About chashama
chashama is a not-for-profit artist services organization that provides free and subsidized space to visual and performing artists. chashama finds and "adopts" unused properties in New York City. This real estate is loaned to us by owners and developers and quickly transformed into workspace and unusual performance sites for artists. chashama manages these interim arts complexes and through this process is able to offer fully and highly subsidized space, giving emerging and mid-career artists more opportunities to present innovative work.

About the Program
Since its inception in 1995, chashama has had a long successful history of bringing performances to unexpected places for the public to enjoy. We are pleased to announce that this October, in partnership with Greater Jamaica Development Corp (GJDC) and Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning (JCAL), we will be continuing this tradition in a new location: Jamaica, Queens! We will select three choreographers and/or companies to create outdoor performances for the lawn in front of the Jamaica Performing Arts Center (JPAC). Each company or choreographer will be assigned one of the three Saturdays in October: 4, 11, or 18.

About the GJDC
Greater Jamaica Development Corporation is a community-building organization that plans, promotes, coordinates and advances responsible development to revitalize Jamaica and strengthen the region. Marshaling the resources of the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors, GJDC's work expands economic opportunity and improves quality of life for the ethnically and economically diverse residents of Jamaica and for the region at large, which benefits from rational, well-planned, and sustainable metropolitan growth.
www.gjdc.org

About JCAL
The Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning, a member of New York City's Cultural Institutions Group, was founded in 1972 as part of a large-scale effort to revitalize the declining Jamaica business district. Today, JCAL's neo-Renaissance building features a 1,650 square foot visual arts gallery, a 99-seat proscenium theater, painting, dance and ceramics studios, and a soundproof music studio. Over 25,000 people of all ages and backgrounds annually participate in JCAL's education, performing arts, and visual arts programs. Current offerings include contemporary visual arts exhibitions; multicultural performing arts events; film screenings and lectures; in-school artist residencies; a series of 40 different arts workshops; and free after-school and summer programs for teens.

JCAL has a long history of staging contemporary performances and exhibitions that serve the residents of Southeast Queens and New York City. JCAL has hosted legendary performers such as Wynton Marsalis, Dizzy Gillespie, and Sweet Honey in the Rock. JCAL has presented many outdoor concert series including Free Summer Performances and the Out-to-Lunch Series. JCAL's expertise also extends beyond the performing arts. Every two years, the Center mounts Jamaica Flux: Workspaces & Windows, a large-scale, contemporary public art exhibition, which displays site-specific artworks at various locations and public spaces along Jamaica Avenue.
www.jcal.org

About JPAC
The Jamaica Performing Arts Center, located on Jamaica Avenue and 153rd Street adjacent to a major subway and bus terminal, is a landmark Former Dutch Reformed Church building and open space that was renovated by the City of New York at a cost of $20 million. The space will soon open for reuse as a 400-seat state of the art performing arts center to be operated by the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning. Planned programming includes theatre productions, music concerts, film festivals, dance performances and arts education.
JPAC page

Timeline & Conditions
chashama is offering performance space at JPAC for three (3) emerging dance companies/choreographers to present original works 20 – 60 minutes in length. Companies/choreographers will be assigned one (1) Saturday in October (Oct. 4, 11, or 18) with performances to take place at 11AM and 1PM.

Companies/choreographers must be from Queens. Greater consideration will be given to artists from the Southeast Queens / Jamaica area.

Interested groups/artists may contact Risa Shoup via email at risa@chashama.org with questions. Interested companies/artists may visit JPAC on their own, and are STRONGLY encouraged to do so before applying. Proposed works should be site-specific in nature, created in response to the site itself and the surrounding neighborhood.

Companies/choreographers will be granted a stipend of $250 at the end of their performance.

Please submit 1 copy of each of the following materials:
 •   2 page application form, completed in its entirety.
 •   1 page description of the project.
 •   Brief bios of primary collaborators (no more than ½ page per person).
 •   Project expense budget.
 •   You may also submit one or more of the following additional work samples: up to five (5) production photos, ten (10) minute work sample on DVD/video CD.
 •   Press and/or publicity materials from previous projects. Please send no more than three (3) press articles and two (2) examples of publicity material. (Suggested, but not mandatory.)

chashama no longer returns submitted materials.

Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Mail or hand-deliver complete applications.
Faxed or emailed applications will not be considered.

Deadline: Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Applications must arrive (not postmarked) at the chashama office by 5PM.

chashama
ATTN: Dance Jamaica: October! RFP/Risa Shoup
201 East 42nd Street, Suite 3225-29
New York, NY 10017

Applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

 •   Quality of proposed project
 •   Project feasibility

Link to the application form here.