Individual Mentorship Program
Work one-on-one with a mentor who has walked the walk – in, alongside and/or beyond dance. Start where you’re at, unfold your career questions, tackle the challenges, explore the possibilities. Lean into a supported, reflective dialogue to clarify your intent and map your way forward.
How can you expand on your values, aspirations, and career opportunities?
This one-on-one mentorship program focusses on career development and diversification for dance artists. Mentors will support participants through a series of 6 meetings, holding confidential space to explore career-related questions, challenges and possibilities.
Through a reflective dialogue, participants will benefit from the relatable, lived experience of the mentors and the dedicated space to clarify their intent and map their way forward.
FREE
By application.
Full program commitment required.
English and French options, ASL/LSQ provided,
with captioning upon request, where applicable for group sessions.
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DETAILS
Open to all professional dancers who are legally entitled to work in Canada, and to Canadian professional dancers working abroad, including DTRC members.
See application form for full eligibility criteria.
Must be at least 18 years of age.
Thank you for your interest.
We are no longer accepting applications or registration.
Please watch our social media channels for information about DTRC’s upcoming programs and services.
If you have any questions, please contact evolve@dtrc.ca.
APPLICATION DEADLINE FOR MENTEES: Oct. 10, 2023
Confirmation of acceptance and match notifications will be sent to all participants via email by Dec. 15, 2023.
*A minimum of 6 mentee spots are reserved for dance artists who self-identify from Indigenous and equity-deserving communities. Applicants will be given the option to self-identify as part of the application form.
Mentee Experience
This individual mentorship program focusses on career development and diversification for dance artists working in, alongside and/or beyond dance. Through a series of 6 meetings with a mentor, mentees will have the opportunity to explore their core questions and challenges, gain critical and creative insights, learn about various tools and resources, identify new opportunities, and articulate next steps in their career trajectory.
As with any creative journey, ongoing engagement and active reflection will support a generative process. For the best possible mentorship experience, mentees should be prepared to dedicate time between each mentorship meeting to research, reflect, write and prepare for the next meeting.
The program seeks to prioritize the mentee’s career stage, inquiries, challenges and goals, and to pair mentors-mentees based on resonant and relatable dimensions of career and lived experience. Matching will be done based on mentee applications. Mentees will be selected based on the following:
- clear outline of their current career context and values;
- focussed career development inquiry and goals;
- specific challenges, gaps, questions;
- timeliness and potential impact of this opportunity on their career trajectory; and
- likelihood of a successful match from the existing mentor pool.
In the application form, mentees will have the opportunity to identify specific preferences and lines of connection they are looking for in an ideal mentor to support the pairing process.
NOTE: While we will do our best to find an appropriate mentor for each selected mentee, based on the limits of our current mentor pool we cannot guarantee a match (see Pairing Process).
Program Requirements
Mentees will be required to:
- be available between Oct-Nov 2023 for the pairing process (see below), Jan-June 2024 for a group orientation meeting, 6 biweekly mentoring sessions, a mid-program check-in (April) and a final group wrap-up meeting (June)
- sign an agreement with the mentor and the DTRC outlining roles, responsibilities, accountabilities, etc.
- maintain a regular schedule of 6 x 1-1.5hr meetings with their mentor approximately biweekly between Feb-May 2024
- dedicate time between each mentorship meeting to research, reflect, write and prepare for the next meeting
- work in person or via Zoom depending on the mentor pairing
Please note: This is NOT a program for dance artists wishing to undertake creative or aesthetic explorations such as examining one’s creative process or having an outside eye or creative mentor for feedback on a dance work.
Mentor Pool
The Expansions mentor pool comprises dance artists and former dance artists with a diverse range of career and lived experiences across the following dimensions:
- Language
- Geographic location
- Career stage
- Dance practice
- Artistic role (performer, choreographer, educator, etc.)
- Parallel/Portfolio career practice (alongside and beyond dance)
- Self-identification with Indigenous and equity-deserving communities
Mentors responded to an open call for applications circulated to DTRC members, alumni and the broader dance community. Mentors have been selected based on their career experiences; mentorship, education, coaching or comparable experience; responses from two references; and their stated understanding of their role and responsibility to hold confidential space for one-on-one dialogue.
Pairing Process
Mentors-mentees will be paired based on an appropriate match across dimensions of experience. The mentor and mentee will be provided with the name and biography of the proposed match to consider in advance.
The pairing process will be conducted via a 15-minute zoom meet & greet session, after which both parties will be required to confidentially inform DTRC if they accept or decline the match.
If either party declines, a new match may be proposed up to 2 more times. If no match can be found, the mentor or mentee may not be paired for the program.
The pairing process will take place in Oct-Nov 2023 and requires each mentor and mentee to be available to be scheduled at mutually agreed times.
Community Guidelines
- We gather in a spirit of mutual support and respect for each other. We acknowledge the diverse learning journeys we are all on.
- We listen to learn. We accept and expect non-closure.
- We leave our assumptions at the door in order to facilitate a non-judgmental space for dialogue.
- We don’t assume pronouns, gender, or other identifiers based on someone’s name or appearance.
- There is zero tolerance for those promoting violence on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious affiliation, or ability. Anyone inciting harm towards other participants will be removed at the discretion of our technical team and moderator.
Mentee Experience
This individual mentorship program focusses on career development and diversification for dance artists working in, alongside and/or beyond dance. Through a series of 6 meetings with a mentor, mentees will have the opportunity to explore their core questions and challenges, gain critical and creative insights, learn about various tools and resources, identify new opportunities, and articulate next steps in their career trajectory.
As with any creative journey, ongoing engagement and active reflection will support a generative process. For the best possible mentorship experience, mentees should be prepared to dedicate time between each mentorship meeting to research, reflect, write and prepare for the next meeting.
The program seeks to prioritize the mentee’s career stage, inquiries, challenges and goals, and to pair mentors-mentees based on resonant and relatable dimensions of career and lived experience. Matching will be done based on mentee applications. Mentees will be selected based on the following:
- clear outline of their current career context and values;
- focussed career development inquiry and goals;
- specific challenges, gaps, questions;
- timeliness and potential impact of this opportunity on their career trajectory; and
- likelihood of a successful match from the existing mentor pool.
In the application form, mentees will have the opportunity to identify specific preferences and lines of connection they are looking for in an ideal mentor to support the pairing process.
NOTE: While we will do our best to find an appropriate mentor for each selected mentee, based on the limits of our current mentor pool we cannot guarantee a match (see Pairing Process).
Program Requirements
Mentees will be required to:
- be available between Oct-Nov 2023 for the pairing process (see below), Jan-June 2024 for a group orientation meeting, 6 biweekly mentoring sessions, a mid-program check-in (April) and a final group wrap-up meeting (June)
- sign an agreement with the mentor and the DTRC outlining roles, responsibilities, accountabilities, etc.
- maintain a regular schedule of 6 x 1-1.5hr meetings with their mentor approximately biweekly between Feb-May 2024
- dedicate time between each mentorship meeting to research, reflect, write and prepare for the next meeting
- work in person or via Zoom depending on the mentor pairing
Please note: This is NOT a program for dance artists wishing to undertake creative or aesthetic explorations such as examining one’s creative process or having an outside eye or creative mentor for feedback on a dance work.
Mentor Pool
The Expansions mentor pool comprises dance artists and former dance artists with a diverse range of career and lived experiences across the following dimensions:
- Language
- Geographic location
- Career stage
- Dance practice
- Artistic role (performer, choreographer, educator, etc.)
- Parallel/Portfolio career practice (alongside and beyond dance)
- Self-identification with Indigenous and equity-deserving communities
Mentors responded to an open call for applications circulated to DTRC members, alumni and the broader dance community. Mentors have been selected based on their career experiences; mentorship, education, coaching or comparable experience; responses from two references; and their stated understanding of their role and responsibility to hold confidential space for one-on-one dialogue.
Pairing Process
Mentors-mentees will be paired based on an appropriate match across dimensions of experience. The mentor and mentee will be provided with the name and biography of the proposed match to consider in advance.
The pairing process will be conducted via a 15-minute zoom meet & greet session, after which both parties will be required to confidentially inform DTRC if they accept or decline the match.
If either party declines, a new match may be proposed up to 2 more times. If no match can be found, the mentor or mentee may not be paired for the program.
The pairing process will take place in Oct-Nov 2023 and requires each mentor and mentee to be available to be scheduled at mutually agreed times.
Community Guidelines
- We gather in a spirit of mutual support and respect for each other. We acknowledge the diverse learning journeys we are all on.
- We listen to learn. We accept and expect non-closure.
- We leave our assumptions at the door in order to facilitate a non-judgmental space for dialogue.
- We don’t assume pronouns, gender, or other identifiers based on someone’s name or appearance.
- There is zero tolerance for those promoting violence on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious affiliation, or ability. Anyone inciting harm towards other participants will be removed at the discretion of our technical team and moderator.
APPLY
Please complete the detailed application form below.
- Please answer to the best of your ability. Should you be selected, you will have the opportunity to share additional information with your mentor.
- We appreciate your taking the time to provide us with the requested insights and information, which will support the pairing process and help us provide the best possible experience for both mentees and mentors.
- A minimum of 6 mentee spots are reserved for dance artists who self-identify from Indigenous and equity-deserving communities. Applicants will be given the option to self-identify as part of the application form.
For questions, support in completing the application, or to submit an alternate-format application please email: evolve@dtrc.ca.