Pilot Lakewood Dance/Movement Residency
Applications for the 2025-2026 cycle are now closed. Check back in 2026!
Introducing the Pilot Lakewood Movement Residency program!
In partnership with the Lakewood Cultural Center - the artistic hub for the city of Lakewood, CO - SpaceTalks seeks to provide a six-month long residency for one dance/movement artist or organization to further their creative process while serving the Lakewood community.
The resident artist/organization will receive a minimum of 3 hours per week of rehearsal space, in exchange for in-kind services, in the form of workshops, masterclasses and/or performances, to meet or exceed the estimated rental fee. Rehearsal space will be made available in one of LCC’s two dance studios equipped with sprung floors, mirrors, and sound systems.
In exchange for rehearsal space, the resident artist/organization will share their work and their art form with the Lakewood community via programs to be agreed upon during contracting, but which may include but not be limited to 3-5 workshops + 1 masterclass, and a short 3-5 minute performance at each of the LCC Dance Recital shows in May of 2026.
Timeline
Tuesday Sept. 16, 2025 - Application Open
Monday Sept. 29, 2025, midnight - Application Deadline
November 2025 - Award decision
Upon completion of contract with LCC - Residency announced and program begins
End of May 2026 - End of Residency period
Program Details
The 2025-2026 residency will begin in December 2025 and end at the end of May 2026.
A community panel will review applications and select 1 resident artist/organization who will be notified in approximately November 2025.
Rehearsal times must take place within the schedules below:
Dance Studio (for artists using hard-soled shoes like tap, flamenco, clogging, etc.) – Tuesdays or Thursdays 1-4pm
Encore Studio (for all other styles that can work on wood floors) – Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays 9am-4:30pm
Resident artists are expected to use their minimum 3 hours of rehearsal time per week regularly.
The Lakewood Cultural Center is closed on city holidays and for some special events/programming and rehearsals will not be possible when the building is closed or studio has been scheduled for special programming.
If you are an artist or organization working in a medium that uses hard-soled shoes (i.e. tap, flamenco, clogging, etc.) you can only use the Dance Studio which has marley flooring. See above schedule for availability.
Classes or open rehearsals offered by resident artist/company cannot charge a fee for participation. For instance, a dance company that normally opens the company class they have before rehearsal to outside participants could not charge a fee for taking that class. However, they could invite participants to donate to their company.
Rehearsals and artist work time can be closed or open to the public at the discretion of the artist or company.
The resident artist/organization will work with LCC immediately after award notification to set up their in-kind programming exchange schedule.
In-kind exchange programs must take place over the course of the 6 month program period.
The LCC will collect all revenue from the agreed upon in-kind exchange programs to recover the cost of the zero-fee rehearsal space.
SpaceTalks will be available to resident artists as a resource and thought partner. We want to support your creative process and outreach explorations in whatever way we can!
All rehearsal times would take place at the Lakewood Cultural Center at 470 S. Allison Parkway, Lakewood, CO 80226. The building and both studio spaces are accessible by elevator and a small ramp into the studio. For additional specs and photos of the studios, see the attached details linked here.
Eligibility Requirements
Individual artists, companies, and/or organizations working in the greater Denver Metro area are invited to apply
SpaceTalks is focused on providing resources for performing artists who use dance and/or movement as an integral part of their creative work.
Resident artists and/or companies must be able to meet all of the insurance requirements outlined by the City in the contracting process or be able to obtain appropriate liability and any other insurances required by the City of Lakewood.
Preference will be given for artists/organizations who have experience doing Community Outreach/Workshop programming
We will award 1 residency for the 2025-2026 cycle
If you are an artist or company working in a medium that uses hard-soled shoes (i.e. tap, flamenco, clogging, etc.) know that rehearsal space has more limited availability to Tuesdays or Thursdays from 1-4pm only. If you cannot rehearse during one of those times, do not apply.
There is no final product or report on your residency or in-kind exchange program activities. However, since this is a pilot program, SpaceTalks requires a postmortem conversation with resident artists/organizations to debrief about their experience and to gather feedback. We also request that artists/companies share photo and/or video documentation of their work when possible.
Application
View a PDF of the application AT THIS LINK.
If you cannot fill out the Google Form application for whatever reason, email us your answers and materials instead.
FAQ’s
I’m having trouble filling out the Google Form application. What do I do?
If you cannot fill out the Google Form application for whatever reason, email us your answers and materials instead: admin@spacetalks.org
What kind of insurance will be required of the awarded artist/organization?
Liability and other insurance requirements will be determined as part of the contracting process after award.
I am an artist/company that uses hard-soled shoes (ie: tap, flamenco, clogging, etc.) and we cannot rehearse on either Tuesday or Thursday between 1-4pm. What should we do?
Do not apply this year if you work in hard-soled shoes and are not available on Tuesday or Thursday between 1-4pm. We may have different rehearsal availability in the future, so check back after this year.
What kind of programming with the Lakewood community will the awarded artist/organization be doing?
Specific programs will be determined as part of contracting with Lakewood Cultural Center staff. Programs could include workshops, master classes, or performances.
I have another question, concern, or curiosity.
