Candoco Fellowship

The Fellowship exists because the barriers facing D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists in the dance sector are not just about access to stages or studios. They are about access to leadership itself.

This is not an entry-level programme or a performance commission. It is a structured, salaried opportunity for a practitioner with an established career who wants to develop the skills, networks and confidence to lead inside an organisation and across the wider sector.

Your Own Project

At the heart of the Fellowship is an independent project, developed and led by the Fellow themselves. This is a dedicated space for research, exploration and innovation, shaped by the Fellow’s own creative interests and questions, alongside Candoco’s strategic priorities. It is not a commission for a finished performance work. It is an opportunity to generate new thinking, test new approaches, and contribute something meaningful to the sector. The outcomes will be shared publicly in a form appropriate to the project, adding to the wider conversation about disability and dance.

Contributing to the Organisation

Alongside the independent project, the Fellow will contribute to Candoco’s artistic and organisational work across all programme areas, participate in the Artistic Assembly, lead content development on our Making Space podcast, and receive executive leadership training and exposure to governance and decision making. They will experience the variety of strategic decisions needed to run a publicly funded organisation and both the joys and challenges that this can create.

Throughout, they are supported and mentored by our Lead: Skills and Leadership alongside the full team.

The Fellowship is salaried, fully supported with an access budget, and shaped collaboratively with the Fellow from the outset.

Applications for the 2026/27 Fellowship will open in May.