Visiting Artist Programme (2024 - 2027)
- Project Type
- Dance
- Title
- Visiting Artist Programme (2024 - 2027)
- Release Date
- 2025
- Irish Partner
- Dublin Dance Festival (International Dance Festival of Ireland)
- Co-Partners
- Lead partner: Danscentrum Sverige, Sweden
- Danscentrum Syd (Sweden)
- DDD – Festival Dias da Dança (Portugal)
- Biennale de la Danse de Lyon (France)
- December Dance (Belgium)
- One Dance Festival (Bulgaria)
- Torinodanza Festival (Italy)
- Zodiak – Side Step Festival (Finland)
- Bratislava in Movement (Slovakia)
- Festival Sismògraf (Catalonia – Spain)
- STHLM DANS (Sweden)
- International Dance Theatre Festival in Lublin (Poland)
- Julidans (The Netherlands)
- Albania Dance Meeting (Albania)
- Dance Week Festival (Croatia)
- Dance Fest Skopje (North Macedonia)
- Iridescent Festival (Romania)
- Reykjavik Dance Festival (Iceland)
- STL (Estonia)
- International Dance Festival Tanec Praha (The Czech Republic)
- CODA Oslo International Dance Festival (Norway)
- New Baltic Dance (Lithuania), Tanz im August (Germany)
- Funding Strand
- Cooperation Projects (Large)
- Year Funded
- 2024
- Funding Amount
- €200,000
The Visiting Artist Programme is one of the projects that form part of Dance Festivals Network Europe, a coalition of European dance festivals dedicated to advancing contemporary dance’s role in building a sustainable, inclusive and innovative future.
VAP - Visiting Artists Programme, funded in 2024 and running for 2 years from 2025 to 2027, this project has 23 partners in 22 countries across Europe plus 6 associate and collaborating partners and is one of Europe’s largest initiatives.
VAP aims to create possibilities for dance artists starting to tour internationally to better understand festivals and contexts for making and presenting work. VAP partner festivals will host 19 encounters, stimulating artistic development and creative exchange, and offering valuable networking opportunities.
The project also prioritises the integration of Ukrainian artists as well as artists with a disability in collaboration with the project’s Associate Partner, Europe Beyond Access.
Another key focus of the project is working towards greener touring with extra travel support offered to artists engaging with slow travel.
Actions
- The Artists: Over the course of the two-year project, early and mid-career artists will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the vibrant atmosphere of Europe’s top dance festivals, with access to performances, masterclasses, discussions, and networking sessions.
- Encounters: Visiting Artist Programme encounters are hosted by leading contemporary dance festivals across Europe, offering participants dynamic and inspiring programmes that spark creative exchange and artistic development.
‘Dublin Dance Festival is delighted to be the Irish partner on VAP which is a vital artist development project offering artists the chance to connect with a wide range of vibrant European dance festivals, meet local artists, and engage in meaningful discussions with peers and promoters. We witnessed the immense value of the programme when Dublin Dance Festival hosted six artists during the 2025 festival. The encounter created powerful moments of connection, inspiration, and exchanges for the international artists as well as for local dance artists. Through the festival’s participation, seven Irish dance artists visited six partner festivals: Torinodanza Festival, Italy; Julidans, The Netherlands; Dance Umbrella, UK; Sismògraf, Catalonia – Spain; Tanec Praha, The Czech Republic; Biennale de Lyon, France.’ Dublin Dance Festival (International Dance Festival of Ireland)
Irish Partner | Dublin Dance Festival
Working locally, nationally, internationally and virtually, Dublin Dance Festival acts as a vital interchange between contemporary dance artists and audiences; creating and sharing extraordinary dance experiences, generating opportunities for artists and deepening engagement with Dance in Ireland. DDF actively seeks-out, establishes and evolves collaborations with like-minded organisations, venues and strategic partners to create opportunities year-round for audiences and artists, exploring new models for producing and touring dance.