Overview of international mobilities

The Next Stage Project — supported by Creative Europe — was founded to strengthen the independent performing arts sector in Central and Eastern Europe through collaboration, capacity-building, and professional exchange. Within this framework, the program offered a dedicated mobility module, designed to support participants in exploring international professional environments and to open pathways for artists and producers at the beginning of their global journeys. This Mapping Study on International Mobility is the result of those experiences. It brings together the voices of the program’s participants — artists, producers, and cultural managers — who travelled across Europe and beyond, attending festivals, residencies, markets, and platforms such as Avignon Off, Tanzmesse, and Hungary LIVE in New York. Their reflections, collected here, illuminate how different forms of mobility shape both individual careers and the wider artistic ecosystems they belong to. Through their stories, we see how mobility fosters visibility for underrepresented regions, builds confidence and agency in early-career professionals, and contributes to more balanced international collaborations. We also see its challenges — the need for sustainable funding, accessible opportunities, and structures that recognize care, equity, and inclusion as essential conditions for participation. The insights gathered in this publication serve as a guideline for future generations of artists and managers who wish to navigate their own international paths. It offers practical advice on choosing mobility programs that fit one’s goals and context, from short study visits to long-term residencies. Most importantly, it affirms that international mobility is not just about movement — it is about connection. Every journey, every meeting, every shared stage contributes to the collective reimagining of how the performing arts can cross borders while remaining rooted in care, collaboration, and curiosity. — The Next Stage Project Team