khecari auditions

NEXT AUDITION  :: SEPTEMBER 7th, 2024

Doors open at 12pm for a 1PM – 4PM workshop at Indian Boundary Cultural Center (2500 W Lunt Ave) 

This audition will be capped at 50 people. After all the spots in the workshop have filled you can sign up for a waitlist.

AUDITION MANIFESTO

Artistically and administratively, Khecari works to expand the community that supports and is supported by us.
We cherish the communal nature of the art form and the intrinsic reciprocity of working together in the studio.
We believe that the arts are an indispensable component of a healthy society.
We love meeting you and moving together.
You are welcome at the audition whether you’re interested in working with us or not.
If you’re just showing up for a free workshop and to be in community, we love that too.

EQUAL PAY POLICY

Dancers are often asked to work unpaid or for nominal stipends, and we hold it as a part of our central mission to address the inequities and difficulties endemic to the dance field.

We have an Equal Pay Policy that covers everyone working with Khecari, from dancers to artistic directors, costume designers to consultants. This is a budgetary means to address the chronic underpay of dancers, especially in contrast to others working in the field. It is also a philosophy of respecting everyone’s time equally. We do not wish to support a caste system which values administration more than art, or art more than cleaning. Our time – all of us – is worth more than Khecari can afford to pay. Khecari’s commitment is to raising this rate for any one person as we are able to afford raising it for everyone. 

In the Chicago area, nearly 66% of dancers and choreographers earn less than $15,000 per year, while consultants might charge $125/hr and EDs of dance organizations may make $80,000 per year. This parallels larger societal inequities: in the 1950’s, CEOs earned 20 times that of their employees; now they earn 361 times more. These realities need to be publicly seen. It is for this reason that we offer each audition workshop for free regardless of current practices in our field to essentially charge for a job interview.

We like being upfront about our pay structure but it also feels important to know that those who work for Khecari are really interested in the work as well as the equity ethos and the paycheck. It is part of the magic in the studio to know that we are all diving deep because we love to.

PROJECT-BASED WORK

We like to hold regular auditions as a way of meeting and engaging with those in the field who might have an interest in our work. Sometimes, we are also looking for artists for specific projects. We create a lot of different kinds of work, and the needs of one project may be wildly different from the needs of another. A particular skill set or range of experience may be perfect for one project but not for another. We may reach out to you right after an audition. We might reach out to you a year or two later when we’re in a new project cycle. You’re always welcome to reach out to us.

CONSENT & CONSIDERATIONS

As we move together we ask that you keep the following touch + movement agreements in mind:
// We are here together to support the informed consent that will maintain a safe space.
// There are many possible reasons to explore touch and movement, but we are here as dance artists, investigating tools for our art form.
// We believe in the value of explorations that may be challenging, in order to broach new territory, but we ask you not to engage in anything that feels uncomfortable to you. You know yourself, what is a growthful challenge for you and what is unhealthy. We respect your capacity to draw those lines.
// Everyone always has the right to say no, and doesn’t need to explain or justify that “no”, and each of us is obligated to respect each other’s boundaries.
// Everyone always has the right to request a pause or say “I need a moment”, so that consent or drawing a boundary doesn’t have to feel pressured or rushed.
// We commit to treating you with dignity in the audition environment. If you feel uncomfortable, you are welcome to just watch, take a pause in the hall, or depart. We want you to know that we are watching your movement and participation with care and compassion and will not single you out or perform cuts.
// You will not be asked to wear a number. We will work hard to learn your name and as much else about you as we possibly can. We hope you can learn about us as well.