Supporting Dance from Studio to Stage

Move: In Progress is all about providing local dance-makers with the most valuable resource during a creative process: an audience.

If you’re an artist with a bubbling idea – something you’ve started to explore but aren’t sure where it might go next – Move: In Progress is the place for you. You might be wondering how your work is going to land with an audience, or wondering which ideas to dig deeper into, and which to leave behind. You might be seeking collaborators, funders, or venues to support the next phase of development. Or, maybe you simply crave the energy of live performance; to inject some spark into the creation and keep it moving forward.

Clementine Telesfort at FRESH: North East. Photo by: Camilla Greenwell.

Move: In Progress offers a relaxed setting for North East artists to share their early ideas with a receptive and curious audience. A pop up platform, Move: In Progress travels around the region, enabling independent artists and companies to test their work, receiving in-depth feedback via facilitated discussions. It is a vital opportunity for the North Eastern artist community to gather, and for dance-makers to gain insights from a supportive audience made up of peers and professionals.

“Invaluable to have the resources to help create and develop ideas for future work…The event was also an ideal networking platform, which is so vital for freelancers when we are all usually bouncing between so many different things.”

Attendee, Move: In Progress | Newcastle 2024.

Dear Annie, Abbott Dance Theatre, and Alex Morton at Move: In Progress | Saltburn 2024. Photo by Dave Charnley.

Move: In Progress kicks off with pre-show networking with free refreshments for audience members, creatives, producers, and funder representatives. All artists receive a bursary to present their work, before collecting valuable constructive feedback through discussion, Q&A, and written methods. Moving Art Management always ensures that work is captured by a professional photographer and videographer, to complement the artists’ portfolios, and boost their resources for taking their work even further beyond the platform. 

These vibrant, friendly events are a landmark in the regional creative calendar, and an essential stepping stone to take dance from studio to stage.

Lizzie Klotz & Luca Rutherford at Move: In Progress | Hartlepool 2025. Photo by Francis Fitzgerald

We’ve been platforming independent dance made in the North East for  over 15 years, via Move: In Progress and previously FRESH North East.

Move: In Progress is a key part of our Artist Development work. We support artists to develop their ideas and forge essential relationships with the wider industry, through 1:1 Artist Advice, bespoke talent development schemes such as Choreview, and our Associate Artist programme.

Keep an eye out on our socials for announcements in 2026, with more development opportunities on the way!