Profesjonaliści dla dzieci w sytuacji zagrożenia. 

Crossing Borders: A European Rural Touring Project
 

We are delighted to announce that with the support of Perform Europe we have been successful in presenting Crossing Borders, a European Rural Touring Project for summer 2022.

Our project was selected as one of 19 out of  1327 individual applications submitted. 

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Crossing Borders will bring diverse, high quality work to rural communities with the support of local volunteers. The project aims to enhance community cohesion and give rural audiences access to high quality performances through a sustainable touring model. Research shows that the carbon footprint of rural touring is at least 50% less than that of a show in a town-based theater with more than 50% of audiences living less than 5 km from a village venue.

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This Perform Europe project is being delivered by 11 partners from eight European countries. The majority of the partners are part of SPARSE Network (Supporting and Promoting the Arts in Rural Settlements of Europe), which is committed to rural touring. By building on the experience and research findings of SPARSE, the intention is to develop cross-border touring and the presentation of the performing arts by utilizing the resources of hyperlocal networks and communities, and capitalizing on the benefits of rural touring for artists.

For this pilot project comprising 24 presentations, the partners will be touring two companies:

• Company Zid, a Moroccan parkour company based in France, will tour Routine  to rural communities in Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Lithuania, and Estonia

• Art Fraction Foundation (Poland) will tour KUUKI,  an under 5’s dance show, to rural communities in Spain, UK, Germany, and Czech Republic

Partners: Crying Out Loud (UK), Take Art Limited (UK), Art Fraction Foundation (Poland), Creative Association Fish Eye (Lithuania), SINUM Theatre Laboratory Association (Hungary), Nova sit z.s. (Czech Republic), Carn to Cove (UK), Festival Sismograf – OlotCultura (Spain), SA Eesti Tantsuagentuur (Estonia), Pro Progressione (Hungary), Teatro 4Garoupas (Germany).

ABOUT PERFORM EUROPE PROGRAM 

19 ambitious projects, aimed to test innovative, more inclusive and sustainable, performing arts touring and distribution models, have been selected by the Perform Europe Jury, composed of a balanced and diverse group of 11 accomplished performing arts professionals. These strong artistic projects come from all corners of the Creative Europe region from Cyprus to Finland, from Ireland to Serbia, from Portugal to Ukraine. A Captivating Selection The 19 Perform Europe projects will bring high quality performances to rural areas, involve local artists and participants, empower voices of migrant artists and communities, use slow travel as a framework to create and show work, reduce carbon-intensive practices, refocus on experiences of nature and the body, bridge the gap between audiences and artists with disabilities, use technology to involve communities, bring artistic work to new places using apps and virtual reality, promote queer, feminist, decolonial, migrant, human-centered artist-led, and ecological initiatives. These are some of the ambitions of the selected projects.

About the selection process 

The organizers received 1327 individual applications in the first step, of which 508 producers and presenters were selected to be featured on the Perform Europe digital platform and participate in the Perform Europe development phase. This phase was a series of events offering networking, pitching, matchmaking, learning and mentoring opportunities. As a result, 150 partnerships submitted their project proposals in the second application step. The Jury has selected the most outstanding projects that will receive a support fee to test their innovative models and practices until the end of June 2022. Behind these selected projects, 19 partnerships have flourished, composed of performing arts producers and presenters from across all disciplines of the performing arts, and from all corners of the Creative Europe region and the UK, from Cyprus to Finland, from Ireland to Serbia, from Portugal to Ukraine.

Read more on the program. 

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Perform Europe is an EU-funded project aimed to rethink how performing arts works are presented across borders in a more inclusive, sustainable and balanced way by testing new touring and distribution practices and providing policy recommendations for a future EU support scheme. This 18-month journey includes a research phase, launching a digital platform, testing a support scheme, and designing policy recommendations. Perform Europe is funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union and co-managed by a Consortium of 5 organisations: IETM – International network for contemporary performing arts, the European Festivals Association (EFA), Circostrada, EDN – European Dancehouse Network, and IDEA Consult.