The Baltic Dance Network (hereinafter referred to as the Network) invites Baltic dance artists to convene for a short-term exchange residency taking place in Tallinn, Estonia, in January 2026.
Baltic Connect – Exchange Residency is a curated initiative aimed at cultivating meaningful connections and dialogue among dance artists from across the Baltic region. Rooted in the values of partnership, mobility, and artistic exchange, the residency offers a platform for artists to engage deeply with questions of identity, belonging, and shared cultural narratives within the Baltic context. Central to the residency are two workshops led by artist and curator Tanel Rander and dramaturg Kerli Ever, and wrap-up session with performance artist and dance critic Kärt Koppel.
Tanel Rander’s workshop “Damn Rake!” delves into the complex relationship between identity and subjectivity – exploring topics of being, belonging, and becoming. The title is drawn from a folk tale found in various European traditions, in which a returning student, changed by time abroad, no longer recognizes the familiar. Only a sudden moment of pain – a rake striking her forehead – restores her connection to her mother tongue and her origins. There is something that connects all these stories – pain! It is the pain that sometimes welcomes you at home and makes you remember where you come from and who you are. Perhaps, also, what you have been running from and where you don’t want to belong!
The workshop will focus on the different aspects of collective identity and belonging in the region known as “the Baltics”. Often, when we go abroad, it is the label that is given to us by others. We will see how it affects our personal identity and personal path in life. Is it something that supports and empowers us? Do we even relate with that? Together, we will try to find it out by using expressive artistic practices.
Kerli Ever’s workshop “The (future) archives of Baltic identity” explores the intersection of personal and collective identities through the affective role of material heritage. Objects, in this workshop, are seen as material manifestations of various narratives, sticky with affects and dreams. They inform our identity as much as our identities influence how we see these objects.
Taking the role of experimental archivists, we can ask: what do we need to remember to support the future that we want? How to bend the inherited narratives according to the current collective needs? Using the tools of speculative fiction, storytelling and dramaturgical thinking, we will collectively create a situated and open-ended version of Baltic identity.
The participants are asked to bring to the workshop any material object that is connected to a family story that is important to them and that they are willing to share. The objects will not be used in a way that would damage them.
The residency will be concluded with a wrap-up session facilitated by artist and critic Kärt Koppel, who will participate in the residency together with the selected artists. With her moderation, the session will allow all participants to reflect on the workshops, discuss some key topics which emerged during the residency and exchange new perspectives on Balticness.
Roti Rumba, performance by Liisbeth Horn, Kärt Koppel, Anumai Raska, photo by Marlene Leppänen.
SCHEDULE:
January 19, 2026
- Arrival in Tallinn till 14.00
- 14.00 – lunch
- 15.00 – 18.00 welcoming words and an opening session led by Tanel Rander
January 20, 2026
- workshop “Damn Rake!” led by Tanel Rander
- 10.00 – 13.00 first session
- 13.00 – 14.00 lunch
- 14.00 – 18.00 second session with 15 min breaks in between
January 21, 2026
- workshop “The (future) archives of Baltic identity” led by Kerli Ever
- 10.00 – 13.00 first session
- 13.00 – 14.00 lunch
- 14.00 – 17.00 second session
January 22, 2025
- 10.00 – 12.00 wrap-up session with Kärt Koppel
- Return travel
Location of the workshops: Sõltumatu Tantsu Lava, Telliskivi 60a/9; https://www.stl.ee
Accommodation type: Hotel accommodation will be provided in shared twin rooms.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: 10 DECEMBER, 2025 at 17.00 EEST (check your local time here: time.is).
The selected artists will be personally informed on 15 DECEMBER, 2025.
->APPLY NOW<-Fill in the application form in English.
If you have any questions, please contact us: info@balticdance.org.
Sõltumatu Tantsu Lava, photos by Kris Moor.
MORE ABOUT THE WORKSHOPS FACILITATORS:
The Baltic Connect Exchange Residency is guided by three outstanding voices from the Baltic contemporary art and performance scene, each bringing a distinct perspective on identity, memory, and collective imagination.
Tanel Rander is an artist, curator, and writer whose creative interests are related to subjectivity, individual and collective identity, and the psyche. His most recent solo exhibition “Between a Mountain and a Valley” took place in Tallinn, Draakoni gallery in 2025. His latest curatorial project was “Goodbye East! Goodbye Narcissus!’ in 2023 at EKKM in Tallinn. In recent years, he has been studying expressive art therapy in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
More info: https://cca.ee/en/artists-database/tanel-rander.
Kerli Ever is a dramaturg and an editor. She is interested in the political layer of bodily perceptions, the transformative potential of collectivity, and utopian thinking. She is a part of Artefactourists – creative collective that work with the historical and emotional narratives of a place. Her latest projects were editing the jubilee book of Sõltumatu Tantsu Ühendus, co-curating and co-hosting TANTSUMASSIIV festival with Artefactourists, and Sveta Grigorjeva’s dance-splatter performance „Gargantua“ as a dramaturg (VAT Theatre).
Find more: https://www.instagram.com/krleever/.
Kärt Koppel is a performance art geek exploring the meeting points between pop and high culture through text, social media and performance. She writes the column About Dance without Dance in Tantsu Kuukiri (Estonian dance magazin) and is ⅓ of the non-musical girl group Unholy Trinity. Her recent projects include a Dance Criticism research residency (2022-2023), her dance debut So Think You Can Dance (as director-performer with Unholy Trinity, 2023), the performative installation Stalker Dance (2023), and the hyper-pop performance Rat’s Rumba (2024), both in collaboration with Liisbeth Horn and Anumai Raska. Kärt’s artistic ideas, concepts and forms are simmered in the office aesthetics.
APPLICATION GUIDE
WHO CAN APPLY:
Professional contemporary dance artists from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, residing in the Baltic region.
SELECTION:
Up to five dance artists from each Baltic country will be invited to participate via this open call by the Network Partners: the Contemporary Dance Association (Lithuania), the Association of Choreographers (Latvia), and the Estonian Dance Art and Dance Education Union.
CONDITIONS:
The Network offers the following support:
- Travel arrangements: organized round-trip to Tallinn within the Baltic region or round-trip bus/train/flight tickets within the Baltic region;
- Accommodation: accommodation at a nearby hotel (twin rooms) up for 3 nights;
- Meals: breakfast at the hotel, lunch and dinner provided by the programme;
- Programme participation: Access to the workshops and possible visits to the performances in Tallinn, meetings with the local dance organizations/community.
Participant responsibilities:
- The Network does not provide per diems;
- Personal expenses, including any additional costs beyond the provided support, are the responsibility of each participant.
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Network is a new joint initiative led by partners from Lithuania, Latvia & Estonia. It aims to create a safe space for Baltic contemporary dance artists to connect and analyse their shared past, explore Baltic dance identity, as well as understand each Baltic country’s context and uniqueness. Together we aim to recognize and express historical legacies, enhancing confidence in the international dance field, and empowering artists to reflect current political or other challenges through their art.
The Network consists of six approved partners: Lithuanian Dance Information Centre (the leader of the project), Contemporary Dance Association (Lithuania), Latvian Dance Information Centre, The Association of Choreographers (Latvia), Sõltumatu Tantsu Lava (Estonia), Estonian Dance Art and Dance Education Union.
In 2025-2026, the Network will host a series of activities across the Baltic region, including Professional Meetings, Workshops, and a Visiting Programme for dance artists. Additionally, there will be Online Discussions and Workshops, Short-term Residencies (small and extended), and a Dance Congress at the Baltic Dance Platform.
The Network has received Long-term Network funding from the Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme for Culture to establish the project “Baltic Dance Network: Navigating Identity in the Face of Changes”.