Each choreographer receives up to 45 hours of free rehearsal space (including up to 10 hours of rehearsal on stage), administered through Mare Nostrum Elements’ partnerships with the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center (LPAC), American Tap Dance Foundation, and other sponsoring and venues.

Participants receive consultations, workshops, and hands-on advice from working professionals on staging, directing, writing, costumes, lighting, arts administration, and finance. Each choreographer is assigned a personal mentor, an established professional of their choice (not guaranteed), to support them in the creation process. Mentors are compensated by MNE. Once the rehearsal process starts, participants meet every Sunday to brainstorm with peers and share feedback on their works in-progress. Three weeks before the show, participants present their works in-progress to a panel of established choreographers who provide feedback and suggestions.

Each choreographer is allotted a modest choreographer fee of at least $1,000, half of which is paid at the beginning of the program. Performers are paid $15/hr for rehearsals (up to 45 hours) along with an additional stipend of $250 paid at the beginning of the program for tech, dress, performances, and feedback showings. MNE encourages and will provide logistical help for individual fundraisers to raise money for additional collaborators and cover production expenses.

The ECS Program culminates in two-fully produced performances at LaGuardia Performing Arts Center (LaGuardia Community College-CUNY) complete with full dress rehearsal and tech. All pieces will be presented as a world premiere. This year the performance format is TBD and might be virtual or align with COVID-19 guidelines at the time of performance.

The choreographers selected for ECS are brought into the program as a group and are expected to support each other along this choreographic journey. They meet every Sunday for consultations, check-ins, and feedback sessions. Additionally, ECS brings in panelists to view their work in hopes some may be selected for future opportunities. Choreographers are encouraged to build relationships with the consultants and panelists.

Post-program, all participants are invited to join ECS Forward, a platform for alumni choreographers of the Emerging Choreographer Series that aims to facilitate mutual support, feedback and networking beyond the ECS program. Activities may include: marketing & promotional support, networking & social events, studio showings and feedback showings, peer circles, participation in the selection process for new ECS choreographers, and more as desired by Alumni Choreographers. In the past, several choreographers have been selected by our community partners to perform at their venues and festivals such as NuVu Dance Festival, the International Human Rights Arts Festival, Cuny Dance Initiative, Current Sessions, IDaCo nyc, Green Space Bloom Festival, Fini Dance NYC, the Neighborhood Playhouse, and more.

1. $1000 compensation provided to choreographers ($500 paid at the beginning of the program).

2. $15-per-rehearsal hour compensation provided to all dancers and $250-minimum pay, dispersed at the beginning of the program for tech, dress, performance, and feedback showings.

3. Up to 45 hours of rehearsals between designated venues and stage-time.

4. Tech and dress rehearsal at LPAC with full crew and lighting.

5. TWO fully produced performances in the Little Theater at LPAC (220 Seats)*.

6. Professional lighting designer and tech crew, stage manager, ushers, and box office staff*.

7. Mid-term work-in-progress feedback from a panel of established choreographers.

8. Up to 12 development and production consultations with industry professionals.

9. Weekly meetings for brainstorming and feedback sessions with peers.

10. Guidance, marketing, and logistical help throughout the process.

11. Up to FIVE high-resolution photos of the final performance.

12. Unedited professional wide-angle, one-shot video of the performance.

13. One-on-one mentoring with choreographer-selected and MNE-compensated, experienced industry professionals.

14. Networking opportunities with leading industry professionals.

15. Invitation to join ECS Forward - a community of choreographers part of the ECS alumni network.

*details due to COVID-19 guidelines to be confirmed and subject to change.

1. Commitment: ECS is an intensive program that requires choreographers to attend weekly meetings as well as mandatory orientations, tech & dress rehearsals, feedback showings, and performances.

Choreographers are expected to be available for ALL dates and prioritize ECS. A detailed timeline is provided below.

2. Create a new work, fully ready for stage performance, with a duration of no-longer than 10-minutes.

3. Announce your participation in the program and advertise the process and performances by posting pictures, videos, and comments on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and/or other social media platforms.

4. Participate in a 3-day takeover on MNE and LPAC’s FB and IG accounts (guidance and support provided).

5. Guarantee at least 10 audience members’ presence at the performances.

6. Collect dancer-availability and make a rehearsal schedule (MNE will assist and book space).

7. Provide weekly dancer timesheet using MNE provided form.

8. Provide requested deliverables on-time such as artist statements, marketing materials, final music tracks, piece descriptions, cast list, dancer bios and headshots, rehearsal schedule, etc.

9. Respond to time-sensitive emails within 24-hours, and in general no later than 72-hours.

10. Follow guidelines and rules at all venues connected to the ECS.

11. Arrive at least 15 minutes before scheduled rehearsals and ECS commitments.

12. Credit MNE and the ECS in all future advertising material when performing the piece created during ECS.

13. Assume all risks and responsibilities for property and personal wellbeing, as well as that of dancers/personal guests while inside all ECS venues. MNE and the venues are not liable for lost or stolen property, or incurred damage or injury.

14. Be responsible for dancer’s professionalism and behavior during ECS commitments.

15. Limit props to small items that the choreographer is able to transport to each rehearsal & commitment.

MNE will not be able to offer storage space during the program.

● ECS pieces must be a new work proposal. Works that have been in-process, already-performed live or virtually, or that are scheduled to be performed before April 27th, 2022 will not be considered. New work may be an excerpt or a condensed version of a longer work as long as the sequence for ECS stands alone.

● We ONLY support stage-ready work. Dance film or media projects will not be considered.

● New work proposal length should not exceed 10 minutes.

● Committing fully to all ECS program elements is incredibly important for the success of each choreographer and the group. This includes orientations, Sunday choreographer meetings, peer feedback showings, rehearsals, workshops & professional development meetings, tech days, dress rehearsals, performance dates, etc. Participants unable to fully commit will not be considered.

● Selected participants will need access to the internet, GoogleDrive, and their own laptop or device to access Zoom meetings.

● Applicants must be residents of New York City, living in one of the five boroughs.

● Applicants must not be enrolled in any degree-granting colleges or programs while taking part in ECS.

The goal of ECS is to encourage the development of ideas from the very early stages of the process. Choreographers are not selected based on pre-existing work but on their vision and potential. Priority will be given to works that represent a personal or artistic challenge, an experimental/original style, and/or a current/controversial topic or theme. The Selecting Committee will include professionals in the dance field, MNE staff, and ECS Alumni.

The ECS Choreographer Application process consists of 2 rounds:

Round 1- Written Application & Short Video Submission Participants will be required to complete a written application (Google Form) including personal information, short answer questions, and a new work proposal. Participants must also provide a link to a video with no edits created specifically for the ECS application showcasing their choreography style. See video submission guidelines below.

Round 2 - Zoom Interviews & Sharing Your Proposed Work Twelve to fifteen finalists selected from Round 1 will be invited to a Zoom Interview with the ECS selecting panel. During this time, applicants will be asked to share the description of the piece they intend to develop through the ECS program, show a sample movement sequence in real-time no longer than one minute, and answer questions about their proposal & application. This Zoom interview will be about twenty minutes. Each choreographer will also receive feedback from members of the selecting panel during this time.

The goal of the Emerging Choreographer Series is to have each participant become fully prepared and equipped to choreograph and bring their original work to the stage. Selected choreographers will be expected to learn and to execute the many aspects of self-producing in NYC. Participants will be required to cast and manage their dancers, plan and schedule rehearsal, provide props and costumes, submit material and paperwork for their group, advertise the event, as well as complete all related assignments and responsibilities.

For ECS 2022, Nicola Iervasi (ECS Program Director) and Kevin Albert (Dramaturg) will be joined by outside consultants offering their expertise in basic proposal writing, music/sound design and editing, costume and makeup, lighting, marketing and other valuable topics & tools. All consultations will include practical hands-on assignments and tools geared toward the development of choreographers' new works for the ECS.

ECS 2022 Consultants: *subject to change

Nicola Iervasi (MNE Artistic Executive Director) Scheduling and Administration Kevin Albert (MNE Director/Dramaturg) Dramaturgy and Staging Chris Eleftheriades (MNE Operations Manager) Self-producing Rohan Bhargava (MNE Marketing Coordinator) Marketing & Social Media Promotion Amy Harrison (Former Executive Director Rioult Dance NY) Writing Ashley Browne (Freelance Finance Consultant) Budgets and Financial Practices Quentin Chiappetta (owner Medianoise) Music and Sound for Dance Kimberly Matela (Costume Designer) Costume Christopher Weston (Light Designer) Lighting

● Applicants are asked to create a one-shot, unedited, presentation and work sample video. The video must be made specifically for ECS and must not exceed 1 minute of length. The video must include a quick introduction with the choreographer's name & pronouns, the working title of their proposed new work, and a demonstration of 30 to 45 seconds of new movement material related to the proposal danced by the choreographer (only) even if he envisions a group piece or not planning to dance. Video taken at home, in a studio, outdoors, with a phone, or with a camera, etc. will be accepted. Please no costumes or props at this time unless they are crucial to the proposal.

● We are not interested in seeing rehearsal footage, previous performances, dance reels or group work. The video sample is meant to give an idea of the proposed work and to see how the choreographer translates the proposal from words to movement—ideally, a short phrase that showcases the movement vocabulary envisioned for the new work.

● We accept video links via YouTube or Vimeo ONLY Link must be public or protected by a password that shall be provided to us and easily accessible by all selecting committee members. We will not be able to accept videos via email, websites or social media platforms.