SPRINGBOARD DANSE
Often referred to as our "summer project," Springboard Danse is our flagship program.
120 dancers, 10 Principal Companies, 5 Emerging Choreographers, 1 Resident Choreographer, and 1 Fellow gather from around the world for 3 weeks: to collaborate and connect through workshops, classes, creations, the re-staging of celebrated repertory, international auditions, installations, and pop-up performances.
Springboard Danse is moving to Pittsburgh, PA in Summer of 2025!
Thanks to the visionary commitment of Garfield Lemonius, Dean & Artistic Director of the Conservatory of Performing Arts at Point Park University, with the support of Managing and Artistic Director of the Pittsburgh Playhouse Kiesha Lalama, our three-week summer project has a new home. Point Park University has generously welcomed our organization and extended the invaluable gift of their state-of-the-art facilities, which will host our ecosystem of international artists as they engage in daily classes, creative processes, repertory rehearsals, auditions, and multiple showings. We are profoundly grateful for this collaboration, as well as the support from Pittsburgh Mayor, Ed Gainey, and CEO & President of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnerships, Jeremy Waldrup. We also wish to acknowledge Ahmad Simmons, Point Park University graduate ‘10, Springboard Alumnus, Broadway Veteran, and Friends of Springboard Board Member, for generously introducing Springboard Danse Founder and Artistic Director Alexandra Wells and Garfield Lemonius in May 2023, and without whom none of this would have been possible.
This partnership will enable us to amplify our respective efforts to respond to the current climate of the dance field, facilitate professional connections, and support the next generation of dance artists.
Springboard Danse is a nonprofit organization that fosters a dynamic artistic ecosystem for leading contemporary companies, choreographers, and dancers (ages 21 and up). The 3-week festival cultivates a shared language of professionalism that values the creative process and connection above all else. Springboard is recognized worldwide as a destination for career development. Since the organization’s inception in 2001, Springboard has curated artists from over 40 countries, and directly connected more than 900 dancers to paid jobs.
Springboard aids the professional dancer at various stages of their career. Through our stimulating environment, dancers are given the opportunity to network with world-renowned companies, choreographers, producers, directors, and casting agents. Springboard is designed as a platform to facilitate major transitions in an artist’s career, whether between jobs or in their very first job search.
Principal Companies are curated annually and represent leading contemporary dance companies worldwide. During the first week of the project, a hand-selected casting team observes the participating dancers in a variety of workshops that focus on both repertory and the creative process, before placing them with a company that is most beneficial for their career. Each Principal Company has the rare opportunity to witness a dancer’s work over a 3-week period. In this way, a working relationship is established between the dancer and the company that cannot be found in a traditional audition setting. Not only does this mutually beneficial relationship create an invaluable global network of artistic peers, it also provides working opportunities and future collaborations.
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Photos (top to bottom):
2018 SBDM_Principal Company, L-E-V _©Michael Slobodian
2017 SBDM_Principal Choreographer, johannes wieland_©Michael Slobodian
2022 SBDM_Principal Company, Hofesh Schecter _©Michael Slobodian
2022 SBDM_Principal Choreographer, Ohad Naharin _©Michael Slobodian
Both years I have attended Springboard, it has given me a confidence that I have never been able to grasp. I cannot begin to express my gratitude for your dedication for fostering an environment for emerging artists and providing connections that might not have happened without your help.
Springboard Dancer 2018 & 2019, recipient of the Air Founder's Residency from the Jonah Bokaer Arts Foundation