Audition Announcement for Choreographer's Evening 2024, curated by jess pretty

i am grateful for the invitation to curate the 52nd annual choreographer’s evening at the Walker.

i invite artists to audition work that considers the following:

inspired by Audre Lorde’s “Poetry is Not A Luxury”, i am moved by work that reminds us of the stakes involved with engaging in creative practices.

how can performance hold methods of cultivating aliveness?

how can performance be a practice in presence?

how does your work consider the self?

how does you work tend to relationship and community?

i am moved by work that considers pleasure, joy, memory, archive, liberation, risk, vulnerability, reorientation, and transformation.”

-jess pretty

jess pretty is on a quest for pleasure that transcends time and the spaces she claims to reside in. her practices include writing, teaching, cooking, singing, conjuring, and dancing.

pretty received an MFA in Dance with a minor in Queer Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. she has shown her work at the Chocolate Factory Theater, La Mama Experimental Theater Club (2017 La Mama Moves Festival), New York Live Arts (as a 2016/17 Fresh Tracks artist), CATCH!, Gibney Dance Center, Brooklyn Studios for Dance, the CURRENT SESSIONS, panoply performing arts space, Green Street Studios, and three ACDA conferences. pretty has been an artist-in-residence at Kent State (2017), the Chocolate Factory Theatre, and the Center for Performance Research (2019–2020) and was a 2020 member of the Queer Art Fellowship. pretty has collaborated and been a part of the works of Will Rawls, Claudia Rankine, Kevin Beasley, Okwui Okpokwasili, Peter Born, Catherine Gallasso, David Thomson, Katie Workum, Niall Jones, Jennifer Monson, Cynthia Oliver, Leslie Cuyjet and Dianne McIntyre. pretty is the Director of AUNTS; a punk/DIY performance series that hosts events/festivals/shows to highlight the works of experimental dance makers in NYC and beyond.

pretty currently lives in Minneapolis, MN, where she is an assistant professor of dance at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. 

• Choreographers must live in Minnesota.
• Works typically range from three to six minutes in length and should not exceed seven minutes.
• Collaborations and ensembles are welcome to audition.
• Works-in-progress are accepted. This can include a live sketch, video viewing at audition, images, fabrics, or other materials to communicate the work in its completion.
• Live auditions are preferred; however, video submissions will be accepted.
• Please audition with the same work that you would like to present.

• Two-hour group photo shoot in mid to late September or early October. (Date/time to be determined once artists are selected, based on everyone’s availability.)
• One-hour technical rehearsal with full company on Monday, November 25, or Tuesday, November 26, between 12 noon–10 pm. Individual dates and times are to be determined.
• Dress rehearsal will be on Saturday, November 30, 2024, starting at 10 am and lasting until performances at 4 pm and 7:30 pm. Depending on tech rehearsal scheduling, a dress rehearsal could also be scheduled for Tuesday evening, November 26. This will be determined and confirmed once choreographers are selected.

• August 22-24, 2024: In-person auditions
• Mid-September 2024: Artists notified of final decisions
October 2024: Group or individual photo shoots (schedule to be determined)
• November 25-26, 2024: Tech rehearsals between noon and 10 pm*
• November 30, 2024: Dress rehearsal at 10 am*; public performances at 4 pm and 7:30 pm

* There is a possibility dress rehearsal may be able to be scheduled for Tuesday, November 26 rather than the morning of November 30. This will be finalized once choreographers have been selected.

For details on the tech support provided to artists for the in-person auditions and performance event, please review the Tech Support Guidelines 2024.

Each selected artist/artist group will receive a guaranteed fee of $850 for their participation.

• To sign-up for an in-person audition time slot, please click here and submit this In-Person Audition Form by Thursday, August 15, 11:59 pm.
• Sign-up for an audition time slot is on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Auditions are held in 15-minute intervals.
• Live auditions are preferred; however, video submissions will be accepted.
• Artists will be notified of final decisions from the curator by mid-September.

Live Auditions Dates:
• Thursday, August 22, 3–5 pm, 6:30–9:30 pm
• Friday, August 23, 3–5 pm, 6:30–9:30 pm
• Saturday, August 24, 11 am–1 pm, 2:30–5:30 pm

Location:
McGuire Theater
Walker Art Center
725 Vineland Place
Minneapolis, MN 55403

• To send a video of your work, please submit this Video Audition Form by Thursday, August 15, 11:59 pm.
• Video submissions must provide a URL link and passcode if protected.
• Videos will be viewed for up to 10 minutes. If the video is longer, please include start and end times.
• Artists will be notified of final decisions from the curator by mid-September.

For more information about the auditions, please contact jess pretty at performingarts@walkerart.org.

Additional questions about the auditions or accessibility can be directed to Sherisa Oie at sherisa.oie@walkerart.org.

Find us at 725 Vineland Place, Minneapolis, MN 55403.

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Personal photography is permitted throughout the Walker and the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, but please turn off the flash when visiting the galleries.

To help us promote future events and programs, this event may be photographed or recorded. By attending, you consent to appear in this documentation and its future use by the museum. Please let staff know upon arrival if you prefer not to be photographed.