The Dance Complex is a 25+ year old central hub of dance - locally, with connections to the New England region and in dialogue with the inter/national dance field. Our building, an 1884-circa Odd Fellow's Hall in the heart of Central Square, Cambridge, is a home to a diverse range of movers and dancers. This unique arts center hosts professional, pre-professional, and recreational movers. All are able to find a variety of movement and dance classes to take their next step. All can access affordable studio space, and participate in programs to help strengthen their choreographic, performance, and production skills. Those who dance, teach and create within our studios receive valued space in a supportive environment for affordable rental rates.
We invite the community to join us for over 100 concerts a year in our theatre and studios, and to celebrate with us in seasonal festivals that bring study, creation and performance together. Local artists perform alongside national guest artists in two theatre spaces.
Newer programs include All In Movement/No Others Here Program, intent on removing barriers to dance in the widest possible terms, with classes and workshops within multiple communities including those with movement/mobility challenges, LGTBQ and allies, those fiscally challenged.
The Dance Complex is sustained by a staff comprised of professional artists and arts administrators, resident companies and artists, renowned teaching artists, a working board of directors and a corps of volunteers
The Work Study Exchange Participant program provides The Dance Complex with a 50-person workforce who man the front desk, and clean and maintain the studios, affording the participants with valuable study in dance in exchange for their work.
The community at The Dance Complex is reflective of its locale: Cambridge traditionally attracts all kinds of people from all corners of the world, and this is reflected in the artists, their classes and performances at The Dance Complex.
Available Internship Opportunties:
Each season, The Dance Complex offers several focused internship opportunities for students and young professionals seeking experience in the arts and arts administration. Interns will work within our Dance Complex community bringing opportunities to our wider community of professional, pre-professional and recreational dancers, and to our neighborhood and its citizens in Central Square and Cambridge. All intern positions are designed for new professionals to kick-start or refocus their career in arts administration, including marketing, programming, event planning, and/or dance production/operations.
The Dance Complex staff works collaboratively, with engagement of its community as a priority. Interns will work with staff in an environment that encourages question-asking. Tools and skills-sharing and guidance will be provided, and a spirit of discovery through dialogue is encouraged and expected. In our work environment at The Dance Complex, your previous experience and studies will be applied to the real-life, day to day workings of our unique organization as outlined in the organizational frame above.
While each internship can have a varied focus, all internships include experience with general administrative responsibilities and engagement with the community during front-desk reception, phone calls and other outreach during all hours of operation including evenings and weekends.
There is room for interns to focus on specific aspects of the organization, and some interns may choose to plan and execute independent projects alongside their internship, with staff input as desired.
Requirements:
- Strong written and verbal communications skills;
- Completed at least two years of college, with successful completion of classes in writing, marketing, communications a plus;
- Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively;
- Able to work throughout the week, including evenings and weekends.
In response to and in dialogue with our times, Internships will be designed to be flexible in areas of focus. The ability to adapt and shift skills is an important one, especially highlighted in the COVID era, where constant pivoting exhibited by successfully surviving non-profits arts organizations proved advantageous.
Areas of focus may be combined and/or shared by individual interns and may include focus in:
- Communications (social media, vlog/blogs, writing, graphics);
- Production/Performance (program development/management, theatre/live streaming production, technical theatre for performance series, festivals and special events);
- Arts Administration Systems (contracts, booking/scheduling software, development/fundraising; advocacy, community/civic engagement.
Period of Internship: Fall (September – December); Winter/Spring (January – May); Summer (June – August).
Pay Type: Unpaid. Compensation for this internship comes in the form of $50 per week of Dance Complex credit, which can be used to attend free class and book free rehearsal space.
Opportunity Type: Internship
Location: In person, Cambridge MA.
Number of total hours of position per week: 8-10
Application Due Date: Internship applications are accepted throughout the year, with a preferred minimum of 3 months prior to desired start date
Required Degree/Major: All Majors
Application Requirements: . Please submit a cover letter addressing your interest in The Dance Complex specifically, include 2 professional references who can speak to your work habits and ethics and a resume to the online application at dancecomplex.org.