UrbanApa

In spring 2026, UrbanApa produces the next cycle of the UA Mentoring Platform, a peer-based platform supporting dance artists at the beginning of their professional careers. The platform is grounded in peer learning and shared responsibility, and it aims to support participants in their own artistic work while creating space for collective reflection, exchange and experimentation.

The application form is in English, but applications may be submitted in English or Finnish.The working language of the platform will be English and/or Finnish, depending on the group.

The UrbanApa Mentoring Platform is a light but committed support structure designed to support independent artistic work in collaborative ways.

Mentoring is understood broadly: there is no single mentor. Instead, the platform is built around peer support, facilitated group processes, workshops with invited artists and professionals, and shared reflection. The purpose of the platform is not to form a collective, but to support individual artistic practices within a group-based framework.

The platform aims to offer

• Peer support and exchange
• Concrete tools for artistic work
• Time and space for reflection, experimentation and growth

The platform consists of

• Workshops led by artists or professionals selected by the participants
• Regular check-in and check-up meetings facilitated by coordinators
• Independent and collective working sessions, including sharing practices and working side by side
• A short residency period (1–2 weeks), during which participants can focus on their own artistic work or work collectively if desired
• A public outcome of some kind (e.g. solo or group demos, a club, a workshop, a publication or a podcast, depending on the participants)
• The mentoring period lasts approximately 8 months.

The first meeting will take place in February 2026, and the platform will run until October 2026. Work will primarily take place in Helsinki.

The mentoring platform is aimed at dance artists at the beginning of their professional careers, who are interested in performance and/or stage-based practices, and who come from diverse backgrounds.

In case of a large number of applications, UrbanApa aims to form a diverse and multivoiced group, prioritizing applicants who currently do not have access to similar mentoring structures or forms of support.

We hope the group will reflect diversity in terms of

• Identities and cultural backgrounds
• Artistic approaches and performance or stage-based practices
• Dance practices (street dance, contemporary dance, folk dance, etc.)
• Educational paths (including self-taught artists)
• Different relationships to the Finnish dance field

This diversity is considered a strength and is actively protected and nurtured throughout the platform.

The platform is not about forming a collective or a permanent group. Instead, it supports individual artistic practices while working in a shared group framework.

You should be able to participate in at least ten out of the thirteen sessions mentioned below. All the meetings take place in Helsinki.

SPRING–SUMMER 2026

Mon 9.2. at 11-14 Orientation 1

Fri 13.2. at 17-20 Orientation 2

Thu 26.2. at 10-13 Workshop

Mon 9.3. at 10-13 Workshop

Mon 30.3. at 10-15 Workshop

Mon 20.4. at 10-15 Workshop

Week 31: 27.-31.7. Residency

AUTUMN 2026 (DATES CAN CHANGE)

25.-29.8.2026 Sharing in UrbanApa x Stoa Festival | optional

Mon 31.8. at 10-15 Workshop

Mon 21.9. at 10-15 Workshop

Mon 5.10. at 10-15 Workshop

Mon 19.10. at 10-15 Workshop

Fri 6.11. at 17-20 Wrap up / reflection

+ Weekly own rehearsal space every Thursday from 11.00–13.00 (optional)

Participation in the mentoring platform is based on collaboration, mutual respect and shared responsibility.

Although the platform is designed to be supportive and light, it requires commitment, communication and self-direction. Meetings take place in a group setting and require openness, care for the work and care for the people involved.

Participants are expected to

• Engage in collaborative group work involving emotional labour, active listening and respectful communication
• Communicate clearly, timely and transparentlycommit to the agreed schedule and meetings
• Take responsibility for both individual and shared processes
• Participants are expected to commit to the entire mentoring period, not just individual meetings.

Participation in the mentoring platform is free of charge and the participants will not receive any rewards or other payments for participating apart from the residency period.

UrbanApa provides

• Working spacesFees for facilitators (Sofia Charifi, Taika Rautiainen and Mathilda Kauppila)
• Fees for workshop leaders
• ‘A small fee for the residency period (approximately 300 € per participant, depending on the length of the residency)

We are looking for a diverse group of dance artists who are interested in developing their artistic practice and working within an anti-racist and intersectional feminist framework. We mainly look for applicants who work or live in Helsinki, but applications based elsewhere in Finland are also considered. Please note that we cannot provide travel or accommodation support and the events and meetings take place in person in Helsinki.

To apply, please fill out this form.

If you are unable to submit your application via the form, you may also apply by email, which should include

• CV
• A short motivation letter (max. half A4), answering the following questions
  • What are you currently working with and how?
  • Why are you interested in the UrbanApa Mentoring Platform?
  • What kind of tools or support do you need at this stage of your practice, and how do you hope to use the platform?
  • Do the schedule and timeline suit you?
  • Do you currently have the time, energy and resources to commit to the platform

Please title your email UA MENTORING PLATFORM / OPEN CALL. Make sure all attachments include your name and relevant content information. Send your application to sonya[at]urbanapa.fi.

Deadline for applications is 2 February 2026 at 23:59 (Finnish time). You will hear from us only after the application period has ended. Participants will be selected by 6 February 2026.