Working conditions

From mobility to best practices in international touring, from working with (infra)structures to sustainable career paths - EDN and its members question, discuss and debate the working conditions of artists and dance professionals

Professional working conditions are a central topic for EDN. As the network focuses on strengthening professional practice throughout Europe, members collect data and share knowledge and practices about the way artists and other professionals work in Europe and beyond.

Within the dance ecosystem, professional practices are often precarious. The contemporary dance sector is characterised by a high mobility of its professionals, most notably of the dancers and choreographers - but not only.

The "festivalization" of practices has also been questioned by EDN. How to provide structure to a fragmented ecosystem? For more reflections on this point, have a look at the content provided in the theme "The Ecosystem"

Working conditions

EDN and its members have shared knowledge and best practices on this topic over the course of the past five years. Here is a short overview.

Who am I?

In December 2015, Dance Ireland hosted an Atelier as an exploration of how artistic identity is maintained in a nomadic life.

During two days, the Atelier hosted by Dance Ireland focused on the professional dance practitioner informing by questions around identity, mobility and migration. The aim was to explore, from different perspectives, how the identity of the artists is constructed and maintained in a climate where mobility is necessary for the creative process and the professional practice. Find out more about this Atelier here.

Dissemination and Creation

In February 2016, Dance House Helsinki hosted an Atelier questioning the best practices of international cooperation.

Organized at Cable Factory, it focused on the sharing of best practices of international co-operation from the viewpoint of creation and dissemination. The main question was: what are the current and future strategies and models of co-production to best support artistic creation and its international dissemination and touring? Find out more about Dissemination and Creation here.

Working together transnationally

K3 Tanzplan Hamburg organised a larger Atelier in March 2017 to discussion Structures, Conditions and Artistic Practices.

The Atelier organised by K3 Hamburg discussed and practiced different models of solidarity within and between production structures and artists, investigated possible media of collaboration and explored choreographic forms of collaboration. This Atelier was documented here.

Artists and Structures

Mercat de les Flores hosted a two-day Atelier in February 2017 entitled "Artists and structures: how do we transform ourselves?"

Taking place over two days, the event organised by EDN, Mercat de les Flors and Graner probed the relationship between dance artists and the institutions that support them. Participants were a mixture of artists, arts administrators, curators and directors from Spain and beyond.

DRAFF, living archive of performance making, reported on the Atelier. More about Artists and Structures here.

Sustainable practices - redesigned atelier

In June 2020, Dansmakers Amsterdam aims to contribute to the building of sustainable artistic practices by collaborating with EDN on the Online Atelier - How to communicate (about) your work online.

The current Corona pandemic has driven artists to connect and communicate online even more than before. With climate change in mind and less traveling, we can continue to benefit from the digital age after these times. This online atelier offers a hands-on toolbox with new perspectives on online communication and creation.

More information here.