to. 
6. The BG25 festival is also planning on including Artist Talkback following each show, Meet and Greet in the Lobby and PreShow movement sessions for the public.  BG25 artists will be asked to participate in these activities as part of their festival obligations.  

BG25 ARTISTS WILL RECEIVE:

• One in-person performance at Tempe Center for the Arts – Studio Theater. 
• Minimum of 45 minutes tech time and a dress rehearsal on stage
• Performance honorarium of $200.
• Covered costs of production including theater rental, lighting design, marketing, public relations, technical direction and program administration.
• Reduced rates on BG25 Master Classes and BG25 merchandise
• Paid teaching opportunities - Selected Artists Only

BG25 ARTISTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR:

• Travel Expenses for out of town artists
• Lodging for out of town artists
• Technical needs beyond what Tempe Center for the Arts includes in standard rental fee. Examples include: hazer, piano, specific projection needs.

Please email conderdance@gmail.com with any additional questions.