Open Call

The Soul Sessions Encounters festival is back! Save the dates 2–8 March 2026 for new and exciting performances, battles, workshops and jams – this time at Dansens Hus and Den Norske Opera & Ballett ///

New in 2026 is a collaboration with both Dansens Hus and Den Norske Opera & Ballett. There will be battles and performances at both venues, and we’re very excited about this partnership.

OPEN CALL
During the festival we will premiere three Norwegian performances and are therefore announcing an open call.

Are you a choreographer rooted in street and club dances? Have you already worked choreographically and want to develop further, gain new momentum, a network, and presentation opportunities?

You can now apply to create and present a 20–30 minute perfomance with a premiere during the Soul Sessions Encounters festival. Two works will be shown in Prøvesal 1 at the Den Norske Opera & Ballett, and one work will be shown on Studioscenen at Dansens Hus. As a choreographer you will receive artistic and dramaturgical guidance, producer support, rehearsal space, seminars, photo and video documentation, lighting design, and a stage to present your work.

The project will give you inspiration and room to further develop your artistic voice as a choreographer. It’s up to you whether you create a solo or include other dancers in your piece, and whether or not you perform yourself. You may apply with a maximum of 3 dancers in addition to yourself.

Criteria:

• You must be based in Oslo (or be willing to cover travel and accommodation yourself)
• You have a strong foundation in the street and/or club dance community
• You are motivated and genuinely interested in further developing and exploring your personal expression and voice as a choreographer in collaboration with mentors and other choreographers in the project
• You are open to feedback, development and collaboration
• You have relevant experience as a choreographer and dancer
• You wish to present a finished work for an audience in a theatre setting
• The work must not have been presented in its entirety previously
• You must be available during the periods listed below

APPLICATION DEADLINE: 13 October 2025 at 11:00am

In your application we want you to elaborate on your project and explain your vision and motivation for being part of the program. This may be a new idea or something you have already begun working on, but the performance as a whole must not have been presented previously. Tell us about your motivation to work with a mentor and receive feedback on your work, which theme(s) you wish to explore and why, within which genre(s), and which methods you intend to use to express your vision on stage.

Applications are submitted via Google Forms and must include:

• A short summary of your choreographic and artistic practice and work as a dancer to date
• A description of your project, cf. the paragraph above. You may also submit the project description as a video of yourself speaking – max. 3 minutes. Must be sent as a link
• Your CV as a .pdf file
• Dancers’ CVs as .pdf files if you are including other dancers
• Video material of previous work/you as a dancer sent as link(s) (max. 3 links)

LINK TO GOOGLE FORMS: https://forms.gle/9YZYhg82sLW68i3X9

Each selected choreographer receives:

• Approximately 20 rehearsal days in studio. Individual rehearsal schedules will be agreed for each project
• A mentor throughout: a conversation partner who supports the process from A to Z
• Dramaturgical guidance
• Seminar with an international choreographer from the street and club dance field
• Lighting design
• Budget for music/soundscape
• Photo and video documentation of the performance
• Text production and marketing in connection with the premiere
• A producer from Soul Sessions Oslo
• Choreographer fee of NOK 35,000,-
• A small budget is reserved for dancers in the program
• Performance venue at Den Norske Opera & Ballett (two selected works) or Dansens Hus (one selected work) in the period 5–8 March 2026

The program results in a 20–30 minute presentation of your work with a premiere during the Soul Sessions Encounters festival at Den Norske Opera & Ballett (two selected works) or Dansens Hus (one selected work) in the period 5–8 March 2026.

DATES:
APPLICATION DEADLINE: 13 October 2025 at 11:00am
End of October 2025: We announce the selections made by our artistic council
Week 49/50: One rehearsal week in studio per choreographer

2026:
17–18 January, 24–25 January, 31 January & 1 February 2026
High availability from 5 February leading up to the premiere 5–8 March 2026
(Report any specific unavailable periods in the Google Form)

Link to video from the Soul Sessions Encounters festival 2022: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJc4Lj_KyS8

Submit your application by 11:00 on 13 October 2025 via Google Forms: https://forms.gle/9YZYhg82sLW68i3X9

With support from: Norsk kulturråd (Arts Council Norway), Sparebankstiftelsen DNB & Oslo kommune (City of Oslo)

Questions? Send an email to: cassandra@soulsessionsoslo.com

Best regards,

Camilla Tellefsen
Festival Director Encounters 

Cassandra Moldenhauer
Production Manager Encounters


Foto from John Harald Sand - INcollectiveDIVIDUALITY, Soul Sessions Encounters 2023