Open Call changeMakers
Nederlandse Dansdagen is looking for five dance makers with a connection to the former Dutch East Indies and/or Indonesia who want to share their creative process. Apply now!
26 June 2025
The new Nederlandse Dansdagen dansMuseum exhibition changeMakers brings together five Netherlands-based dance makers with roots in the former Dutch East Indies and/or Indonesia to explore the following questions:
How do you engage with your (multi)cultural backgrounds through your work? What influence does this have on dance in the Netherlands? And what can your stories contribute to a broader conversation about history and cultural heritage?
By dance makers, we mean anyone whose creative work involves or relates to dance. For example, dancers, choreographers, writers, photographers, and even visual artists.
Like previous dansMuseum exhibitions, changeMakers aims to expand an understanding of what constitutes Dutch dance by highlighting the contributions of different cultural groups to its development.
Research exhibition changeMakers
changeMakers is a durational research exhibition that will take place on and offline from November 2025 to December 2026. We call it a research exhibition because its focus is on the process of creation rather than displaying existing work. In this exhibition we get to see a glimpse of the creative process behind the making of dance.
changeMakers will follow the creative processes of five Netherlands-based dance makers with connections to the former Dutch East Indies and Indonesia who are exploring the following exhibition questions in their work:
How do you process your (multi)cultural background in your work? How does this influence dance in the Netherlands, and what can this contribute to a broader conversation about history and cultural heritage in the Netherlands?
Throughout the exhibition, a community panel, made up of representatives from the Indisch and/or Indonesian communities, will support the makers’ processes, offering feedback and support when necessary. In addition, a researcher will explore the exhibition subject from a social, political, cultural, and dance history perspective.
Apply
We encourage dance makers with a connection to the former Dutch East Indies and/or Indonesia who currently live and work in the Netherlands to apply before 24 August 2025. By dance makers, we mean anyone who practises dance themselves or creates work that broadens the understanding of dance. For example, you may be a dancer, choreographer, writer, photographer, visual artist or someone else who creates work related to dance.
The exhibition is intended for any dance maker who wants to contribute to the exhibition by reflecting on and sharing fragments of their creative process. We encourage you to see your current and ongoing projects as the basis for your possible contribution. changeMakers offers space and a framework to give your work new visibility and depth.
When registering, we ask for the following:
- Motivation letter (max. 500 words) Why do you want to participate?
- Project proposal (max. 500 words) Conceptual framework of the project and how it relates to the theme of changeMakers.
- Portfolio. Examples of current or existing work.
- Biography (250 words)
- CV (one A4 page)
Selection process and planning
Makers are selected by a community panel consisting of representatives from the Indisch and/or Indonesian communities and the Dutch dance field, and based primarily on the following criteria:
- Relevance: How does the project relate to the exhibition's research question?
- Feasibility: Is the project feasible within the applicant's resources and the framework of the exhibition?
The deadline for applications is 24 August 2025. The selected creators will be contacted by 20 September at the latest. The first informal meeting between the selected creators and the community panel will take place on Saturday 4 October during the Nederlandse Dansdagen. After the festival, the creators will be announced publicly. The process will start online shortly afterwards.
Online content
During the first eight months of the exhibition, makers will share a behind-the-scenes look into their creative process in an online exhibition space on the dansMuseum website. Through video, text, images, audio (or any other form that fits their work) makers can offer a glimpse into their ideas and the questions that guide their creative process.
Offline content
In addition to this online content, the exhibition will also include live community events, where dance makers will meet in person to share and discuss their work.
Finally, the exhibition will conclude with a live event during the Nederlandse Dansdagen 2026. The form and content of this event will be determined in collaboration with the makers and as a result of the exhibition process.
Financial support
As previously mentioned, dance makers are encouraged to apply for ongoing projects, which may include associated research questions, plans and budgets. For their contribution to changeMakers, selected makers will receive a fee of €5000 to use at their own discretion.
Any questions?
For any additional questions, please contact Anne Smeets via dansMuseum@nederlandsedansdagen.nl
