Open until December 5, 2025, the Danza Urbana XL call for proposals supports the touring of works conceived for urban and non-conventional spaces.
The Danza Urbana XL call is open online until 12:00 p.m. on December 5, 2025, for the selection of contemporary and auteur dance creations designed for urban or non-conventional spaces.
This initiative, part of the Anticorpi XL Network—the Italian network dedicated to supporting and promoting emerging auteur dance—targets professional authors and companies based in Italy, with particular attention to artists under 35. It focuses on works that explore performance forms beyond traditional venues, immersing themselves in everyday settings, public spaces, and the broader urban landscape.
Each selected creation will be guaranteed a minimum of three performances under the financial conditions specified in the call.
The selection committee—composed of representatives from each partner organization within the Network participating in the 2026 edition—will review the applications and select between a minimum of two and a maximum of five proposals. The evaluation will consider the project’s coherence with the nature of the call, the artist’s ability to engage with urban or non-conventional spaces and to go beyond traditional theatrical conventions, the artistic quality of the proposed creation, the performers’ quality, and the overall innovativeness of the work.
During the evaluation process, the committee will give special attention to creations by artists under 35 and, as a new feature this year, may grant additional recognition to “zero-impact” works—those with a low environmental footprint.
You can submit your application by filling out the online form in all its sections on the portal www.ilsonar.it (select the page dedicated to the Danza Urbana XL call) no later than 12:00 p.m. on December 5, 2025.
To apply for the call, applicants must provide the following materials:
a full video recording of the proposed creation (shot with a fixed camera in an urban or non-conventional space, without editing), the author’s or company’s curriculum vitae in Italian and English (maximum 800 characters including spaces), a presentation sheet of the proposed creation in Italian and English (maximum 1,500 characters), including credits (maximum 1,000 characters) and a list of the musical pieces used.
The complete call for proposals, along with the related FAQs, can be consulted and downloaded from www.networkdanzaxl.org (NEWS AND CALLS section) and from the portal www.ilsonar.it.
Danza Urbana XL promotes the dissemination and visibility of works conceived for urban or non-conventional spaces through the sharing of artistic proposals and the creation of a touring program within the festivals, showcases, and seasons of the Network partners participating in the initiative.
In addition to offering a platform for programming and visibility to choreographers exploring performance beyond theatrical conventions, the project aims to:
encourage Italian artists to create dance works for urban spaces; ensure the touring of such works by Italian companies throughout the country; promote the field of urban dance through coordinated national communication, dissemination of artistic proposals, and collaboration among national and international networks and professionals.
The Anticorpi XL Network is the Italian network dedicated to emerging auteur dance. Founded in 2007, it currently involves 38 operators across 16 regions and represents a concrete and significant example of promoting the new generation of Italian choreographers.
The network brings together operators who offer a wide range of initiatives designed to respond to the needs of artists at different stages of their growth and development—from emerging choreographers, who in the fragility of a still-developing artistic voice seek training, exchange, mentoring, and dialogue, to established artists with a defined artistic signature, eager to experiment with more complex creative processes.
Over its 18 years of activity, the network has succeeded in creating an unprecedented working model—now established and recognized as a “best practice” for supporting the entire live performance sector—contributing to the emergence and professional consolidation of a significant number of choreographers.
For information:
Massimo Carosi – Coordinator, Danza Urbana XL
danzaurbana@networkdanzaxl.org
www.networkdanzaxl.org
facebook: networkanticorpixl
instagram: @networkanticorpixl
