Application period is March 14-24, 2025

AADF2025 Collaborative Residency: Dance, Spoken Word & Community is a 5-month cohort residency for early to mid-career AAPI choreographers that runs April - August 2025. Resident choreographers are paired with AAPI spoken word artists for interdisciplinary exchange and collaboration, creating joint work through community engagement and storytelling. Together, resident choreographers and spoken word artists explore the complexities of identity, migration, and resistance within the AAPI diaspora, which culminates in a final residency showcase at AADF2025: Becoming Asian American. Through the powerful mediums of poetry and movement, the artists reflect and amplify AAPI stories of shared struggles, celebrate cultural heritage, and foster collective resilience.

AADF2025 Collaborative Residency is curated and directed by AADF2025 co-organizers Joyce Lien Kushner and Dr. grace shinhae jun, working in partnership with MindFull Movement director Daja Marks.

Application

March 14 - Application opens
March 24 - Application due
March 31 - Artists notified via email

Residency
April 6 - Kickoff Meet & Greet @‌ Oceanside Museum of Art
April 26 - SoCal API Festival showing @ Oceanside Museum of Art 10am-2pm
May 25 - Oceanside Theater Company WIP showing & workshops (date tentative)
May-July - Choreo & Ethnicity workshops (Sunday dates TBD)
June 29 - ChoreoWreck @ Light Box Theater in Liberty Station
August 23 - AADF2025 Residency Showcase (date tentative)
August 31 - Wrap-Up Meeting & Recap

• Open to early to mid-career AAPI choreographers of all dance genres. Prior choreographic experience required. Experience in collaborating with other artists is preferred. New choreographers are not eligible at this time.

• Looking for choreographers interested in working collaboratively with spoken word artists and possibly with each other. Choreographers are invited to suggest an AAPI spoken word artist they know and would like to collaborate with (see below). 

• There will be 3 teams consisting of 1-2 choreographers + 1 spoken word artist.

• Applicants should indicate if they wish to work with their spoken word artist independently or pair up with another choreographer. Final number of choreographers accepted will depend upon how many individuals and/or pairs are chosen.

MindFull Movement will pre-select 3 spoken word artists to collaborate with the choreographers. We welcome introductions to any spoken word artists that applicant choreographers know and wish to work with. Please email their information to us at asianamericandancefestival@gmail.com.

• Rehearsal Space - As needed, rehearsal space provided for the duration of the residency. Resident choreographers can choose to rehearse in their own studios if they prefer.

• Mentorship - Ongoing mentorship from AAPI artists and arts professionals, including one-on-one visits and feedback.

• Financial Support - A stipend to support the production of new work and materials. Each choreographer will receive an honorarium of $500 disbursed in two partial installments. Additional funds may be available if additional dancers are needed for the work.

• Documentation - Photo and video documentation of events.

• SoCal API Festival Showing (April 26) - For this initial performance, the spoken word artists will present their poetry alongside the choreographers’ movement response. Movements may be prepared or improvised. A post performance panel discussion will follow, along with a community story sharing opportunity for festival goers.

• Oceanside Theater Company WIP Showing & Workshop (May date TBD) - Resident choreographers and spoken word artists will present their first work-in-progress (WIP) showing to audiences in May. Based on their creative work, the artists will also hold workshops to engage audiences through embodied research. This can be in the form of a dance class, creative play, structured improvisation, or some other form.

• Choreography & Ethnicity Workshops (May-July) - Resident choreographers will participate in a series of choreographic workshops that explore movement generation through the lens of cultural heritage and identity. Workshop participants play with ways to incorporate their “non-western” identities into dance making, particularly when working in “western” dance forms. Workshops are presented in collaboration with Disco Riot and are open to all.

• ChoreoWreck (June 29) - Presented by TILTshift Dance, ChoreoWreck is an event during which choreographers offer their works to be de/reconstructed by a fellow artist, live in front of an audience. This process known as “wrecking” allows the “wreckee” choreographer to gain deep insight into their work as part of their research. It allows the “wrecker” artists to play and practice editing and directing. It allows audiences to see dance making as it occurs, leading to a deeper appreciation of the art form. Resident choreographers will participate in ChoreoWreck as part of this residency. The spoken word artists may choose to participate as a wrecker. Event will take place in Liberty Station at the Light Box Theater. See information on our previous ChoreoWreck event - Spring ChoreoWreck 2024

The final collaborative project Voices Across the Water: Echoes of Identity & Resistance will be presented during AADF2025. The showcase is currently slated to take place at the Saville Theater on Saturday, August 23, 2025 (tentative date and venue, subject to change).

• 18 years of age or older.
• Early to mid-career choreographer of Asian American and/or Pacific Islander descent.
• Open to choreographers of all dance forms.
• Not a student or enrolled in any degree seeking program at the time of the program.
• Not participating in a comparable development, fellowship, or residency program at the time of the program.

• Committed to working collaboratively with a spoken word artist, and a willingness to engage with and listen to AAPI community members.
• Support and promote the festival and the community of artists involved, including sharing of social media posts, marketing materials, fundraising campaigns, etc.
• Provide timely and detailed information regarding the progress of work for promotional purposes, technical and logistical considerations, performances and events.
• Resident choreographers are required to attend scheduled meetings, workshops, and performances.

If you know of an early to mid-career AAPI dance maker who would be great for this residency, please forward the information to them. We're looking for choreographers of all genres and who represent the diversity of our AAPI community!

If you know of an AAPI spoken word artist who is interested in collaborating with dancers, please ask them to contact us. They can reach us at asianamericandancefestival@gmail.com.

It truly takes a village to bring projects like AADF and the Collaborative Residency to life. Help us support and celebrate our fellow artists!