In the application form, select any and all performance dates that you are *available* to perform from Group A, Group B and Group C options. If your work is selected, QDF will assign you a performance schedule of 5-6 shows based off of your submitted availability. You will not be scheduled for every date you choose, but we ask you be available for more than you will be ultimately scheduled to allow for an optimal range of programming. Your performance schedule will consist of show dates in Groups A, B, and/or C, and one evening during the Season Finale weekend at Queens Theatre (indoors). Each company is scheduled to have a range of locations to provide a diverse experience of Queens for the artists. If you select a limited amount of dates, it is not guaranteed that you will receive all the dates you exactly chose. If you do NOT select the minimum dates required to be available, your proposal may not be considered.

No, just select your best work you’d like to present and send in a strong submission for that!

Yes! Though we encourage premieres (especially if you have shown work in QDF previous seasons), previously performed works will definitely be considered. Please make sure to tell us where you’ve shown your work already in your application.

There are some particular considerations when creating and performing a work in NYC public space. Nudity cannot be permitted, and any music tracks must be clean. In addition, it may be the very first time some audiences are seeing dance or your particular dance style. Be aware that there may be pedestrian/vehicular noise, children, wind, bicycles, balls, etc. around us. Often we are not on a raised stage, so the audience is at the same level as the performers, and sometimes all around us (not just on one side). When competing with these elements, consider how to keep your audience engaged through your costume, music, staging/blocking, and dance vocabulary, so it does not get lost in the rest of the public space activity. “Summer vibe” performance energy or content is popular with audiences, but this is not required especially if it does not fit the work you want to present. In outdoor space, it is best to be adaptable. You are welcome to adapt your dance piece for the indoor stage and lighting capabilities for our Season Finale at Queens Theatre. (This is also why tech slots are important.)

While we understand there may be edits to your proposed piece during the tour (i.e. adapting your piece to indoor vs. outdoor venues), you cannot substitute a completely different piece in your tour schedule. This is to be fair to everyone’s initial proposals that were specifically selected to be programmed in the tour, and also to maintain the balance of every show. There will be a chance to update small program changes such as your cast or music edit, but we do ask you commit to your dance work that you originally proposed for the tour.

As our events take place in public space, all of our locations welcome audiences who use wheelchairs and other mobility devices and are ADA accessible. ASL and captioning will be provided at some of our performances and we hope to raise more funding to provide these services at all events.

For dancers who use wheelchairs or other mobility devices, portable ramps will be available when needed onto any raised stage we may be performing on (not all locations will have a raised stage). Tech time length and other needs will be accommodated. For more specific accessibility needs for dancers, please contact us at hello@queensborodancefestival.org or (929) 282-0620.

We like to support and help raise awareness of Queens-based dance education programs, particularly for lesser-known dance technique training. Dance schools in Queens that have any cultural or contemporary training programs with a professional-level company or performing faculty are welcome to submit a dance proposal. Pre-professional or competition students ages 18 and over are allowed to perform if at a professional level and/or be included with professional company members throughout the proposed dance piece. Community centers with an established cultural dance program or regular practice at a professional or presentational level are also welcome to submit a dance proposal. All dance proposals from schools or community centers have the same requirements as choreographers and other professional dance companies.

For Queens-based youth dance students ages 6-17 from a dance school or cultural center, you are not eligible to submit a proposal, but we offer a community partnership opportunity instead. Queens youth dance schools may be allowed to perform a pre-show demonstration as a way to bring awareness to the school or cultural center’s program for local enrollment. We consider these partnerships in select show locations only. Studios and cultural centers are responsible for all liability of their participants and must obtain and prove signed guardian consent to any participation dates offered. If you are a youth dance school interested in a community partnership with us, please email us at hello@queensborodancefestival.org. Please note not all inquiries will result in a partnership.

QDF Class X is a series of 2 back-to-back, 1-hour classes taught by QDF participants for QDF participants and Queens dancers. Teach a class, then take a class, or if you’re not teaching, just come take both classes! The intention is to promote dance style exchange and to try something new. Teachers are paid and classes are free to attend. Class dates and sign up info will be in the application.