stomping ground commission 2026 callout

We are looking for a short solo or duet tourable to primary schools, festivals and other public spaces around the country.

The piece needs to be suitable for performances in school playgrounds for primary aged children, to be presented as part of The Place’s Playground Tour Summer 2026. We also expect that the commissioned piece will be suitable to tour to other outdoor festival contexts offered by the Stomping Ground partners.

The piece should be created with children as the primary audience in mind. However, we welcome proposals from artists interested in adapting aspects of the work for presentation to broader audiences in a festival setting.

Small in scale doesn’t mean small in ambition. We are looking for ideas which encourage curiosity, discovery and joy, and want to commission works that are dynamic, engaging and centre innovation. In your application, we encourage you to think about what makes your idea particularly exciting for children. We know for example that children respond well to humour, high energy, decisive and bold movements. You might also be exploring a theme currently on the school curriculum or ask questions that will spark children’s curiosity.

We are particularly interested to hear from artists who incorporate dance styles which are underrepresented in the sector.

You don’t need to apply with a completely new idea. You can apply with a piece that has already had some development if it hasn't toured yet.

We are expecting to build opportunities together with the artist for testing the piece with groups of children during the rehearsal process. This will be done in collaboration with the commissioning partners who are specialised in producing works for schools and wider outdoor contexts.

We are inviting applications from UK-based artists, who define themselves as having an established practice, and track record of making and presenting high quality work.

We encourage applications from artists with a range of lived experiences and from a range of backgrounds, and we particularly welcome applications from those who are underrepresented in the dance sector, including artists from Global Majority backgrounds, artists who identify as LGBTQIA+, deaf, disabled, neurodivergent artists and artists from lower socio-economic backgrounds.