Rosina Bonsu Bursary 2026
with The Work Room and Project X
Rosina Bonsu Bursary 2026
The Work Room & Project X
Deadline: Monday 16 March, Midnight
In honour of Rosina Bonsu and her incredible influence on Scotland’s dance scene, Project X and The Work Room are partnering to deliver a third Rosina Bonsu Bursary Award, to support a Scotland based choreographer/dance artist from the African/Caribbean diaspora.
Rosina was an inspiring dance artist, choreographer, and educator who generously nurtured and encouraged dance artists of all ages throughout her career. You can read a tribute to her written by The Work Room here.
The bursary will provide a choreographer/ dance artist at a critical stage of their career with paid, flexible time & financial support, enabling them to refresh and develop their practice and instigate their own creative project.
The bursary award will begin in May 2026 and run until October 2026. The artists time will be worked flexibility within this period, to accommodate other work or personal commitments. For example, it could be delivered 1 or 2 days a week, in intensive blocks, or equivalent. You will be trusted to manage your own time across the bursary period.
Reflecting the breadth of Rosina’s practice, we are interested in hearing from dance artists who work across different contexts; including:
- community & socially engaged projects
- digital or screen-dance
- performance for stage or in public spaces
As part of the bursary, the awarded artist will be supported to find a suitable way to share learning or practice from their project with their wider community, such as via participatory workshops, a research presentation, screening or work-in-progress sharing.
The bursary is not a commission to develop or present a finished work or public outcome.
The Details
- An artist fee of £6000 (based on 1-2 days per week/ up to 30 days of the artists time over the 6 month period)
- A project budget of £1500 towards the costs of developing your own creative project with collaborators
- Up to 2 weeks of studio time in The Work Room studio between July – September 2026 (dates subject to availability)
- A funded research trip to Let’s Dance International Frontiers in Leicester, UK (6 – 8 May 2026)
- A professional development budget of £200 to access additional training and development opportunities.
- Opportunity to connect with both TWR & Project X’s programmes and artist cohorts
Alongside the financial support, you will have access to the teams from Project X and The Work Room, bringing their experience, networks and connections within dance and the performing arts, to support you in developing your project.
Key Dates
- Deadline to apply: Mon 16 March 2026
- Applicants notified of outcome: Fri 10 April 2026
- Projects can begin from May 2026
- Let’s Dance International Frontiers festival (5 – 8 May 2026)
- July – September – optional 2 weeks studio time
- Activity to conclude by October 2026
Eligibility
This Bursary is for dance artists* who identify as Black and/or have heritage from the African or Caribbean diaspora (including mixed heritage) and are based in Scotland.
The bursary is aimed at supporting an artist at a transitional point in their practice, which might mean a move from early-mid career, a shift into a new professional or artistic context, returning to, or reorganising practice around new life circumstances or the opportunity to deepen practice or collaborations over a sustained period of time.
*We welcome applications from artists working in all areas of dance including but not limited to, choreography, performance, community and teaching practice and may have come through a range of different training routes. All dance styles are welcome.
What We Are Looking For
- You have a creative idea or enquiry that is important to you at this time, and are looking for support to take this forward
- You can demonstrate initiating and leading your own creative projects or practice
- You have a distinctive dance practice in whatever form you work, regardless of the stage of career or the opportunities you have had until now
Please note: Those in full time education are not eligible for this opportunity.
Access
The Work Room & Project X use the social model of disability recognising that some people experience disabling barriers. We are committed to supporting access requirements that a disabled person may have to undertake this bursary. If you have any questions about the role or would prefer this information in an alternative format, please contact us directly on hello@theworkroom.org.uk.
How To Apply
We accept written, video or audio applications.
A word document with the questions is available to download here.
You can fill in this document, or send your own document with the questions and answers.
Applications and supporting material should be sent to hello@theworkroom.org.uk with email subject heading as ‘Rosina Bonsu Bursary 2026’ by the end of the day on Monday 16 March 2026 23:59.
Application Questions
- Tell us more about yourself (approx 200-300 words or 2-3 minutes video/audio).
Please tell us about yourself, this could be a biography, artist statement or a description of your dance practice - What is the idea or project you’d like to develop through a bursary? (approx 300-500 words or 3-5 mins video)
Please include some thoughts on how you’d like to spend your time - artistically and/or practically - Why is this idea or project important to you at this moment in your practice? (approx 300-500 words or 3-5 mins video) How might it contribute to your wider practice and/or future plans?
Supporting Materials
Please send these along with your answers to the application questions.
- CV or an equivalent example of your dance background.
(You can include link to website, YouTube channel or other online links (social media of your work) if you have them) - Images or videos of your work. You can send us material for up to 4 different projects. We suggest around 5 photos or a short video (1 – 5 mins) max per project. (Please note, if you’re sharing longer videos, tell us which 5 mins you would like us to watch, for fairness of application)
Resource
Here is a link of how you could make a video application.
Have any questions that aren’t answered above or having issues with submitting your application? Contact us at hello@theworkroom.org.uk
