India Foundation for the Arts
New Performance Programme
IFA’s New Performance programme supports reflective performance practices that extend beyond prevailing idioms and forms of performance and/or create new modes of presentation. Performing arts groups and individuals working in or across music, dance, theatre and puppetry can apply keeping the broad thrust areas in mind. The programme is also open to light or set designers, puppeteers, sound artists and writers working in the area of performance.
Pre-production: This programme supports performing artists to germinate and nurture fresh ideas and reflect on the immediate context of their practice. This may include researching towards a performance script and/or collaborative or improvisatory work towards creating a text or other resources and references for the proposed performance.
Performance: Risk-taking and experimental performances that tackle unexplored themes or critically engages with changing contexts of performance will be supported. These productions could introduce fresh content, investigate unexplored but meaningful themes, or straddle different genres in the performing arts. These are only examples, however, and do not exhaust the possibilities offered by this programme.
Dissemination: IFA grantees can apply for follow-up grants that will enable a wider public to critically engage with their IFA-supported work and the larger issues it throws up. This may include disseminating knowledge acquired and expertise gained with the grant in imaginative and innovative ways.
Residencies/Workshops: Performance residencies and workshops are ideal environments for questioning and reflecting on contemporary performance practices. Innovatively modeled artist residencies and workshops that nurture emerging performing artists, encourage collaboration, and support dialogue with a wider field of practice may be considered under the programme. Workshops that focus on imparting new idioms and facilitating experimentation may be considered under the programme. We are particularly interested in supporting residencies and workshops hosted by emerging organisations in the early stages of institutional building.
Public Platforms: Public platforms like conferences and seminars that bring together diverse stakeholders in the field of performance to discuss newly emerging and unconventional practices may be considered under the programme. Also, we encourage performing communities to engage in initiatives towards building a network of mutually supportive practitioners in the field. Initiatives that look to encourage dialogue and collaboration between performing artists working in different languages and regions may be considered under the programme. These are only examples, however, and do not exhaust the possibilities offered under this category.
You are welcome to discuss your ideas and develop your proposal through dialogue and interaction with IFA staff. To apply, please send us a short note describing 1) your existing practice and your concerns and interests as a practioner and, 2) the nature of work for which you are seeking funding and how it addresses the programme.
A budget should not exceed Rs 1,50,000 for pre-production work, Rs 3,00,000 for developing a production, and Rs 6,00,000 for a residency. The budget for seminars, conferences, network development and workshops may be developed in consultation with programme staff.
APPLICATION
Applications under this programme can be submitted for consideration at any time. You may write your proposal in any Indian language. Please ensure that we receive a draft proposal three months prior to your need for funds to support the project. You may email your queries on any matter pertaining to this programme to sumana@indiaifa.org or write to:
Sumana Chandrashekar, Programme Executive - New Performance, India Foundation for the Arts, 'Apurva', Ground Floor, No 259, 4th Cross, Raj Mahal Vilas 2nd Stage, 2nd Block, Bangalore-560 094. Phone: 080-2341 4681 / 82
You can expect to receive a reply from us within ten days, indicating whether your proposal is being considered for support.
ELIGIBILITY
You are eligible to apply if you are an Indian national, a registered non-profit Indian organisation, or have been resident in India for at least five years. Your collaborators, if any, should also fall into one of the above categories.
Translations of this circular are available in other Indian languages on request and can also be downloaded from www.indiaifa.org
In 2011, The SKODA Prize platform was extended to create a prize for artists at the beginning of their careers with The Breakthrough Artist Award – which recognizes younger artists under the age of 35 - based on their debut solo exhibitions in India. The Breakthrough Artist Award is supported by highly regarded publication Art India (over a decade old magazine). Through its association with ART India, The SKODA Prize also supports the development on critical dialogue, and writing about Indian contemporary art. Mr. Girish Shahane, Art Critic, Curator and Director, Art for The SKODA Prize for Indian Contemporary Art, said “We aim to build on the reputation the award has established as a benchmark of artistic quality, while also attracting more new voices through the Breakthrough Artist Award”.