Anchor & Flow: Movement Artist Residency Program is designed to support dance artists at all stages of their artistic journey by providing access to studio space and optional mentorship in a supportive, low-pressure environment.

This residency recognizes that artists’ needs evolve over time and seeks to meet them where they are, whether they are emerging creators, mid-career artists refining a process, or established practitioners seeking time and space to explore new ideas.

This residency will prioritize process over product and will be grounded in curiosity, experimentation, and sustainable artistic practice.

This residency program is guided by the following principles:

• Accessibility – reducing barriers to space, mentorship, and professional support

• Artist autonomy – honoring each artist’s unique process and pace

• Care-centered practice – supporting sustainable, humane approaches to making art

• Community connection – fostering relationships without obligation or extraction

This program is open to:

• Emerging dance artists developing their first independent work

• Mid-career artists exploring new movement research or creative directions

• Established artists seeking space to reflect, experiment, or recharge

• Dance educators and interdisciplinary artists whose work includes movement

Artists will be eligible to apply as individuals or small collectives.

Depending on artist needs, the residency will include:

• Access to studio space at Cobequid Dance Academy for research, rehearsal, or exploration

• Flexible scheduling, recognizing that artists balance many commitments

• Optional mentorship, available upon request, which may include:

  • Artistic feedback or dramaturgical support

  • Creative guidance and reflective conversations

  • Support navigating artistic goals, project planning, etc

Mentorship is artist-led and non-prescriptive—participants choose if, when, and how they engage.

• Optional Performance Opportunity (June 2026 – Marigold Cultural Centre) As an optional component of the residency, selected artists may be invited to present their work at the Marigold Cultural Centre on June 20, 2026.

This opportunity is intended for artists whose residency process naturally evolves toward public sharing and who wish to engage with a theatrical presentation context. Participation is entirely optional and not a requirement of the residency.

This component may include:

• Access to the Marigold Cultural Centre performance space

• Dedicated technical support, including access to a technician for lighting and basic production needs

• A performance honorarium, recognizing the additional labour involved in preparing and presenting work publicly. A portion of the performances admission revenue will be divided among the artists.

• An honorarium of $500 per artist

The performance opportunity is designed to:

• Support artists in transitioning work from studio to stage

• Provide low-pressure, supported presentation experiences

• Strengthen connections between artists, audiences, and professional performance venues and further develop the dance community in Truro and surrounding areas

The format may include informal showings, shared bills, or short performance works, and will be developed collaboratively with participating artists and partners to align with capacity and artistic intent.

The residency will run for five days from June 15-19 with an optional performance/showing on June 20.

Applications will open on April 13th and close on May 8th. Successful applicants will be notified by May 13th.

Candidate applications will be reviewed by Cobequid Dance Academy Owner and Artistic Director, Melissa Page-Webster.

There is no requirement to produce a final showing or performance, though artists may choose to share work on June 20th informally if they wish. Should they opt in to showing their work, they will be granted access to The Marigold theatre and technician from 1:00pm-3:00pm on Friday June 19th.