VICTORIA, B.C. – Western Canada’s richest dance prize for international collaboration, the Chrystal Dance Prize - Projects, is accepting expressions of interest from dance artists, companies and collectives for 2023/24. The Chrystal Dance Prize - Projects supports exceptional dance research and/or creation between a Western Canadian dance artist, collectives or companies and an international dance artist(s), interpreter, or choreographer. Dance Victoria will award $56,000 in the Chrystal Dance Prize - Projects category. The prize money may be allocated across multiple projects or can be awarded for a single project.

Fast Facts About the Chrystal Dance Prize - Projects

• Expressions of interest are accepted from September 15 until October 14, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time.
• The Chrystal Dance Prize is generated from a bequest made by Dance Victoria patron, Dr. Betty “Chrystal” Kleiman, to the Victoria Foundation.
• Dance artists, companies and/or collectives applying for the prize must live or be headquartered in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon or Northwest Territories.
• The prize supports collaborative projects that involve a Canadian artist(s) working with another dance artist (choreographer or interpreter) outside of Canada.
• The prize is open to any dance artist that is active in the professional dance milieu, has worked with a range of dance artists or companies and has a history of dance creation, and is applying as an independent dance artist or member of a small collective or established dance company. Companies and collectives submitting proposals must also have a history of creating work and public presentation/performance.
• A committee of dance professionals is assembled each year to select the recipients.
• The prize recipient(s) may also have the opportunity for a two-week residency at Dance Victoria Studios.

Learn more about the two-step application process on DanceVictoria.com. Questions can be directed to Gillian Jones or by calling 250-595-1829.

Dance Victoria encourages artists from diverse communities to apply for the Chrystal Dance Prize. We welcome applications from persons of colour, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, persons of all sexual orientations and genders, and others who may contribute to the further diversification and advancement of dance in our community.

PLEASE NOTE: The Chrystal Dance Prize – Projects panel consists of Dance Victoria’s Executive Director (ED), one Board member, and two independent and external community members. In our small Victoria dance community, it is reasonable that an applicant will be connected to Dance Victoria as a staff member, studio access or artist residency participant, or similar. The panel will accept these applications and review them with equal criteria. In the case of a staff member or other direct conflict of interest, the ED will not score the application and only the external panel members scores will be considered.

The panel may elect not to award a prize in a given year if the projects submitted are not considered exceptional or ready for support. If the panel does not support any projects in a given year, the Chrystal Dance Prize funds will be re-invested for allocation in future years.

Applications for the Chrystal Dance Prize – Training for emerging dance artists completing their training at recognized international dance institutions will open in March 2024 on DanceVictoria.com.

About Dance Victoria

Dance Victoria brings the World’s Best Dance to the Royal Theatre and supports the development of new dance for the international stage from its studios in Quadra Village. As a non-profit charitable society, Dance Victoria operates with the mission to promote the appreciation of dance by developing and presenting diverse local, Canadian, and international artists, and by engaging the community in the celebration of dance. Dance Victoria is situated on the traditional territories of the Lekwungen speaking people of the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations, whose people have lived and danced on this land for thousands of years. DanceVictoria.com

Media Contact

Gillian Jones, Executive Director
gillian@dancevictoria.com
250-595-1829

Downloadable PDF media release here.