2025 nys choreographers initiative

The NYS Choreographers Initiative (NYSCI) is a program of the NYS DanceForce in partnership with the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA). NYSCI is designed to help individual choreographers, in all genres, develop their choreographic skills by providing them with resources that are generally unavailable or unaffordable. These resources include a $2,500 stipend, a minimum of 20 hours of creative time with professional dancers, and the guidance of a mentor of their choice.

This is an opportunity for experimentation. It is not to be used for preparing for a specific production or tour, incorporating new dancers into old repertoire, or finishing a work in progress. Each project is a choreographic lab, designed to fit the specific needs of each artist.

Who We Are Looking For

The goal of the NYS Choreographers Initiative is to develop and support choreographic talent in the WNY, Central NY, Capital District/North County and Hudson Valley/Long Island regions of New York State. Applicants must show evidence of commitment to producing original choreography, in any dance genre. Video samples are critical for determining artistic excellence and should include work that is less than 4 years old. (The application will include instructions for submitting video samples.) This is an opportunity for individual artists, not collectives or organizations.

Applicants will be evaluated on:

• Artistic Commitment to a Choreographic Process
• Project Clarity & Choice of Mentor
• Potential Impact on the Artist’s Development

Preference is given to those applicants who:

• have produced at least one full evening of work or three or more shared bills within the past five years
• select a mentor who is a New York State resident

Project Period: April 15 – December 31, 2025