Expressions of Interest for side.step are now open!
Independent choreographers and dancers are invited to apply for side.step, a new initiative by artist Ella Watson-Heath supporting choreographic work through the provision of 20 hours of free studio space and an informal performance season. Space will be offered to successful applicants part-time during the period of 27 October – 13 November 2025, in the Drill Hall at Critical Path and at Balmain Town Hall. The performances will take place on 14, 15 & 16 November 2025 at Balmain Town Hall.
More information about side.step is listed below.
DEADLINE: MONDAY 1 SEPTEMBER 2025, 11:59PM, AEDT
APPLY HERE: EOI FORM
side.step is supported by Critical Path & Inner West Council.
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- 20 hours of studio space at either the Drill Hall (27-31 October 2025) or Balmain Town Hall (3-13 November 2025). Studio space is accessible between 9am-9pm daily and divided into 4-hour time slots
- Photographic documentation
- Film documentation of your showing
- 3x performance outcomes at Balmain Town Hall on Fri 14, Sat 15 & Sun 16 November
- Basic lighting and sound equipment for performances
- Equal share of box office sales between lead artists
- Administration and management support
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Guidelines / Selection Criteria
The primary objective of side.step is to provide free studio space for choreographers to test their ideas and to provide a platform for these early experimentations to be presented to an audience in a low-stakes performance setting.
- All other costs are incurred by the artists
- The program is aimed at choreographers in all career stages
- The project should be based in dance practices, and can include collaborations with other disciplines
- The project can be at any stage of development, but preference is given to research/creation of new work
- The artists involved should be NSW-based artists, or artists who have a demonstrated practice in NSW
- Selected artists must hold (or be willing to obtain) current public liability insurance
- Selected artists must be willing to attend two production meetings in the lead up to performances. These meetings will take place in weeks commencing 22nd September and 3rd November
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LOCATIONS
THE DRILL HALL, CRITICAL PATH
1C NEW BEACH ROAD, DARLING POINT, NSW, 2027
GADIGAL & BIRRABIRRAGAL COUNTRY
The Drill Hall is wheelchair accessible.
&
BALMAIN TOWN HALL
370 DARLING STREET, BALMAIN, NSW, 2041
GADIGAL & WANGAL COUNTRY
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IMAGE ID: Image of a group of dancers performing with fingers curling like animal paws, wearing denim and lit with an indigo hue.
IMAGE CREDIT: Matina McAneney, Jack Tuckerman, Jaslyn Boughton, photo: Nat Cartney.
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Critical Path respectfully acknowledges the Gadigal and Birrabirragal peoples of the Eora Nation, the traditional owners of the land where the organisation is based.