Since 1984, 442 choreographers, teachers, and dancers from 88 countries have participated in the ADF's International programs.

2011 ICR, Ms. Dongnier of China dancing on the Duke University Campus

The International Choreographers Residency (ICR) program invites promising choreographers to the ADF for six and one-half weeks and immerses them in the unique breadth and depth of the ADF environment. Since the ICRs come from such a wide variety of backgrounds, and since each has different and individual needs to be met, the program is designed to be flexible enough to accommodate each participant’s individual agenda, providing an abundance of program options.  To the ICRs, ADF makes available the many resources of its season in Durham: the ADF Six Week School run by an internationally-known faculty, special workshops, seminars, master classes, lectures, and discussions with visiting artists, critics, and scholars; the opportunity to see performances by the masters of modern dance as well as the newest emerging talent (from the U.S. and around the world); informal showings by other choreographers in residence; and an archival repository containing film and video footage of ADF’s performances, classes, and special activities, as well as printed materials, dating back to the 1930s -- an invaluable resource chronicling the history of an art form. 

Informal Showing by Choreographer Sumeet Nagdev from India

"I spend 24 hours a day thinking, taking classes, observing, and thinking about my process as a choreographer, my process as a creator—and that was the most important thing I found—to be closer with the process, to start to look for the real thing in dance." –Raul Parrao - ICR, Mexico

The cost for this unique program is $4,500 which includes tuition, performance tickets, room, board, and health fee. Participants are responsible for their own transportation to and from the US.

For more information about the ICR program please contact Gini Sowards at gsowards@americandancefestival.org

Life at ADF

CLASSES
A primary component of the ICR program is the ADF Six Week School, where dancers from around the country and around the world come to train and to create, to see, and to be seen. Students of all levels are invited to engage in collaborative creative processes with ADF's diverse and outstanding faculty, extraordinary musicians, and vibrant student body. Participants may take three two-hour classes a day, on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, choosing from approximately 40 daily classes. Available courses will include Contemporary Technique, Composition, Improvisation, Repertory, Ballet, African Technique, Voice & Gesture, and Hip Hop. Special workshops and masterclasses are offered on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

General class descriptions from 2011 are below. 2012 class descriptions and faculty will be listed in spring 2012.

2010 ICR, Sumeet Nagdev from India

Improvisation
"The purpose of improvisation classes at the ADF is to engage students in an exploration of their creativity. There are skills and techniques of improvisation, and the various classes will investigate several of them. These include releasing technique, contact improvisation, improvisation with speaking while moving, improvisation in site specific situations, Improvisation Technologies, etc. In some situations this improvisation work will be an end unto itself, and sometimes it will be used as a compositional tool to lead each student to find his or her unique choreographic voice. There will also be a weekly improvisation jam where students can practice their skills in a safe and supportive environment." –Ishmael Houston-Jones

Composition
"Composition classes at ADF are designed to challenge students of choreography. Faculty engage students with the urgent question of how do we make dance today in relationship to the world in which we live. Traditional approaches to choreography and new ideas from within the field of dance creation are introduced. These classes become research centers of imaginative thinking and embodied experimentation. Choreographic strategies are tested, the boundaries of the art form of dance are stretched. Ultimately, students leave the ADF charged with information that can help to move both their own choreographic work and the field of dance forward." –Jesse Zaritt

Technique
"How do dancers practice technique in 2011? This fundamental question is both asked and answered at the ADF. Vigorous dialogue regarding the study of dance technique is embedded in the very fabric of the program. The importance of technique class is apparent in many ways at the ADF: the careful and unique arrangement of the daily and weekly schedule, the vast array of techniques and practices from which the student can choose, and the diversity and professionalism of the faculty who teach the courses." –Brenda Daniels

2011 ICR, Shi Jing Zin from China

Repertory
"Inhabiting a work as either an interpreter or a collaborator is one of the most fulfilling experiences of a dancer's training. In repertory, you get to breathe a work of art to life again. In a new creation, your collaborative presence affects the work's outcome. In both instances, you get to work closely with a group of peers, know a choreographic process, and share your work with the ADF community." –Mark Haim

Past/Forward
Participants will have the opportunity to audition for ADF’s Past/Forward program during the opening weekend of the program. Participants chosen to perform in a Past/Forward piece will have the opportunity to study intensively with a choreographer or reconstructor on an influential historic or new work for the full 6 weeks. Rehearsals for Past/Forward will happen within the Six Week School schedule for 3 hours at the end of the day. Past/Forward gives participants a chance to experience working within a professional dance company environment. They will also have the rare opportunity to perform on ADF’s main stage (Reynolds Industries Theater) as part of the ADF performance series during the last week of the festival. The 2012 Past/Forward artists will be announced in the spring, please check back for updates. 

DURHAM & DUKE UNIVERSITY
The ADF is held for six weeks each summer at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. The studios are spread across the Georgian-style campus. Performances by visiting dance companies occur in the Durham Performing Arts Center in downtown Durham and Reynolds Industries Theater on Duke's West Campus. ADF participants are able to use Duke facilities such as swimming pools, tennis courts, bookstores, libraries, and computer labs. The grounds of the University include the formal Sarah P. Duke Gardens and the Nasher Museum of Art.

PERFORMING COMPANIES
An essential component of the ADF experience during the summer is the opportunity to see some of the best modern dance companies performing today. ICR participants will receive a complimentary ticket to one performance by each visiting company in the ADF performance series. At this time, the 2012 line-up has not been announced. Please check the ADF website in the spring for more information.

HOUSING
ICR participants stay in Duke University apartments. The apartments are shared, 2-bedroom apartments located within short walkingdistance to the ADF offices and dance studios.

TRAVELING TO THE ADF
The closest airport is the Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU). It is approximately 18 miles away from Duke University.
Map of Duke University’s campus.

For more information about the ICR program please email Gini Sowards.