JUNGEHUNDEThe JUNGE HUNDE network The Junge Hunde network partners are:
Kanonhallen, Copenhagen-Denmark
Monty, Antwerpen -Belgium
Yorkshire Dance, Leeds-United Kingdom
Monica Arus, Barcelona-Spain
Bunker, Ljubljana-Slovenia
Parc de la Villette, Paris-France
BIT Teatergarasjen, Bergen-Norway
Teatri90, Milan-Italia
Staatstheater Meiningen- Germany
JH office Hamburg - Germany
The decline in economic support for the arts across Europe makes a paneuropean network critically urgent and necessary for the career development of young artists'. They need to have access to other countries, to look beyond national borders. The JUNGE HUNDE network was created in 1995 to enable young experimenting artists to tour outside of their home country, to meet artists from different cultural contexts and to exchange ideas and experiences as well as to create long lasting co-operations. The network is dedicated to the presentation, promotion, exchange and development of young, contemporary performing artists, their new ideas and new works by providing them with the necessary resources, support and continuity across European borders. Every year several public events; festivals or single presentations along with residencies, co productions, artist exchanges, workshops, seminars, debates etc. take place in the cities of the network. The main aim of the network is not only to create a new festival and different events for each city and venue, but to open the exchange of experiences, interests and knowledge among the artists themselves, and to make possible for local audiences to witness and participate to the richness and diversity of artistic developments taking place in Europe. The participation in JUNGE HUNDE reveals to some extent an acceleration in the artists/companies careers and opens up diverse opportunities throughout Europe. Over the next three years it is planned to expand the reach of these activities in two ways; primarily by further distributing the artists work via the national networks that exist for the co-organisers, and secondly to develop JUNGE HUNDE activities in other member states and Central and Eastern European countries, as well as soliciting artists work from these sources. This should result in an extended network with a wider geographical spread. The network also intends to raise it's profile with the public as well as within the profession, focussing primarily on Europe, but it is also our intention to further develop links with other networks in existence throughout the world e.g. National Performance Network (USA), La RED (Central and South America). From 500 applicants the JUNGE HUNDE network has been selected to become one of the 23 projects that receive three year funding from the Culture 2000 programme of the European Commission. Acclaimed as a project that has “a European dimension, both in the conceptual stage and in the organisation of and participation in the project” (EU Commission) the JUNGE HUNDE network received support from the European Commission three times in the previous years.
Methodology
The representatives of the network meet several times a year to exchange information, discuss policy and monitor finances. Each partner acts like a clearing house in their home country, scouting the work of relevant artists and passing that information on to appropriate partners dependant on their current priorities. Once a relevant artist has been selected a triangular dialogue between the two network partners and the artist is established to ascertain the preparedness of the artist to enter into the process of acceleration. The partner who receives the artist holds the final decision on the content of their programme, using criteria such as; artistic relevance, will this artist engage the audience and will the work add to or stimulate the local artistic community? When these processes are complete there exists a three way commitment; two network partners and the artist.
Activities
The activities of the network provide the young artist with a platform outside their home country, to meet artists from different cultural contexts, to exchange ideas and experiences and to open up new artistic working processes across Europe. Towards the achievement of these tasks several JUNGE HUNDE Festivals as well as special JUNGE HUNDE Programmes in already existing festivals were established in the different European cities. These events are dedicated to: - promote artists and their development - bring artists in contact with larger and different audiences throughout Europe - create opportunities of exchange among young artists as well as with more experienced professionals in their respective fields - develop a network among European artists - create a "marketplace" which provides particular possibilities for other promoters to find new and innovative work. These concerns are then followed through to expanding the dialogue between artist and audience by the organising of parallel activities such as seminars, press conferences, pre and post show discussions and meetings with student and other young peoples groups. The network focuses the majority of it's activities on both young artists as well as young audiences. The network is not only concerned about presenting ready pieces but it is very much interested into stimulating the creative process and helping the artists with the realisation of their concepts. That’s why workshops, residencies and co-production support forms a very important part of the JUNGE HUNDE activities and will be further developed in future.