When NU.DA. Nuova Danza invited Harriet Macauley, InDance International to mentor, give talks, and support their artists, we saw it as more than a guest appearance. It was a chance to test something we believe deeply: that talent alone rarely sustains a career in dance, and that what often separates artists who build lasting professional lives from those who drift away is access to the right guidance at the right moment.
Throughout 2026, our focus with NU.DA. artists was professional development in their practice and creations in Europe. This post shares what that work looked like, what changed for the artists involved, and what it has taught us about mentoring as a practice.
Why mentoring, and why now?
Emerging dancers across Europe face a familiar set of obstacles. Training institutions prepare bodies brilliantly but often leave artists underprepared for the realities of the profession: writing funding applications, navigating mobility grants, building a portfolio that opens doors, understanding how festivals and programmers work, and finding a sustainable balance between creating, teaching, and earning a living.
For women in dance in particular, these gaps compound existing inequalities in who gets programmed, funded, and remembered. InDance International was founded on the conviction that dance is a language for women’s expression, strength, and connection, and that access to the performing arts should not depend on age, background, or who you happen to know. Mentoring NU.DA. artists allowed for me to put that conviction into practice beyond our own studio walls.
What the programme involved?
Harriet’s work with NU.DA. combined three strands. Through group online presentations, one-to-one mentoring, artists shared their works and possible goals, from shaping a choreographic idea into a fundable project for residencies abroad.
Through a online talk and group sessions, Harriet shared practical knowledge about the dance ecosystem and what InDance/Harriet could offer to support the long-term development of artists.
We are deeply grateful to NU.DA. Nuova Danza for their trust! Mentoring is, at its heart, an act of belief in someone else’s future.
I am proud to have played a part in this program!
To find out more about InDance International’s programmes, visit indanceinternational.com or send a video audition to audition@indanceinternational.com.
