National Dance Company Wales Creative Associates

Arts & Business; Cardiff; On-site; GBP 4,100 - 8,300; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Mentoring with Artistic Director

Studio access

Professional development

Workshops

Creative Commission

Job summary

National Dance Company Wales invites artists from any discipline to apply for Creative Associates, a two-year development programme running March 2026 to January 2028. It welcomes choreographers and cross-disciplinary collaborators to explore dance creatively with the company’s dancers and studios.

Participants receive regular mentoring with the Artistic Director, access to studio time, professional development, bespoke workshops, and a paid Creative Commission as part of NDCWales’ 4x10 in 2028.

Job description

Introduction

Creative Associates is National Dance Company Wales’ new development programme for creative practitioners.
Applications are open to artists of any art form looking to expand their practice in new ways.
You might be an emerging choreographer, or an artist of any other art form wanting to work creatively with dance (i.e. film, visual arts, digital arts, composers or musician, costume designers etc).

This programme has grown from previous programmes offering choreographic support and pairing Visual Artists with dancers. This opportunity is rooted in dance but expands the scope so that we can support a wider range of creative voices who are shaping the future of dance.

What are the benefits?

Creative Associates is a two-year programme that supports creative development and offers meaningful opportunities to strengthen practice and build professional confidence.
We want to build transformational relationships between NDCWales and each Associate, creating mutual benefit, shared learning, and lasting impact.

This opportunity could help kickstart an early career or create new and exciting pathways for existing practice.

What the programme offers

• Regular one-to-one mentoring with NDCWales’ Artistic Director, alongside a mutually agreed external mentor. These sessions will support your artistic development, reflection, and evolution.


• Insight into the day-to-day workings of a National Company.


• Dedicated time and space to explore ideas and test new approaches, including research and development periods in our studios with our dancers.


• Continued Professional Development and training, such as Safeguarding and Health and Safety.


• Bespoke training/workshops to builds practical skills and industry insight. These will be tailored to your needs and interests and could include things like freelance working, producing, marketing, technical skills/understanding, digital practice, and fundraising.


• A paid 'Creative Commission' to create a new work as part of NDCWales’ 4x10 programme in 2028. If you are not a dance artist or choreographer, we will pair you with an appropriate collaborator to work together on creating this 10 minute dance performance.

Fees

The programme accounts for around 55 days work including the Creative Commission and runs from March 2026 to end January 2028.
The core fee for the two years for each Creative Associate is £8,250.

Reasonable travel, accommodation, access allowance and per diems are available on a case by case basis.