Short Description
The Seattle International Dance Festival (a program of the Khambatta Dance Company) announces a new iteration of its JRRTP program for Seattle area-based artists, funded by The Raynier Foundation. The 2026 James Ray Residency and Touring Project is a comprehensive program that includes financial support, touring development and support, free rehearsal space, arts consulting, and a fully-produced performance at the Seattle International Dance Festival.
The program provides up to 4 Seattle-area-based artists with time and resources to fully develop their work, steward and grow new and current donors and patrons, and create better systems to facilitate the creative-performance cycle. Additionally, the program aims to foster the local dance ecology and enrich the city’s cultural landscape by helping Seattle-area artists put their best work forward, extend their reach through touring, and help them increase their organizational capacity and sustainability.
Eligibility
This program is available to greater Seattle-area dance artists in two categories, as listed below. Two artists/arts groups for each category will be selected.
Small Established Artists/Companies
- Minimum 5 years of presenting/performing dance professionally
- 3 – 5 years’ experience with applying for grants and fundraising
- Basic experience in audience tracking (some capture method(s), statistics on audience demographics, etc.)
Emerging Artists/Companies
- Less than 5 years of presenting dance professionally
- 0 -2 years’ experience with grant writing and fundraising
- No or minimal experience in audience tracking (no formal capture method, statistics on audience demographics, etc.)
How to Apply
Online Application
Program Benefits & Awards
Year 1
- Artist fees – established companies $3,000 / emerging companies: $1,700
- Up to 50 hours of paid rehearsal space
- 2-day artistic retreat in Seattle for group immersion in the work
- Up to 12 hours of individual consulting aimed at creating a customized plan for artistic, company, financial, and other goals
- Peer-to-peer mentoring during the rehearsal process
- Facilitated convenings and events with the cohort and outside parties
- A fully-produced, one-evening performance at the Seattle International Dance Festival (SIDF) in June 2026, which includes
- All publicity/marketing, ticketing, theater, front of house, and box office staff for one performance for each artist/company
- Full production services, including all production staff, as necessary
Years 2-4 (approx.)
- Artists will be presented to SIDF partners regionally, nationally, and internationally for touring opportunities. This will be implemented through the American Cultural Exchange Network for Dance (ACEND).**
- Touring Exchange: A unique feature of this updated program is support for artist-driven exchanges. If you have ongoing exchanges or plan ongoing exchanges with artists/companies in other locations outside of the Seattle area, your exchange artist/company partner is eligible to receive funding from SIDF/KDC to exchange with you (in Seattle), if they can provide reciprocal, equivalent support to present your company outside Seattle. This could be in conjunction with your SIDF performance at JRRTP or can be outside SIDF (but in the Seattle area).
- Inclusion in a new performance exchange-oriented touring website with other national and international artists (optional).
- Additional support for touring opportunities generated through the program and provided through SIDF’s national/international partnerships
Entry Fee
None
Location
Seattle, WA, United States
Timeline
- Application Deadline: 14 November 2025
Website Link: https://seattleidf.org/james-ray-application/
