Artists Announced: BEYOND 2024 Summer Award
BEYOND SUMMER AWARD 2024
The Work Room is pleased to announce the next member-led project awarded seed funding from BEYOND in the 2024 funding cycle.
In June, we held the second awards draw of BEYOND in the 2024 funding cycle, to select a recipient of the BEYOND Summer Award 2024.
Beyond is a seed funding initiative, that aims to nurture, support and kick start artist-led projects and practices that take dance beyond the studio to connect more people to dance, while fostering collaboration and artistic community within TWR membership.
Piloting a first round in 2018, Beyond was relaunched in May 2022 following a period of consultation with a working group of members, to redesign the fund and experiment with different processes of decision-making, adopting a random selection process for awarding funds. BEYOND is now in its third round of seed funding funding.
The Beyond Summer Award 2024 was made following a peer review process by members Esther Sunija Binu and Kirstin Halliday, who checked the EOIs against the fund’s eligibility criteria, shared some responses and thoughts on the proposals to support their onward journey, and witnessed the random selection process to confirm its legitimacy.
We are happy to announce the project selected in this round is ‘An Introduction to Stimprovisation’ by Dr Aby Watson & Anne Kjær
Through this project, neurodivergent choreographers Dr Aby Watson and Anne Kjær will pilot a workshop model to introduce participants to Stimprovisation. Stimprovisation is a practice of sensory-seeking improvisation, discovered and coined by Dr Aby during her doctoral research. Stimprovisation draws on 'stimming' - repetitive movements, behaviours, and/or vocalisations to self-soothe, regulate, or stimulate to bring oneself into balance. Developed as a somatic practice for neurodivergent people, Stimprovisation acts to liberate neurodivergent embodiments through a choreographic practice of ‘unmasking’.
With support from BEYOND, Aby and Anne will collaborate as both peers and mentor/mentee, to plan, facilitate and evaluate a day-long outdoor Stimprovisation workshop for neurodivergent-identifying participants. This pilot project is research for establishing further collaboration and building a local community of neurodivergent sensory seekers through sharing practice.
'An Introduction to Stimprovisation' workshop will take place in Glasgow at a location TBA! Keep an eye on our website and socials for tickets going on sale soon, or email producer@theworkroom.org.uk to sign up for access to first release tickets!
As ever, we are grateful to all our members who took the time and creativity to share an idea in their EOI for Beyond and participate in the selection process. Projects not selected in the Summer Draw will have the opportunity to be entered into the Autumn Awards draw.
BEYOND 2024 AWARDEES
- Spring 2024 Award – Orcadian Dances by Stephanie Hellewell Baird & Penny Chivas
- Summer 2024 Award – An Introduction to Stimprovisation by Dr Aby Watson & Anne Kjær
- Autumn 2024 Award -Open to Submissions Apply on or before 29 August 2024
- Winter 2024 Award - Open to Submissions Apply on or before 28 November 2024
You can view more information about all projects and artists previously awarded BEYOND Seed Funding, in the BEYOND Project Archive