McKnight Fellowships for Dancers: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the McKnight Fellowship program for Dancers?
This program awards three unrestricted $25,000 fellowships to beyond-emerging Minnesota dancers each year. McKnight Fellowships have been awarded to dancers since 1997. The program is one of fifteen Fellowship programs funded by the McKnight Foundation of Minneapolis, Minnesota. For more information on McKnight Artist and Culture Bearer Fellowships in other programs, and areas go to the McKnight Foundation website.
How do I apply for a Fellowship?
Specific directions are available on this website under How to Apply.
The Intent to Apply is now closed. This is step is optional and you may submit a full application if you did not complete the Intent to Apply form.
Final applications will be due on March 19th, 2025, at 3:00 pm CST. Check our website after mid-January 2025 for specific information on how to submit your final application.
advice for applicants:
Read all the guidelines, eligibility information, and FAQs thoroughly.
Watch the videos about the program and application.
Attend a webinar in the late summer and/or spring.
Start your application materials early and Apply Early! No late applications will be accepted.
Contact us with any questions you may have at McKnight.Fellowships@ArtSpace.org
I've missed the Intent to Apply deadline. Can I still submit a final application?
Applicants who miss the Intent to Apply deadline may still submit a final application. However, we encourage the Intent to Apply as it is a very important step. Without an Intent to Apply you will not receive deadline reminders or important updates about the application. Also, the panel will not view your live performances. The only exception to this is that first-time applicants who missed the Intent to Apply deadline can contact us at McKnight.Fellowships@ArtSpace.org for application assistance.
What does the panel look for?
The panel looks for dancers who are beyond the early practice or emerging stage, whose work is of exceptional artistic merit, and who have created a substantial body of work over time. In other words, these awards are not intended for a dancer at the beginning stage of their career. This is also not for a single work of merit. Above all, the panel looks for artistic excellence in a dancer's full body of work. The panel also takes into account whether an applicant has received a prior McKnight Fellowship at the $25,000 level in any discipline – including how recently and how many prior awards since 2001. The fellowship program also holds a core value of diversity, equity and inclusion.
HOW DO YOU DEFINE “BEYOND EMERGING OR EARLY PRACTICE”?
Artists who are beyond early practice or the emerging stage of their career will have a history of sustained and committed dance work over a period of at least eight years, demonstrated through performances, creative work, or other work in the field. Applicants should demonstrate a substantial body of work, created over a period of time with their application materials. These accomplishments must be from outside of accredited degree programs (i.e. student performances will not count towards the eight-year period of committed artistic work.) The panel will review the application and assess whether an artist is clearly beyond the emerging stage of their career.
What are the eligibility requirements?
Applicants must be residents of Minnesota (or in a Native Nation that shares this geography) for at least one year before applying. Furthermore, fellows must remain in residence in Minnesota during the fellowship year or forfeit the award. Applicants may not enroll full-time in an academic program. Recipients of 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 McKnight Fellowships in any field are not eligible. Applicants to this program may not apply to any other McKnight Fellowship program in the same year. Applicants cannot be employed by the McKnight Foundation or ArtSpace, nor be a partner or immediate family member to any employee. Applicants must have a social security number or other federal tax number to be awarded. Please see complete information on eligibility requirements at How to Apply.
I don’t have a Minnesota Driver’s License. Is there something else I can use in my application to SHOW THAT I am a Minnesota resident?
The final application asks you to upload a copy of your Minnesota driver’s license, Minnesota State Identification card, or tribal ID indicating a geographic location in Minnesota or a Native Nation that shares this geography. If you do not have any of those documents, contact the program staff at McKnight.Fellowships@ArtSpace.org for other supporting documents that verify your residency for at least the past year to use.
Here is a list of other ways to show you are a resident of Minnesota:
Tribal identification card
Property tax statement for at least one year
Vehicle insurance card for at least one year
Paychecks stubs with MN address for at least one year
Rental or lease agreement at least one year
Utility statement in your name at MN address at least one year
What are the Fellowships for?
The McKnight Artist and Culture Bearer Fellowships are unrestricted funds available to dancers to support their work and artistry. The fellowships are not project grants, and the panel does not evaluate project proposals as criteria in the selection process. A fellowship can help an artist set aside periods for study, reflection, experimentation, and exploration, take advantage of an opportunity, or work on a new project. Applicants cannot be enrolled in school full-time during the fellowship year and the fellowship funds may not be used to support work associated with a degree program. However, fellowships may be used to support professional study. If you have further questions about what the fellowship may support, please contact us at McKnight.Fellowships@ArtSpace.org
Who reviews the applications?
A panel of two National and two Minnesota-based dance artists and/or administrators reviews applications and selects fellows. Panelists are knowledgeable about dance work and the panel represents a range of backgrounds and areas of expertise. Panelists will have a demonstrated experience as dance artists or choreographers or a background as a practitioner in the dance field. The panel makeup changes each year. The panel is confidential and the names of panelists are not revealed until after the selection process is complete. See below for a listing of all past panelists.
Will panelists see my work live? How do I let the panel know about my live performances?
Yes. Minnesota-based panelists attend live performances throughout the season. We make an effort to have all applicants' live performances viewed, but we cannot guarantee every performance will be seen. You must complete the fall Intent to Apply to be eligable. The panel is available to see work before the Intent to Apply deadline and continue to see work until early May 2025.
To keep the panel informed of your upcoming performances (if you have submitted an Intent to Apply) fill out the online Calendar Form for each of your performances this season. You must fill out this form when you submit your Intent to Apply, letting us know about your performances for the season. You may also add performances throughout the year. If you have performances in the summertime, before the Intent to Apply deadline, you may submit to the Calendar Form even before you submit the Intent to Apply form. We cannot guarantee that every performance will be seen and we recommend submitting your performance information as early as possible (a minimum of 4-6 weeks suggested.)
What should I say in my artist's narrative?
Since the fellowship is an award for an artist and a body of work (rather than a specific project), we suggest using the artist narrative to help the panel get a better idea of who you are as an artist. The statement may take any direction: you may choose to write about your background, the development of your work, your identity or particular interests as an artist, your future direction, or anything else pertinent to your art. The narrative is also a space to explain your work in terms of the application criteria and to help define the artistic excellence in your genre or style. Do keep in mind that the artist narrative is not a project proposal. You may, if you wish, talk about your plans for the fellowship year, but it is not required.
If you are a prior awardee at the $25,000 level, we encourage you to address your artistic development since your last award and why another fellowship would be timely for you now.
The artist narrative is a maximum of 7,000 characters including spaces. It is recommended that you cut and paste your text from an outside document into the application. Note: As all formatting will be lost when you paste into the SlideRoom form, we suggest putting all titles in quotation marks.
May I use the same narrative I submitted last year?
Yes, certainly, if it is still pertinent. The panel makeup changes every year, so each panel is seeing application materials for the first time.
ARE THERE ANY EXAMPLES OF ARTIST NARRATIVES or statements that I CAN READ?
Select the button below to view past examples of past artist narratives submitted by Fellows.
(Please respect the written work of artists who have permitted for us to post their statements. Text and information from these documents belong to the artists, and may not be used in any way.)
Please note that the work sample length is 15 minutes maximum, total running time.
Any work samples that are longer than exactly 15 minutes will be ineligible. Please check your upload link carefully for the total running time. We strongly encourage you to include on-screen titles at the start of each excerpt, to make identification easy. You may use arrows, boxes, or lines during editing to identify yourself on screen. Live performance videos should not be slowed down or sped up in any way.
For my work sample should I show only recent work or older work or both?
It is best to submit work that covers a span of time, as it is important to demonstrate a body of work created over a period of time. If you have previously received a McKnight Artist Fellowship and Culture Bearer, your work sample must only include work since your last award. All applicants must submit samples from at least 3 but not more than 6 different public performances. Your work samples do not need to be in chronological order.
how are the work samples viewed?
The work samples for each applicant are viewed during the panel process on a large screen in a darkened room. Panelists are required to watch the video in its entirety before they arrive at the panel meeting, and may use a computer or laptop screen for the earlier viewing.
What should I include in my resume and what format should I use?
Your resume is important in determining whether you are an artist beyond the early stage, so it should reflect your dancer performances, and any honors, awards, and other recognition in the field, as well as give information about your education and related work. In your resume it is very important to include clear dates with all listings. This resume should also clearly demonstrate at least 8 years of committed artistic work. Read more about this change to the requirements.
The resume will be uploaded as a pdf file, 2 pages maximum, 12 pt font or larger.
If you would like assistance tailoring your resume for the fellowship application, please contact us at: McKnight.Fellowships@ArtSpace.org.
Are There any Resumé examples i can read?
Select the button below to view examples of past resumes submitted by Fellows. Text and information from these documents belong to the artists, and may not be used in any way.
I've received a fellowship in a previous year. Can I reapply?
You may reapply if you received a McKnight Artist Fellowship and Culture Bearers in 2019 or earlier. You are not eligible to apply if you received a McKnight Artist Fellowship and Culture Bearers in any category in 2020, 2021 and 2022, 2023 and 2024. You may only include dance work created since your last award. To check prior awards, go here.
I have questions about the fellowship that aren't covered here. Who can I contact?
Email McKnight.Fellowships@ArtSpace.org to reach Program Director, Dana Kassel and Program Assistant, Colin Edwards.
Can I get assistance with my application?
Yes, email us at McKnight.Fellowships@ArtSpace.org with your questions or to schedule a phone appointment. In the weeks prior to the final deadline, Program Director Dana Kassel is available for individual in-person appointments to review application materials and answer your questions. Many applicants have found assistance with application materials to be very helpful.
All those who submitted an Intent to Apply in September are welcome to request help. First-time applicants who may have missed the Intent to Apply deadline are also eligible for application assistance by contacting us at McKnight.Fellowships@ArtSpace.org
Can I get feedback about my application after selections are made?
Yes, we encourage you to make a phone appointment to receive feedback from the Program Director. If you do not receive a fellowship, the notification email you receive will include information on how to make a phone appointment for panel comments.
How can I be sure to receive information about the fellowship program next year?
If you previously applied for a dancer or choreographer fellowship, you will automatically be added to our email list to receive ongoing news and information about the McKnight Dancer and Choreographer Fellowship programs. Also, anyone can sign up for our email list using the form at the bottom of our webpages.
I am a McKnight fellow. Where can I find the banner logo for my own use?
You can download a zip file of banner logos here.
Are there any websites offering more information about other grants or services for dancers?
While not an exhaustive list, here are a few websites dancers and choreographers may find useful:
For more information about the McKnight Foundation Arts & Culture Program, go to their website here.
Creative Capital’s website offers some helpful tips on preparing an artists’s statement/narrative.
Metro Regional Arts Council (MRAC) offers several grants that may be of interest to dancers and choreographers, including the Next Step Fund, funded by the McKnight Foundation, which provides project grants up to $5,000 to professional artists in any discipline for the purpose of career development and artistic achievement.
Minnesota State Arts Board offers grants to Minnesota artists.
New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) is a grantmaker, program initiator, aggregator of resources, and builder of creative partnerships among artists, arts organizations and funders.
National Performance Network (NPN) supports national touring and the creation of new work for select artists.
Jerome Foundation and Fellowships support Minnesota or New York City-based choreographers, early in their careers, creating bold, innovative and risk-taking new work that challenges conventional artistic forms.
www.mnartists.org has information about Midwestern artists, opportunities and topics of interest to artists.
Springboard for the Arts is based in St. Paul, Minnesota and offers various services for artists and non-profit arts organizations. They offer occasional workshops on writing artist statements and have computers on-site available for artists to apply to our program and others. They also provide fellowships, given individually to three (3) BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) and Native artists each year.
Dance/USA is a national service organization for professional dance artists.
Past Selection Panelists:
2024 Panel:
Lisa Berman (Saint Paul, MN)
DeMarcus Akeem Suggs (Minneapolis, MN)
Jessica Tong (Brooklyn, NY)
Potri Ranka Manis Quean Nur (New York City, NY)
2023 Panel:
Claude Alexander III: Dancer, Bruce Wood Dance // Freelance Choreographer (Dallas, TX)
Maura Garcia: Independent Dance Artist (Raleigh, NC)
Aneka McMullen: Choreographer/ Performer/Artistic Director, Epitome- No Question Hip Hop Dance Ensemble (Minneapolis, MN)
Sachiko “La Chayí” Nishiuchi: Flamenco dancer, Twin Cities Flamenco Collective (Minneapolis, MN)
2022 Panel:
Herbert Johnson III: Dancer/Choreographer (Minneapolis, MN)
Rosie Herrera: Choreographer, Artistic Director of Rosie Herrera Dance Theatre (Miami Beach, FL)
Stephanie Fellner: Teacher, Dancer (Minneapolis, MN)
Daniel Singh: Artistic Director, Dakshina/Daniel Phoenix Singh Dance Company (Washington D.C.)
2021 Panel:
Heidi Latsky, Founder and Artistic Director, Heidi Latsky Dance (New York City, NY)
Margo Abdo O'Dell, Teacher, Dancer, Choreographer of Middle Eastern dance (Minneapolis, MN)
Santee Smith, Artistic Director, Kaha:wi Dance Theater (Toronto, Canada)
2020 Panel:
Tamiko French, Director, Choreographer, Legacy Arts Group (Minneapolis, MN)
Tanya Lukin Linklater, Artist and Choreographer (Ontario, Canada)
David Parker, Choreographer, The Bang Group (New York, NY)
Suchitra Sairam, Founder and Director, Kala Vandanam (St. Paul, MN)
2019 Panel:
Ronald K. Brown, Artistic Director, Evidence, A Dance Company (New York, NY)
Kaleena Miller, Dancer, Choreographer and Artistic Director of Twin Cities Tap Festival (Minneapolis, MN)
Victor Quijada, Choreographer, Artistic Director RUBBERBANDance Group (Montreal, Canada)
Chitra Vairavan, Artist, Dancer/Choreographer (Minneapolis, MN)
2018 Panel:
Michel Kouakou, Artistic Director of Daara Dance (Minneapolis, MN)
Alanna Morris-Van Tassel, Dancer, Teaching Artist, Choreographer (Minneapolis, MN)
Jennifer Nugent, Independent Dance Artist (New York, NY)
Oguri, Dancer and Choreographer (Los Angeles, CA)
2017 Panel:
Ananya Chatterjea, Choreographer and Artistic Director, Ananya Dance Theatre; Professor of Dance, University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN)
d. Sabela grimes, Interdisciplinary Performer-Choreographer (Los Angeles, CA)
Kari Mosel, Company Member, Shapiro & Smith Dance and Stuart Pimsler Dance & Theater (Minneapolis, MN)
Michelle Ramos, Attorney, Former Dancer, and Chair of Dance/USA (New Orleans, LA)
2016 Panel:
Karen Charles, Artistic Director, Threads Dance Project (Minneapolis, MN)
Patrick Corbin, Dancer, Choreographer, Educator (Los Angeles, CA)
Irene Dowd, Functional Anatomist, Teacher, Choreographer (New York, NY)
Leslie O’Neill, Choreographer and Dancer (Minneapolis, MN)
Maia Maiden, Choreographer, Creator & Curator (Minneapolis, MN)
2015 Panel:
Amanda Dlouhy (Minneapolis, MN)
Gesel Mason (Boulder, CO)
Tamara Ober (Minneapolis, MN)
Scott Rink (New York, NY)
Kate Weare (New York, NY )
2014 Panel:
Joan Karlen (WI)
Christopher Morgan (Washington, DC)
Heidi Geier (Minneapolis, MN)
Nic Lincoln (Minneapolis, MN)
Sharon Picasso (Minneapolis, MN)
2013 Panel:
Jeffrey N. Bullock (VA)
Mary Cochran (New York, NY)
Catherine Liska (Minneapolis, MN)
Abdo Sayegh (St. Paul, MN)
Laura Selle Virtucio (Minneapolis, MN)
2012 Panel:
Justin Leaf (Minneapolis, MN)
Ellen Keane (Minneapolis, MN)
Wade Madsen (WA)
Lisa Rinehart (New York, NY)
Linda Shapiro (Minneapolis, MN)
2011 Panel:
Tamara Nadel (Minneapolis, MN)
Judith James Ries (St. Paul, MN)
Suzanne River (Minneapolis, MN)
Peggy Seipp-Roy (Minneapolis, MN)
Gerri Houlihan (Miami, FL)
2010 Panel:
Gioconda Barbuto (Montreal, CA)
Marcia Chapman (Minneapolis, MN)
Becky Heist (St. Paul, MN)
Colette Illarde (Minneapolis, MN)
Matthew Nelson (Minneapolis, MN)
2009 Panel:
Carolyn Adams (New York, NY)
Nathan Daniels (Minneapolis, MN)
Diyah Larasati (Minneapolis, MN)
Julia Tehven Sutton (Minneapolis, MN)
Deborah Jinza Thayer (St. Paul, MN)
2009 Panel:
Carolyn Adams (New York, NY)
Nathan Daniels (Minneapolis, MN)
Diyah Larasati (Minneapolis, MN)
Julia Tehven Sutton (Minneapolis, MN)
Deborah Jinza Thayer (St. Paul, MN)
Note: From the beginning of the Dancer Fellowship program in 2002 until 2008, all panel members resided in the state of Minnesota.
2008 Panel:
Patricia Brown
Penelope Freeh
Donald LaCourse
Joan A. Smith
Tony Vierling
2007 Panel:
Anne Von Bibra
Allen Fields
Mathew Janczewski
Linda Talcott Lee
Erin Thompson
2006 Panel:
Amy Casserly-Ellis
Morris Johnson
Sharon Mansur
Anthony Roberts
Cassandra Shore
2005 Panel:
Zhauna Franks
Debra Leigh
Susana di Palma
James Sewell
Jane Shockley
2004 Panel:
Stephane Andre
Eric Boone
Kerry Casserly
Julie Kerr-Berry
Mariusz Olszewski
2003 Panel:
Emilie Plauche Flink
Lise Houlton
Matt Jenson
Christine Maginnis
Zoe Sealy
2002 Panel:
Lou Fancher
Larry Lee Van Horn
Sherry Saterstrom
Kristin Van Loon