Movement Research’s Van Lier Emerging Artist of Color Fellowship

The Fellowship period is from January 1, 2026 – December 31, 2026. 

The Van Lier Emerging Artist of Color Fellowship program supports the professional development of young artists demonstrating the following:

• An interest in dance-making and the progressive, movement-based arts community;
• Commitment to the field, and to establishing a professional career;
• An interest in dance-making and the progressive, movement-based arts community;
• Commitment to the field, and to establishing a professional career;
• Between 22 and 30 years of age;
• Identifies as Black, Brown, and/or Asian from Diasporic cultures such as, but not limited to, African, Afro-Caribbean, Arab, Asian, Latine/Latinx, Native/Indigenous, and/or Pacific Islands.
• Will not be enrolled in an academic, conservatory, college, or degree-granting program during the Fellowship period.
• This program is funded by organizations that specifically support artists who are residents of New York City. Resident means that your primary residence is in one of the 5 Boroughs of New York City for at least one year prior to applying for the program;
• Artists must apply as individuals, and only one individual artist will be granted each residency.

Please note:

• At Movement Research, we collect and review submissions via Submittable. The first step of the submission process is to create a Submittable account, or sign into your existing account. When creating an account, you will be asked for your name, your email address, and a password of your choosing.
• Individuals for whom access to an internet or wifi enabled device and/or a reliable Internet connection is unavailable should contact Movement Research at (212) 598-0551 (voice only) for guidance.
• For accessibility purposes, the application can be sent as an attachment by email. Acceptable file types: .doc, .docx, .pdf. To receive the full list of application questions send an email to apply@movementresearch.org. Please note that the deadline for submitting the application as an attachment is the same as the deadline for submitting the application through Submittable.

If you have questions regarding accessibility, please email accessibility@movementresearch.org, subject line “2026 MR Van Lier Artist of Color Fellowship Application.”

• Emerging dance artists of color engaging in wide-ranging artistic investigations that are movement-based, but that may incorporate other disciplines and collaborations, with a focus on experimentation.
• Emerging dance artists of color who reflect a range of directions and approaches to making work such that there is an interesting confluence of artistic ideas being explored over the course of the Fellowship.

During the fellowship period (January–December 2026):

• A Fellowship stipend of $10,000
• A training stipend of $500 for class and workshop fees beyond MR offerings
• A performance ticket & conference/symposium stipend of $500
• A performance fee of $500 for the Movement Research at the Judson Church presentation
• Professional video and photo documentation of the Movement Research at the Judson Church performance
• Artist Mentor – each Fellow will select an Artist Mentor that will provide artistic and professional feedback through studio visits and in-person and virtual meetings
• 100 hours of free rehearsal space in MR Studios
• Professional dance training with seminal teachers in the field through MR classes and MELT workshop intensives
• Individual Meetings with MR Leadership on professional development topics

• Finalists must participate in a brief interview to confirm eligibility on October 8 or 9, 2025
• Attend an Orientation Meeting in November/December 2025
• Fellows must be able to participate in the program for the entirety of the Fellowship period (Jan-Dec 2026)
• Share work-in-process on the Movement Research at the Judson Church series in the Fall 2026 season
• Meet with the Artist Mentor throughout the Fellowship period
• Participate in periodic meetings with MR staff
• Submit interim and final reports detailing fellows’ activities throughout the year

MR will convene a panel of artists from the MR community to review and discuss applications. The panel is facilitated by non-voting MR staff, and will ultimately select two artists for the Fellowship. Applicants will be notified of the results of the selection process in early October 2025.