Who is the program for

Individual makers and creative teams from the fields of contemporary dance, new circus, physical theatre, and other disciplines, both from Czechia and abroad, are welcome to apply with their projects.

How to apply –⁠ open call

The open call for ART KLASTRY/CLUSTERS for the entire year is typically announced in the autumn of the previous year. Participants are selected by a professional jury made up of SE.S.TA’s partners and collaborators. Follow us on social media and subscribe to our newsletter.

How ART KLASTRY/CLUSTERS work

Residencies take place year-round in blocks –⁠ clusters, where up to three teams meet.

The program includes:

• A joint meeting and introduction to the site (special guided tour)
• 3 moderated sessions and exchange of know-how with other teams
• Optional consultations with experts, references, guided tours of the Žďár Estate and the New Generation Museum
• Engagement with local communities
• Site-specific work in the interiors and exteriors of the estate
• Artistic coaching
• Theoretical reflection during group discussions
• Presentation of work-in-progress to the public followed by a moderated discussion with the audience

Program guarantees

We provide accommodation, rehearsal space, shared facilities including a kitchen and office, (and eventually, depends on grants) daily allowances, travel subsidies, and a stipend for your stay. Additionally, on-site production and marketing support is available.

Engaging with your first audience

At the end of the residency, you will showcase your work-in-progress to an audience, along with other teams in your cluster. Artists decide for themselves which spaces to use and the format of the presentation –⁠ whether it’s a movement demonstration, a performative lecture with projections, or even an interactive workshop. Afterwards, you have the opportunity to ask the audience questions and gather valuable feedback.

Spaces for research and creation

A residency at the Baroque Estate in Žďár offers a unique site-specific creative opportunity. With its five courtyards, the Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and St. Nicholas, a former monastery, brewery yard, apple orchard, fish ponds, and Baroque stables, the Estate presents a remarkable maze of both visible and hidden spaces. In addition to the main heated studio, you are free to experiment in other areas depending on the needs of your project. The Estate’s interiors and exteriors are accessible 24/7.

Heated spaces

• 4 spaces of Academy with wooden flooring or dance mats
  Convent Space – a hall with a heated tiled floor, wooden flooring, and dance mats (available until 2023, with the new Vysočina Cultural and Creative Centre offering 2 fully equipped halls from 2025)
• Space in Inventorium with dance mats (limited to opening hours, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm, extended to 6:00 pm during the season)

Partially heated spaces

• Stable Hall – with a marble or wooden floor and dance mat (Marley floor)
• Old Academy Halls – 3 sets of three rooms with wooden flooring, with the option of dance mat (Marley floor)

Unheated spaces

• Oval Hall with original fresco decorations

Exteriors

• 5 courtyards
• Fish ponds, Apple Garden
• Meeting spaces and additional equipment

Common areas and technical stuff

• Meeting room with a kitchen, living room, and office
• Basic sound equipment for all teams in the cluster, projectors with screens, basic lighting, and almost anything else available in the storage and workshops

Artistic coaching

You can seek support from an experienced choreographer as an artistic coach, tailored to your specific needs. Through open and friendly dialogue, they will help you develop the distinctive elements of your work and explore alternative ways of expressing your artistic intentions.

Moderated Discussions –⁠ Ask Away

An artist arrives at a residency with various questions, one of which is their relationship with the audience. During the discussions, artists have a unique opportunity to pose questions to the audience and gain insights that can help further develop their work or artistic process.

Artistic Projects with the Audience –⁠ Get Involved as Active Participants

Public work-in-progress showings are one way for artists to connect with the audience and share their questions. Alternatively, through an open call, artists may invite various groups from the public to directly participate in the creative process.

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