How do I apply?

We have a standard application form, which we ask all applicants to complete and return, along with any photos / supporting DVDs / links to clips you may have.

If you do not have any photos or clips of the piece in question, we'd like to see other photos and clips (where possible) to get an idea of your style.

The application form is available for download from this site while the application process is open; if it's not available, do add yourself to the relevant mailing list. We also have application guidance notes, which should be read by all applicants; asking us questions which are covered by the guidance notes is never a good idea.

I'd like to send you samples of our work and a proposal...

Unfortunately, we only accept completed application forms accompanied by photos and video footage - should you send us a proposal, we will have to ask you to complete an application form and follow the same procedure as everyone else.

Please note that if you are emailing from overseas, we are not funded, so we would not be able to pay you a performance fee or contribute to your travel expenses.

In special circumstances, we will bypass this requirement, but those people know who they are!

My piece is 3 mins / 25 mins long. Will it be considered?

We welcome applications for pieces of any length up to 20 minutes in length - some of the best pieces of each festival have only been 3 or 4 minutes long!

Please note that we only have limited slots for pieces of 15-20 minutes in length per evening. Therefore, it would help us if you have a shortened version of your piece which might be available should we like your piece but not have any longer slots available.

If your piece is 20 minutes in length, we may be forced to reject it on the grounds of its length if competition is too fierce.

We will not consider pieces which are longer than 20 minutes.

I'm from outside the UK - can I still apply?

We'd be delighted if you'd like to participate - we're always pleased to have participants from overseas.

Please note, however, that we are not funded, therefore we do not have available funds to cover international travel expenses, or costs of staying in London.

I'm an Indian Contemporary / Classical Dancer / flamenco dancer, how can I apply?

Cloud Dance Festival is specifically a contemporary dance festival, therefore we are unable to consider applications from other dance styles, no matter how vigorously you argue!

We recommend you visit the directory on www.londondance.com for details of South Asian or other dance organisations who will be able to advise you of relevant performance opportunities, and funding options to assist you with your costs.

My style of dance is contemporary, can I apply?

We specifically cater for the style of dance known as contemporary dance, as taught by the leading vocational contemporary dance schools, and practised by established contemporary dance companies.

We do not cater for other styles of dance, no matter how modern or "contemporary" they are, and we are not interested in debating the matter further, sorry.

I have a programme of 1 or more pieces which are 50 minutes each

We only consider pieces of up to 15-20 minutes in length, therefore we can only accept an application to perform an excerpt of it. It's extremely unlikely we will select more than one of your pieces.

www.londondance.com has a list of dance venues in their directory if you would prefer to perform the piece/s in full.

My piece is a work in progress, can I still submit it?

Yes - normally a large proportion of the pieces performed at each festival are works in progress; we only ask that they are completed, or of performance standard by the time of the festival.

Although we need some details for publicity, we do not need them to be finalised till a fortnight in advance (for the programmes), as titles / dancers / descriptions often change!

Remember that we will post footage and photographs of your piece on this website after the festival; if your piece is unlikely to be ready for that, then please do not apply.

How do you select pieces?

We normally have three types of participants:

- our special guests
- past performers who've been invited to return
- applicants

Although photos and clips/DVDs do help a lot, we primarily consider applications based on the piece descriptions, followed by details of the company or performer/s.

This means that we assess applications equally, whether they are from recent graduates or from more established companies.

Usually around half the pieces accepted - if not more - are works in progress.

As one of our primary aims is to make the festival (and contemporary dance) more accessible to the general public, we do have to consider what will appeal to the audience, and trust that we manage to achieve that with the pieces selected each time.

We normally have a panel of approximately six people per round of applications to ensure fairness and transparency to all participants. Our panel is strictly anonymous, but it includes dance and theatre critics, choreographers and producers.

I don't have any video footage of my work. Can I apply anyway?

We're afraid not - we do specify that video footage is an essential part of your application.

We are happy to receive rehearsal videos if you don't have any performance clips; do bear this in mind so that you can film a runthrough in time for our application deadline.

We won't have any video till after the deadline, is that okay?

We need any supporting video by the end of our specified deadline, otherwise we will not be able to consider your application.

I'd like you to see my performance, will you come?

We do try to catch a large number of shows each year to support our choreographers and to check out others, however we are not funded and budgets are limited, so unfortunately we're not able to afford to buy tickets to every show we're invited to. 

If you're serious about us attending your show, please arrange a press ticket (and travel expenses for shows outside London) and we will gladly attend.  

Can I send more than one application?