Megan Mazarick is a Philadelphia-based choreographer, performer, and teacher. She combines movement with theater and text. Her choreographies are personal, humorous, and political  using the elements of improvisation. Her work has been presented internationally (in Singapore, Bulgaria, Egypt, Poland, Australia, Hungary, and Mexico) and throughout the USA. She taught technique, improvisation, and composition classes. 

Andrei Kamarou is dancer and choreographer from Belarus and currently living in Poland. His choreographies concern topics related to human nature and the manifestations of its beauty. He performed, among others, on the stages of the National Opera in the opera "Maria de Buenos Aires" and in the ballet "Don Quixote" at the Grand Theater in Łódź. Diploma obtained at the Minsk State Academy of Arts, currently studying dance training at the Łódź Academy of Humanities and Economics.

Klub ZAK in Gdansk/Poland announces a call for projects as part of the Solo Dance Residency 2024 competition within the 16th Gdansk Dance Festival. The competition concerns a project for a solo in the field of broadly defined contemporary dance. The purpose of the competition is to support and promote contemporary dance/ contemporary ballet.

The competition is addressed to dancers from Poland and participants of the SOLO DANCE CONTEST competition organized by Klub Zak as a part of the Gdansk Dance Festival 2016-2023. The selected projects will be realized and performed at Klub ZAK in April 2024.

Dancers will receive funds for the realization of the submitted solo in the amount : PLN 5,000, technical assistance during general rehearsals (acoustician and lighting designer), pre-premiere promotion, the possibility of using the rehearsal space and PLN 2,000 for the second presentation created as part of the solo residency, in autumn 2024 at Klub Zak in Gdansk.

In addition, for one week, the artists will work under the guidance of a mentor - a respected dancer and choreographer. In 2024, the mentor will be Maciej Kuźmiński. The residencies will end with premiere shows at Klub Zak in Gdansk in 28th April 2024 (and secound time in autumn 2024 at Klub Zak in Gdansk.)

Application should be sent by February 29, 2024 at 4 pm.

Maciej Kuźmiński

Born in 1985, choreographer, pedagogue and producer. Creator and director (2018-2022) of the first Polish Dance Network. His independent works form the repertoire of Maciej Kuźmiński Company.
He is the first polish-born graduate from rinity Laban Conservatory in London, where he completed the BA Dance Theater and MA Choreography studies, both with distinction.

Since 2014, Kuźmiński's works have been presented over 300 times in 22 countries. The artist has won over twenty international awards and distinctions for his performances created for the Maciej Kuźmiński Company. As a guest choreographer he created companies like Staatstheater Kassel (Germany), Scapino Ballet Rotterdam (Netherlands) and Polish Dance Theater among others. He is also the author of diplomma performances for students of the Trinity Laban (England), ArtEZ (Netherlands), Codarts (Netherlands), PERA GAU (Northern Cyprus) and Belgrade Dance Institute (Serbia) conservatories.

His works are pure, with a grounded, dynamic movement language, and deal with existential and philosophical concepts. Since February 24th 2022, the outbreak of the Russian War in Ukraine, the artist focuses on the subject of war, working with Ukrainian artists-refugees, and dealing with "the most signifficant event in the lives of millions of people, including mine".

In 2019 one of Kuźmiński's work Plateau was informally but effectively censored after a debate about it in the Bytom City Council, Poland.

Since 2009 Maciej Kuźmiński develops an original method for movement and composition called Dynamic Phrasing. Based on five pillars: I - The Loop, II - Movement Research, III - Phrases & Repertoire, IV - Floor Work, V - Task Basket, the method is extensively utilised by the choreographer in his artistic and pedagogical work.

In Dynamic Phrasing we engage in the dialog with our own body, nourishing the diversity inherent to our nature, and exploring the power behind a force we all experience - gravity. This dialogue is strengthened by a versatile practice and the love to experience movement, just like a little journey - by venturing out we remember our roots.

In recent years alone Dynamic Phrasing has been taughts in conservatoires like Codarts, ArtEZ, PERA GAU, Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität, Belgrade Dance Institute, Trinity Laban, and in Polish Dance Theatre. In January 2023 two new teachers were introduced after a year-long teachers training course.

§ 1

Basic information

1.      The competition is organized by Klub Zak - a municipal cultural institution with its seat in Gdansk, address: 195/197 al. Grunwaldzka, 80-266 Gdansk, NIP: PL 5830004739, Register of Cultural Institutions of the City of Gdansk entry: 5/98.

2.      The planned schedule of the Contest:

a.      announcement of the Contest: 8th January 2024

b.      deadline for applications for the Contest: 29^th February 2024, 4.00 PM

c.       announcement of the participants: until 11^th  March 2024

d.      coaching period with Maciej Kuźmiński: 22-28^th April 2024, the coaching dates may change within a given month

e.      the dates of the premiere solo presentations are scheduled for the last day of the residency on 28^th April 2024.

§ 2

Rules of participation in the Contest.

1.      Competition applications may be submitted by persons:

a.      residing in the territory of the Republic of Poland from at least 01/01/2022,

b.      dancers living outside the territory of the Republic of Poland, who presented their performances as a part of the Solo Dance Contest within the Gdansk Dance Festival between 2016 and 2023.

2.      Participants of the competition must be adult persons, being:

a.      graduates or students / final year students of public and non-public art schools: theater and ballet;

b.      graduates of at least two years of post-secondary art schools training actors-dancers;

c.       dancers of contemporary dance theaters, having at least two dance productions (participation in a full-scale dance theater performance in the field of Contemporary dance/Contemporary ballet, not shorter than 40 minutes).

3.      Basic requirements for submitted projects:

a.      Only new, original projects which will be premiered within the Gdansk Dance Festival may be submitted to the competition;

b.      the form of the planned performance should be a solo in which the dominant form of expression is contemporary dance (contemporary dance / contemporary ballet);

c.       the length of the planned solo should not be longer than 40 minutes;

d.      the technical requirements of the planned projects must be adapted to the technical capabilities and equipment of Klub Zak (described in Appendix 1 to these Regulations).

§ 3

The application

1.      The application should be completed in Polish or English on the website www.gdanskifestiwaltanca.pl, by 29/02/2024, by 4.00 PM (the date and time of receipt of the application counts);

2.      Required attachments:

a.        a legible scan of the statement (Annex 2 to these Regulations) signed by hand by the applying dancer;

b.      legible scans of diplomas, promotional materials or links to websites confirming the status of dancers regarding the requirements of §2, point 2.

3.      Applications submitted after the required deadline, failing to meet the requirements specified in § 2 and §3 items 1, 2 and 4 and containing formal deficiencies (shortcomings), where formal deficiencies are considered as: lack of required attachments, incorrectly completed application form and lack of signatures, will not be considered.

4.      Questions in Polish or English regarding the conditions of participation in the Competition should be addressed to: ewa.chudecka@klubzak.com.pl. Answers concerning individual matters will be sent by e-mail to the inquirer's address, and explanations concerning general matters, comments on the regulations will be published on www.facebook.com/GdanskiFestiwalTanca.

5.      Adjudication of the competition:

a.      projects submitted to the competition will be evaluated by a three-person committee, the composition and regulations of which are determined by the Klub Zak Director;

b.      the results of the competition, after approval by the Klub Zak Director, will be announced at gdanskifestiwaltanca.pl and facebook.com/gdanskifestiwaltanca. The published results of the competition will only contain information about the selected projects of the competition finalists.

§ 4

         Project realization

1.      The competition provides funds for solo performances - PLN 5,000 gross and PLN 2,000 gross for the re-showing of the performance in autumn 2024 in Klub Zak; 1/3 of the awarded amount can be paid as an advance after signing the agreement, and the rest after the realization of the project, but the Organizer of the competition provides for the signing of agreements no earlier than the first day of the scheduled coaching. Detailed rules will be specified in the agreement signed with the Organizer.

2.      The coaching referred to in §1 of these regulations will consist of 1/3 of contemporary dance lessons, and 2/3 of work on movement, dramaturgy, stage space and solo direction.

3.      The organizer will guarantee:

a.      rehearsal space for coaching, with the ability to play music, without stage lighting, multimedia projectors and stage sound system;

b.      2 days of general rehearsals on stage with technical equipment available at Klub Zak (Appendix 1) and technical support (lighting technician and acoustician - 8h a day);

c.       reimbursement of travel expenses (1 arrival and 1 departure) by bus or 2nd class PKP within Poland or up to 150 euros reimbursement of travel expenses from abroad, based on original tickets;

d.      accommodation during the period of compulsory coaching referred to in §1 item 2 d and e, of these regulations to the Finalists of the competition coming from outside the Tri-City in hostels;

4.      The organizer does not bear the costs of:

a.      accommodation, transportation, or honorarium of persons who are not performers of the show performing on stage - musicians, lighting designers, set designers, or costume designers;

b.      meals for participants in the competition;

c.       purchase of materials and items constituting elements of scenery or costumes;

d.      transportation of scenery;

e.      local transport

5.      Finalists' obligations:

a.      Finalists are required to prepare costumes, scenery, music, visuals and other materials needed for the solo performance: before the date of coaching referred to in §1 of these regulations;

b.      Finalists of the competition who are from outside the Schengen zone or who do not have residency in the Schengen zone are required to present a visa authorizing them to undertake artistic activities;

c.       The Finalists are obliged to include in the promotional materials of the solo realized within the   framework of the competition information about its realization in Klub Zak (date, place), within the framework of the 16th Gdansk Dance Festival (full name) and the Klub's website address (www.klubzak.com.pl). In the absence of this information, Finalists will not be allowed to participate in Klub Zak competitions, projects and programs in the following calendar year;

d.      Finalists are required to allow photographic documentation of the performance during general rehearsals by a photographer appointed by the Organizer;

e.      The finalists agree free of charge and grant a royalty-free license, unlimited in time, to photographically record their image and the course of the residency, including dress rehearsals, as well as to publish the photographs by capturing and reproducing them by technically available methods, to use the photographs for informational, promotional or other purposes related to the Klub's statutory activities, including by presenting them in the Klub's publications or on its website, where they will be made available to the public in such a way that anyone can access them at a place and time of their own choosing.

f.        Contractors who fail to appear for coaching on a given day will have their fees reduced by a day's worth of the per capita amount (except for unexcused attendance as a result of illness documented by sick leave or serious accident).

6.      The finalists of the competition retain full copyright to the solo and free disposal of it after the premiere show in Klub Zak.

7.      Further details of the implementation of the project and mutual obligations will be established in the form of a written agreement between the dancers and Klub Zak after the announcement of the results of the competition.

8.      Conditions for withdrawal from the project realization:

a.      if, after the announcement of the competition results, the dancer withdraws from participation in the project, the Organizer may propose to realize the project on the terms of the Competition to the next applicant, whose project received the highest number of points;

b.      if the project does not come to realization due to the fault of its participant or the participant fails to appear for the compulsory coaching referred to in §1 of these regulations, he/she will not be able to participate in competitions, projects and programs of the Klub Zak in the following calendar year;

c.       if the project does not come to realization as a result of force majeure (an unforeseeable external event that neither of the Parties could prevent) or other circumstances completely beyond the control of either Party (in particular, force majeure is the participant's illness documented by a medical certificate) none of the The parties will not be liable to the other party.

§ 5

Final resolutions

1.      The act of submitting the application form is equal to Contest participant’s acceptance of the Contest conditions and Contest Regulations stated here.

2.      The act of submitting the application form is equal to Contest participant’s consent to The Organiser making use of the personal data in order to organize and conduct the Contest. Appropriate statement together with the information right clause can be found in the application form on the Organizer’s website.

3.      The Organizer is also Personal Data Administrator. The Organizer takes the responsibility for participants’ personal data processing and ensures personal data protection by using technical and organizational means appropriately and in accordance with the standards, contained in General Data Protection Regulation (hereinafter referred to as GDPR) 2016/679 from the 27^th April 2016 for natural persons in the scope of the processing of their personal data and free movement of such data and superseding the Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC and other regulations of the national law.

4.      The participant of the Contest has the right to access to their personal data as well as the right to rectification, erasure, restrict processing of the data, the right to data portability, to object to the processing of the data, the right to withdraw consent to the processing of the data at any time but not affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.

5.      The act of submitting the application form is equal to Contest participant’s consent to The Organiser processing of the personal data in order to perform registration process and to conduct the Contest.

6.      Personal Data received by the Organizers shall be collected and processed solely for the purposes of the conducting of the Contest.

7.      Each participant has the right to lodge a complaint to the supervisory authority (the President of the Personal Data Protection Office) when they consider their personal data protection rights according to GDPR from 27^th April 2016 have been breached.

8.      Providing personal data is voluntary, but necessary and lack of consent for its processing in accordance with above stated purposes will result in disqualification of the applicant.

9.      The Organizer reserves the right to publish participant’s name, surname, image and general information about the participant as well as the right to place the mentioned above information in advertising and informative materials, such as Organizer’s publications and websites and information profiles run by the Organizer.

10.  In all cases not regulated by these Regulations the decisions are made by the Organizer.

11.  The Organizer shall not be held responsible for the results of errors in application form made by the applicant.

12.  The Organizer reserves the right to make any amendments in the Regulations during the Contest and takes an obligation to immediately publish the changed Regulations in the places where the Contest Regulations were published before.

13.  The organizer reserves the right to cancel or discontinue the Contest at any time without providing any explanation.

§ 6

Information clause

1.      The Organiser of Solo Dance Residency 2024 pursuant to the provisions on the General Data Protection Regulations, informs that the Personal Data Administrator in relation to Contestant's personal data transferred in order to settle the results of Solo Dance Contest is: Klub Żak, a municipal institution of culture - based in Gdańsk, 80-244 ul. Grunwaldzka 195/197 Taxpayer Identification Number: 583-000-47-39

2.      The Contestant's personal data will be processed by the Organiser in order to settle the results of the Contest, fulfill the legal obligation incumbent on the Personal Data Administrator and for the purposes resulting from legally justified interests carried out by the Administrator in accordance with Art. 6 par. 1 point b), c) and f) of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (GDPR - General Data Protection Regulation).

3.      The Contestant's personal data will be processed by the Organiser for the period of carrying out the Contest. After this period, the Contestant's personal data will be processed by the Organiser only for financial, accounting and tax purposes or to establish, investigate or defend claims for the period required to expire tax and civil liabilities.

4.      The Contestant's personal data will not be transferred to a third country (outside the European Economic Area), but will be made available to other recipients authorized to settle and control the Organiser’s activity in compliance with applicable law, entities co-financing cultural and educational projects carried out by the Organiser of Solo Dance Residency 2024 (if subject of the Contract concerns such a project), entities providing legal services to the Organiser, banks with the use of which payment resulting from the regulations of the Contest is made, a hosting company providing e-mail services to the Organiser, telecommunication services providing teleinformation to the Personal Data Administrator.

5.      The Contestant has the right to access the content of his personal data and the right to rectify it, delete it subject to the provisions of the Regulation, including art. 17 of the Regulation, restrictions on their processing, the right to object to the processing and the right to data transfer. The Contestant has the right to lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority when one considers that the processing of his personal data violates the provisions on the protection of personal data, including the provisions of the Regulation.

Attachments

1) Technical rider of the „Suwnicowa’s hall” in Klub Zak

2) Declarations of the applicant dancer and participants in the competition project and consent to the processing of personal data