Open call for dancers for the M.A.D. (Music and Dance)

Dance residency 17th – 28th June 2022

Photo by Joe Smith

The Malta International Arts Festival (MIAF) is looking for 5 dancers and one understudy to participate in a ten-day choreographic lab/dance residency, to research, learn, train, collaborate, and perform, working with an established dance artist. This residency will culminate into three short choreographic works created for three piano works. The performance will be premiered at the 3rd Edition of M.A.D. (Music and Dance) platform to live music under the umbrella of the Malta International Arts Festival on the 28th of June 2022.

Dancers will be selected through an audition process. The selected applicants will have the opportunity to be part of a working creative group, widen their abilities and vision guided by Dance Artists Dymtro Grynov (Ukraine/Berlin) and Sarah Vella (Malta).

Applicants must have good technique in both classical ballet and contemporary dance with a sound knowledge of improvisational skills. Applicants must have an open-mindedness as well as being able to contribute to the creative process during the choreographic lab/residency.

Venue for residency: Valletta Campus Theatre, St. Christopher Street, Valletta.

Performance fee: 500 Euro

Dates of Residency: 17th – 28th June 2022

Performance Date on Main Stage: 28th June 2022

Hours of Residency: 09.00 – 18.00

Audition Date: 14th May 2022 (by invitation only through application)

Time of Audition: 9.30am - 12.00pm

Audition Venue: Moveo Dance Studios 112, Triq Nazju Ellul Street, Gzira

Deadline for application: 30th April 2022 (12.00pm - noon)

Application to be sent to: martina.a.bonello@festivals.mt / Francescatranter@gmail.com

Residency working period: 17th June to 28th June 2022

Commitment to hours of residency to be set between 9.00 – 18.00hrs (to be split at the discretion of the guest choreographers)

Performance date: 28th June 2022

Performing venue: MIAF Main Stage

Audition fee: None

Residency fee: None

MALTA BASED DANCE Applicants (18+) must send an e-mail to festival manager Martina Bonello (martina.a.bonello@festivals.mt ), cc francescatranter@gmail.com citing ‘Dance residency - 3rd Edition M.A.D. (Music and Dance)’ in the subject line, including the following information:

1. Full body photo

2. CV outline

3. Video link of footage dancing (maximum of three links per person not longer than one minute each)

Only applicants who are committed to the whole duration of the residency and performance need apply. An agreement between the two parties will be signed. MIAF will offer a remuneration fee of €500 (Five Hundred Euros), plus two complimentary tickets to M.A.D. and two complimentary tickets to any other performance of choice within the festival programme. MIAF will also issue signed certification of participation of residency and performance.

Dmytro Grynov is a freelance dance artist, teacher and choreographer, who was born and

grew up in Ukraine and currently is living and creating work in Berlin, Germany. He has

performed in numerous projects both in theater and film productions across the globe,

working with a wide range of dance companies and independent freelance artists,

developing his own movement methodology “Free limits” and choreographing across the

board. Most prominent collaborations were with companies such as Sasha Waltz & Guests, Unusual symptoms, Bodytalk, X Filme, SKY Television, Every Friday, Lunapark, Grace Euna

Kim amongst others. Also he is proud of collaboration with freelance choreographers and former dancers from companies such as Batsheva dance company, Göteborgsoperans Danskompani and Ultima Vez.

Dmytro has taught his “Free limits” practice in various amount of professional dance institutions across the Europe such as Tanzraum Wedding, Dock 11, Tanzfabrik, Cie Toula Limnaouis (Berlin, Germany); K3 Tanzplan (Hamburg, Germany), Tanz Netwerk (Bremen, Germany), 4 für tanz (Leipzig, Germany), CMC Floorwork (Bari, Italy), Caro dance theater (Siedlce, Poland), Aura dance theater (Kaunas, Lithuania); Zahadance, Academy of Visual arts, Laboratoriya teatra (Kharkiv, Ukraine); Teploobmen, Metamorphosis, Procontemporary (Kyiv, Ukraine); Proaction (Dnipro, Ukraine). Currently Dmytro is successfully teaching his practice in the various professional dance companies and educational dance institutions in

Germany and across Europe. “Free limits” is a guided structured improvisation class which is based on the philosophy that every single person has some restrictions in their own body and how we can create and use our own movement in order to be powerful, efficient and artistically creative in the most organic and efficient way overcoming our limits that are set or already exist in the body and

mind. Class is very physical and demanding from the point of movements, qualities, creativity and challenges which students have to face. It teaches to feel and perceive movement differently, to move more powerful and efficiently in space, to incorporate less usage of energy and most importantly - teach how to enjoy and find yourself in a variety of dance techniques and movements.

“Free limits” is 100% of joy, 90% of working with limits, 80% of creativity, 70% of active body training, 60% of floorwork, 50% of challenges, 40% of energy connectivity, 30% of partnering, 20% of spiritual practice, 10% of personal judgment, 0% of failure.

Photo by Josef Degabriele

Sarah Vella (1987) is a Maltese dance artist and practitioner based in Berlin. She has completed her Bsc. (Hons.) in Speech and Language Therapy (University of Malta), her Diploma in Dance Studies (Laban Conservatoire of Dance) and her Dance/movement therapy education (Tanztherapie Zentrum Berlin). Sarah’s artistic practice spans from creating her own work, performing for others to collaborative creations. To date, she’s been involved in several projects for stage, film, opera, fashion and site specific works as a dancer/choreographer. She has also developed multidisciplinary works in collaboration with dancers, visual artists and musicians.

She has produced works that toured Malta, England, Italy, Norway and Germany. As an artist, she is very interested in exploring authenticity on stage and genuinity in improvisation and throughout the creative process. As a dance/movement therapist, Sarah organises various community workshops/projects for different age groups and settings and is invited to teach in various educational institutions. Sarah continues to work as a freelance dance artist and therapist in Berlin, Malta and abroad.