Artists must be Minnesota-based, meaning that they must spend the majority of their year working and residing in Minnesota. 

Artists must pursue work that is grounded in a non-Western movement vocabulary, or that is invested in challenging the predominantly Eurocentric underpinnings of concert dance.

JUNIOR FELLOW*: 2-5 years of independent practice as a dance-maker / generative movement artist, not in a degree-granting program. Artists are NOT required to have dance training in a university setting to be considered eligible. Junior Fellows will spend 1 year in residence with the ADT ensemble, followed by 1 year of independent choreographic research.

SENIOR FELLOW*: 5-10 years of independent practice as a dance-maker / generative movement artist, not in a degree-granting program. Artists are NOT required to have dance training in a university setting to be considered eligible. Senior Fellows will join the cohort in its second year (2027–2028) to pursue a year of independent choreographic research.

*These requirements follow the 'emerging artist' guidelines set forth by the Jerome Foundation. You may apply either as a Junior Fellow (1 year in residency followed by 1 year of choreographic research) OR a Senior Fellow (1 year of choreographic research only).

October 2026 – September 2027 (Junior Fellows only)

Junior Fellows are in residence with Ananya Dance Theatre. Fellows will attend ensemble training for 6 hours weekly, 39 weeks of the year. Fellows are not expected to attend ensemble rehearsal or to be part of the annual premiere.

Fellows will attend several seminars over the course of the year, such as: - Nutrition - Physical Therapy Strategies - Self-Massage Practice - Strength Training - Nervous Regulation

At the end of the year, Fellows will submit a proposal for a choreographic project that will span the second year of the program.

October 2027 – June 2028 (Junior & Senior Fellows) 

Senior Fellows join the cohort, proposing choreographic projects that will span the second year of the program. Company training will be available to Senior Fellows.

All Fellows will attend several seminars over the course of the year, such as: - Creative Process - Storyboarding for Lighting Design - Production and Project Management

Fellows will develop a 10-20 minute choreographic work for the stage. Fellows may dance in their own piece and/or set their piece on others. Fellows will participate in 3 process showings of their work, receiving feedback from mentors. Fellows will have access to 20 hours of free studio time during this period, as well as access to individual feedback and consultation with mentors.

Showing #1 — January 2028
Showing #2 —  March 2028
Showing #3 — May 2028

Fellows’ work will receive a public showing in June of 2028. 

Year One (Junior Fellows only): Junior Fellows will be paid at a rate of $20/hr for company training and seminar attendance.

Year Two (Junior and Senior Fellows): Junior and Senior Fellows will receive a stipend of $7,000 to fund their choreographic process. These monies may be used to compensate collaborators (dancers, composers, costumers, scenic fabricators), purchase materials, fund research, and compensate the Fellow for their choreographic labor.

The cornerstone of ChoreoLab is the building of trust with experienced mentors and the dialogic process that supports the artists in refining their craft. Mentors model their skills as artistic leaders, ensuring that everyone involved in a project has full access to do their best work. We move beyond Western concert dance curricula, as we share a compositional toolkit and nurture sensibilities around coherent abstract structuring of movement.

Each Junior Fellow will be paired with a mentor for the first year of the program. A group of mentors will guide the cohort as a whole throughout the program’s second year.