Early Career Artist Support Programme 2026-2027

Barrowland Ballet and The Work Room are active in nurturing a thriving and diverse ecology of dance in Scotland.

Together, we are continuing the Early Career Artist Support Programme in 2026; providing 2-3 emerging dance artists/ choreographers with a package of support to assist them in navigating the early stages of their careers in Scotland. The programme runs each year from September through August.

As part of the programme, each artist receives:

  • One year of free membership to The Work Room & access to their membership programme;

  • One year free attendance at Professional Contemporary Class, running on Thursday and Friday mornings from 9.30am-10.45am at Queen’s Park Govanhill Church, Glasgow;

  • Individual mentoring session with Natasha Gilmore (Artistic Director & choreographer of Barrowland Ballet) and/ or Anita Clark (Director of The Work Room) and access to advisory sessions with the wider BB and TWR teams;

  • Shadowing opportunities with Barrowland Ballet, including rehearsals of touring work and delivery of their participatory programme such as intergenerational company, Wolf Pack;

  • A budget of £200 towards additional training, attending performances or professional development.

Who Can Apply

To be eligible for this opportunity you must:

■ Be pursuing a career in dance in Scotland

■ Have undertaken dance training either in higher/ further education or through more informal roots.

■ Have eligibility to work in the UK for at least the next 12 months

■ Be based in, or be able to commute to Glasgow

Barrowland Ballet and The Work Room recognise that not everyone has access to formal dance education programmes because they are not available in all dance styles and not accessible for many people. While our classes are in contemporary dance, we are also interested to receive applications from dancers trained in different dance genres, includingHip-hop or street dance styles; South Asian dance such as Bharatanatyam or Kathak; dance from the African and Caribbean diaspora; Scottish traditional dances – or other dance styles and genres. We know that there are barriers to progressing in a dance career and that these challenges are felt more acutely by some people. We especially welcome applications from those who identify as having characteristics currently under-represented within the dance sector in Scotland including disabled people, those with parental responsibilities, those from Global Majority communities and those from working-class backgrounds.

Please include within your application information on any access support that you would require to fully participate in the programme.

How to Apply

Please send the following information to apply@barrowlandballet.co.uk by 12 noon, 15th June 2026

■ Your contact details (name, email address and phone number)

■ Details about your recent dance training:

-If in higher education - name of course, place of study/ teachers, and if appropriate any qualifications achieved.

-If through different roots please give details of this in relation to your dance genre.

■ Some personal reflections on your dance training

■ A short statement (less than 300 words) on your hopes for a career in dance and what you would be seeking gain from participating in this programme with Barrowland Ballet and The Work Room, to assist in this transition.

■ A link to video footage (max 5mins) of you dancing – this can be in performance, in class or in your own home. We are not interested in the quality of the video butwant to see how you move.

All applicants will receive an email confirming your application has been accepted, and all applications will be reviewed by Natasha Gilmore (Artistic Director of Barrowland Ballet) and Anita Clark (Director of The Work Room).

Timeline

15 June - 12 noon deadline for applications

22 June - workshop and conversations with shortlisted artists at The Work Room

25 June - all applicants informed of the outcome

2025-2026 Recipients

We are excited to announce the first two artists to kick off the programme: Ruth Walker and Mabel Blair. 

This new programme marks an exciting step in supporting the next generation of dance artists in Scotland, and we look forward to following Ruth and Mabel’s journeys over the coming year.

Ruth Walker

Mabel Blair

Ruth Walker

“I am incredibly excited and grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the Early Career Artist Support Programme. I’m particularly looking forward to shadowing Barrowland Ballet on their projects, connecting with the wider dance community, and diving deeper into my love of creating and choreographing.”

Ruth is a dance teacher and choreographer with a passion for storytelling through dance and movement. She trained at Dance Inc Studio Centre and, since 2019, has been teaching classes to children and adults across Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Livingston in a variety of settings. Her choreographic work The Verdict was performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last year as part of Springboard, produced by Edinburgh College and PASS Dance.

Mabel Blair

“I am very excited to be a recipient of the Early Career Artist Support Programme this year. I am looking forward to the opportunity to foster new connections within the dance sector in Scotland and further develop my artistic and choreographic practice with the support and guidance of Barrowland Ballet and The Work Room”.

Mabel Blair is an independent dance artist and choreographer from Scotland. Having graduated from The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in July 2025 with a BA in Modern Ballet, her work and practice fuse contemporary dance techniques with elements of classical ballet to create narrative driven works that expand the discourse around esoteric themes and bring these to light through imaginative storytelling.