Dancenorth Opens A.R.T. and Secondment Week Programs for 2026

Dancenorth has announced the return of its annual Artist Residency in the Tropics (A.R.T.) and Secondment Week Programs, reaffirming the Company’s long-standing commitment to nurturing independent and emerging dance artists and strengthening Australia’s national dance ecology.

Delivered in Gurambilbarra (Townsville), the two programs offer distinct pathways for artists at different stages of their careers to deepen their practice, expand professional networks, and engage in creative exchange within Dancenorth’s tropical, regionally based environment.

The A.R.T. Program is designed for mid-career, independent dance practitioners, offering a two to three-week residency that prioritises time and space for reflection, research and development, and new creative experiences. Artists selected for the program receive a bursary, mentoring opportunities, connectivity to the Company, and access to basic technical support from the Dancenorth team. The residency emphasises reciprocity and exchange, encouraging resident artists to draw inspiration from shared studio time, dialogue, and the surrounding landscape.

Dancenorth’s Secondment Week Program is a free initiative for tertiary students and emerging dancers from Australia and New Zealand. Across five intensive days, participants take part in skills training, creative workshops, and repertoire sessions, working alongside Dancenorth’s professional Ensemble and a cohort of fellow secondees. The program offers a rare opportunity for early-career artists to experience the rhythms and demands of a professional contemporary dance company from the inside.

Co-Artistic Director Amber Haines said the programs reflect Dancenorth’s ongoing investment in the future of dance in Australia.

“Our range of artistic development opportunities provide artists with the invaluable gift of time, space and creative exchange, essential ingredients for innovation,” Haines said. “A.R.T. is grounded in creative exchange and the spirit of reciprocity that runs through the program continues to inspire us. Being regionally based and somewhat isolated, we deeply value the time spent sharing space, ideas, perspectives and experiences with visiting artists.”

Haines also highlighted the importance of the Secondment Week Program as a direct offering to the wider dance community. “This year, we will also welcome 25 secondments for a week-long immersion in the studio, offered as a free gift to the dance community. The enrichment and energy exchange our secondments bring to the building flows both ways, and we are incredibly excited to open our doors to a number of young and emerging dance artists again this year.”

Applications for the A.R.T. Program are open from 2 February to 9 March 2026, with applications for the Secondment Week Program opening from 10 March to 6 April 2026. Full details and application information are available via Dancenorth’s website.

Dancenorth’s Regional Gravitation Program is generously supported by the Ian Potter Foundation and the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland’s Strategic Partnerships Fund.

For more information and to apply, visit www.dancenorth.com.au/for-artists.