Dance Canvas welcomes choreographers to apply for our signature program, the 2025-26 Choreographer Career Development Initiative. This season, we are continuing to ask choreographers to create work with innovation at the heart of it! We are seeking proposals rooted in story telling and experimentation. We are interested in you unique perspective, voice and approach to storytelling through movement. 

Click Here for Application; DEADLINE is August 20th by 11:59pm

Dance Canvas will select up to 10 emerging choreographers to be part of the Choreographer Career Development Initiative. Choreographers will spend 6 months conceiving, workshopping concepts, and receiving feedback/mentorship with the end goal of presentation in our performance series. We encourage choreographers from all genres of dance to consider applying. In the past, we have presented ballet, modern, jazz, hip hop, aerial, and tap choreographers, as well as multimedia and dance filmmakers.

We define “emerging professional” as:

– Artists with at least 3 years of professional experience/credentials in the dance industry (*If applicant does not have professional experience, we encourage you to refer to our summer choreographic internship program. )

– Less than 10 years of experience choreographing for professional companies

– An artistic transition for an experienced choreographer (*ie. An experienced Hip Hop choreographer, transitioning to dance filmmaker)

– A new dance company or collaborative

– An established dance company that is supporting the work of a resident emerging choreographer

Emerging Professional applicants must be at least 18 years old, and not currently enrolled in an undergraduate college, university or conservatory program (*Exceptions: Kennesaw State University, Emory University, Spelman College or Georgia Tech student choreographers should contact their department heads for more information on our collegiate partnership opportunities). Graduate/Doctoral candidates can apply.

All selected Dance Canvas Choreographers will create, incubate, receive feedback and present their choreography to Atlanta Audiences. Our choreographers will also be invited to workshops, roundtable discussions, and seminars to develop their careers and build professional networks. 

Selected choreographers will receive:

- Up to 10-minute submission slot in Performance Series Rialto Center for the Arts; a 800 seat state-of-the-art theater

- 30 minutes of tech rehearsal time in theater

- Full dress rehearsal in theater

- Up to 15 hours of free/discounted studio rehearsal space (at sponsoring studios)

- Professional video copy of choreography

- Access to database of professional dancers

- Access to performance photos (of the presented work); Photos by Richard Calmes

- Audition for professional dancers arranged by Dance Canvas

- Contact/Resource list

- Online, E-mail, Print and Broadcast promotion

- Networking opportunities

(* More choreographer benefits added regularly!)

Please review the guidelines here.

Participant tuition for this program is $150.

If you have questions, please email admin@dancecanvas.com