Studio 8 Prince Claus Fund Network Partners Studio 8, founded in 2014, is a dance and performing arts organisation based in Amman, Jordan. Studio 8 aims to tackle the lack of formal dance education in the country and to help build creative capacity amongst local dancers, chorographers, designers, and musicians. They focus primarily on two target groups: young professionals and local disadvantaged communities. Studio 8’s vision is embedded in the local context and many of their productions examine the urban structure of Amman, which has absorbed many refugee communities from the region and as such has a fusion of different cultures. They explore concepts of traditional and modern culture and find hybrids through their performances. Studio 8 purposefully brings dance closer to society through the development, implementation and creation of multidisciplinary, innovative and pioneering dance works. Through this they aim to promote social good, community spirit and participation, and to reflect on their histories and identities. Founded by two brothers who were raised in refugee camps in Jordan the work they produce and the way they engage with their environment is rooted in that experience. With their productions they build new and vibrant connections between traditional and contemporary forms of cultural expression, and interrogate the past and the future of dance in Jordan and the wider region. Their programmes explore and highlight social issues, provide agency for disadvantaged communities and imagine alternative futures for the city and communities of Amman. 

In Jordan access to dance as a creative discipline has been diminishing over the last years, and there is no institutional form of dance education. Through their work Studio 8 want to show communities the power of performing arts and create new audiences within these communities. For (young) dancers and performance artists they want to provide an infrastructure within which they can develop their practice and build viable careers within the discipline. Outputs

 Maintain their space and team for three years

 Produce 2 dance theatre productions

 Produce 2 joint theatre productions

 Organise 3 iterations of the IDEA Festival

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Outcomes

 Consolidation of Studio 8 as an organisation.

 Facilities available for dancers and performing artists to participate in workshops and productions.

 Professional development of young dance artists in Jordan, which will contribute to their employment and livelihood opportunities.

 Increased support and appreciation for the performing arts in Jordan, and Amman in particular, by generating, and making accessible dance performances.

 More knowledge exchange and cross-disciplinary collaborations within the performing arts scene in Amman.

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Impact

In terms of long term impact the aim of Studio 8 is to provide a creative environment within which dancers, choreographers, musicians, and designers can collaborate in producing unique, challenging and diverse works that offer new perspectives and interpretations of society in Jordan. Simultaneously, they aim to bring their dance creations and activities to new audiences through performance, presentation and touring programs.

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