New Steps: EU’s first steps towards career transition support for dancers
NewSteps is a 36-month European initiative supporting dancers in their career transition, addressing the short and physically demanding nature of dance careers. The project adapts the dual-career model from the sports sector to the cultural field, enabling dancers to acquire new skills—especially in cultural and arts management—while still performing. Through EU-wide research, a certified e-learning course, and extensive networking and lobbying activities, NewSteps helps dance institutions create structured pathways that improve dancers’ employability and reduce post-career vulnerability. The project strengthens the cultural sector by retaining dancers’ human capital and fostering long-term professional resilience.
Start: 01-02-2026 – End: 31-01-2029
Project Reference: 101255403
EU Grant: 672.991,49 EUR
Programme: Creative Europe
Key Action: CULTURE Strand
Action Type: CREA-LS
Project Coordinator:
Savonia Univeristy – Finland
Partners:
- SPACES Foundation for art and culture – Bulgaria
- CLUBUL DE DANS PHOENIX – Romania
- MV INTERNATIONAL – Italy
- Plesno, sportno, umetnisko in kulturno drustvo Mimi – Slovenia
- HYPEX Srl – Italy
Project TOPICs:
- Internationalisation of careers and sectors
- Social inclusion
- Digitalisation / New technology
TARGET GROUPs
- Professional dancers over 25
- Dance institutions
- Policymakers in the cultural sector
- General public
Project Objectives
Integrate and experiment with dual-career pathways for dancers across Europe, strengthening their professional competences, employability, and the competitiveness of the EU dance sector, while preventing the loss of artistic human capital.
- SO1 – Provide updated EU-level research on dancers’ career transition
- SO2 – Increase dancers’ skills in business and cultural management
- SO3 – Integrate dual-career pathways into the cultural and dance sector
- SO4 – Upskill and reskill dancers to improve employability in the cultural sector
APPROACH / METHODOLOGY
Multi-phase methodology inspired by ISO project standards, built around preparation, implementation, reporting, and consolidation; Non-formal education (NFE) methods; EU-level research; Capacity building
- Work package 1 – Management and Quality control
- Work package 2 – Capacity building of dancers and dance institutions: Research and e-learning course development
- Work package 3 – Cross-border Networking activities for long term sustainability
- Work package 4 – Visibility and Dissemination
Project ACTIVITIES
- Kick Off Meeting (Finland)
- Mid Term Meeting (Slovenia)
- Final Evaluation Meeting (Italy)
- Seven days international mobility for 60 dancers
- Eighteen national networking/dissemination events (three per partner, 35 participants each)
- An international networking/dissemination Event (100 participants)
