What does it mean to be a young cultural worker, curator, producer, choreographer, or emerging artist, operating in rural and peripheral areas today?

How can we open up new spaces, opportunities, and forms of empowerment for those who choose to work in the contemporary dance field outside of metropolitan centres?

The Atelier - hosted by Oriente Occidente in Rovereto - will create a shared space for exchanging experiences, addressing challenges, and experimenting with new approaches to working both locally and transnationally.

Co-designed by a group of young professionals from EDN member organisations, the programme combines discussions, workshops, and embodied practices, inviting participants to reflect together while learning from each other.

At the heart of the Atelier are four thematic focus areas that respond to some of the pressing needs of young cultural workers in rural contexts:

• Building alliances between artists and institutions, grounded in trust and reciprocity.
• Finding a common language to communicate artistic practices across different contexts, from funders to communities.
• Engaging local communities as active partners and sources of inspiration for artistic research.
• Creating and maintaining peer networks, locally and internationally, to foster solidarity and growth.

By balancing structured moments with open conversational spaces, the Atelier aims to slow down the fast pace of cultural work and make room for listening, exchange, and collective imagination. Together, we will explore how to deeply root our practices in local realities while remaining open to global connections.

Programme

Who is it for?

This Atelier is created with and for young professionals in dance. We especially welcome curators, choreographers, producers, and artists at the beginning of their careers. EDN members: please share this call with your young colleagues and artists, and encourage their participation.

EDN travel support

EDN offers travel support for a limited number of participants from the network’s YOUNG working group, EDN member organisations and their associated freelance communities.

The travel reimbursement cannot exceed the maximum travel contribution amount, as calculated here, and includes 2 per diems at 40€ per day. EDN can book and cover up to 2 nights of accommodation for up to 7 participants.

A participation fee of 150€ will be invoiced to the participant or their organisation. If cancellation occurs less than seven days prior to the activity, the participation fee will not be refunded.

Travel support can include a top-up from EDN's Green Travel Programme to cover additional costs of slow or low-impact travel.

To offset additional access needs, participants can apply for a top-up from EDN's Accessibility Travel Programme.

Registrations are open

Register by 10 October 2025 by filling out the form below:

Selection criteria

In cases where the number of applications exceeds the available travel support, allocation will be based on the following criteria, in order of priority:

• Even participation frequency among EDN member organisations.
• Balanced regional or geographical representation of participants.
• A limit of one support allocation per member organisation.

How to participate without EDN travel support

You can join the Atelier without receiving EDN’s travel support. Check On-the-Move Mobility Funding Guides and individual mobility calls from Culture Moves Europe to help fund your trip.

Contact

For any questions concerning the Atelier, reach out to Lucrezia Ponzano at lucrezia[at]ednetwork.eu

Attribution

This EDN Atelier is made possible by Embodied Transformations, EDN’s EU-funded network project. It connects contemporary dance professionals, organisations, and communities across Europe to foster a transformative and interdependent dance ecosystem.