A National Dance Network initiative supported by Jerwood Charitable Foundation and delivered by DanceXchange, the Jerwood Choreographic Research Project (JCRP) is an innovative investment model designed to:

• Stimulate new ideas and thinking in choreography;
• Support research into new, challenging and exciting choreographic ideas;
• Make possible a number of UK-based research projects that nurture choreographic experimentation within both a dance and wider art form context;
• Strengthen the process by which an innovative choreographic idea or concept is realised;
• Enrich and broaden the understanding of and engagement with choreography;
• Engage new non-dance organisations/individuals and connect them with the dance sector, facilitating a more informed dialogue about, and championing of, choreographic development;
• Create a hub where curators, producers, academics and managers from a wide range of organisations can engage in dialogue, increasing awareness of choreographic research;
• Identify co-commissioning, presentation and distribution opportunities for works developed from the research.

The JCRP is open to artists/creatives working in any art form who are interested in open-ended research that they consider ‘choreographic’.

Addressing a sector-wide gap in support for choreographic research, the JCRP has established a new culture of investment bringing together a wide range of investors (‘Contributors’) from across the cultural sector to pool their funds and expertise. A key aim of the project is to attract Contributors working in a range of sectors including but not limited to visual arts, theatre, film, higher education, live art and performance, etc, thereby facilitating a broader dialogue about, and championing of, choreographic development.

The JCRP provides a context for artists to genuinely undertake high-risk research and generates dedicated research money to kick-start ideas and enable experimentation.  The JCRP is not focused on the goal of a produced performance piece; rather, the research itself enriches the way in which we cultivate and stimulate choreographic practice.  Evidence from JCRP I, where contributors invested in the next stages of projects and programmed the outcomes of the research projects, demonstrates how supporting early stage research can create leverage for later stage investment as well as unique and innovative performance and engagement.

Associate Producer (Freelance): Theresa Beattie

Artistic Director (DanceXchange): Lucie Mirkova