Aaaah, the teenage years: fairly often stuffed with artistic fireplace, deep ardour, id formation…and sure, many feelings. For dancers, it may be a time of shaping the artist one will turn out to be. Sadly, large obstacles – resembling price, geography and timing – can restrict the potential progress of these years. The NYC-based Younger Dancemakers Firm (YDC) is on a mission (actually and figuratively) to interrupt these obstacles down.
A very first thing one could discover about YDC: it’s all the time one hundred pc tuition-free, and performances that they current are free to attend. “We by no means ask anybody what their monetary state of affairs is,” says Inventive Director Jessica Gaynor. This system is open to all NYC public highschool college students, and has constructed a powerful reference to town’s public college system, Gaynor provides.
By way of key values – collaboration, group, professionalism and past – the annual program guides these teenage dancers to tour round NYC with authentic and fully-produced works. They create these works with their friends in addition to world-class choreographers. The 2024 Season toured seven places, starting on July 24, and culminating in a Finale Efficiency on the Ailey Citigroup Theater on August 2.
A lot is obtainable, and far is predicted. Rigor and help are sturdy scaffolding for what this system achieves. Now in its 29th yr, it appears that evidently this system will proceed to develop. Dance Informa speaks with Inventive Director Jessica Gaynor and Music Director William Catanzaro to delve deeper into this system — exploring their motivations, operations and impression.
All the above displays Founder Alice Teirstein’s authentic imaginative and prescient for this system: one starting in 1996, and ringing true in 2024. “Alice was all the time obsessed with teenagers expressing themselves by way of dance,” Gaynor recounts. “Again in 1996, there have been only a few free dance applications for teenagers, particularly through the summer time.”
“It’s sort of a flagship program…nobody else is doing fairly the identical factor,” says Catanzaro. “I want I had this kind of program once I was rising up. I’m now doing my half to make sure that right this moment’s children have the chance.”
Teenagers within the driver’s seat
YDC college students examine dance at an intensive stage, with high notch choreographers. These choreographers “need to work with teenagers,” Gaynor underscores. College students even have the chance (not obligation) to create their very own work, with school help and steerage. “We direct, however they’ve autonomy over their very own work…they’re within the driver’s seat.”
She underscores that the works they create give attention to points that curiosity and impression them. “We ask them, ‘What’s happening in your world, what do you need to discuss?’” For instance, works this yr targeted on mass incarceration, feminine unification by way of African cultural dance and psychological well being.”
All of it begins with motion exploration. College students begin with an train known as “self portraits” — starting with improvisation, every dancer creates a brief solo, introducing themselves to the viewers. “That offers a reputation to every dancer, and an opportunity to say one thing in motion – even when they don’t choreograph a full piece,” Gaynor notes. Guided improvisation can be a giant a part of the audition course of; choreographers can get a way of who really understands what they’re envisioning, Gaynor explains.
A lot given, a lot requested: Rigor and excessive expectations
College students additionally achieve a complete motion toolbox to deliver ahead with them of their continued work. They discover ways to draw choreography from improvisation. They examine learn how to use parts like house, time and vitality to inform tales on shifting our bodies. “Within the first week of this system, we spend hours on these choreographic instruments. They’re exploring, making decisions and reflecting,” Gaynor says. “We have now them write in notebooks. We’re very ‘old-fashioned’ like that,” she provides with amusing.
Studying these refined choreographic units is barely the tip of the iceberg in terms of the professionalism to which program members are launched. They interact in a spread of workshops, applications and enrichment actions, together with observing world-class choreographers throughout rehearsals. “At a younger age, they’re uncovered to this new world, to constructing blocks of the NYC dance ecosystem,” Gaynor notes.
Performances are additionally fully-produced — full with lighting, costuming, sound…the works. “It’s a mammoth manufacturing, and we be sure that they’ve the very best…if the theater’s microphone isn’t as much as par, we deliver our personal,” says Catanzaro. The employees does all that they will to reduce technical points, so college students can think about growing their craft. With a number of performances within the season, they’ve a number of alternatives to refine their efficiency, to develop throughout the work, Gaynor notes. “Not even all professionals get that!”
For all of this work, college students are paid a stipend (like professionals). Accordingly, a lot is predicted of them. They discover ways to collaborate, present up on time and work collectively as a workforce – working by way of any points that come up and getting again to the duty at hand. Visitor choreographers “anticipate excellence,” Gaynor affirms.
With simply two weeks to create and study new works, adopted by a city-wide tour, the method is undoubtedly rigorous and demanding. College students obtain varied assets to assist them navigate this problem – together with weekly check-ins with psychological well being therapist Eva Younger. “The work usually tackles intense and important subjects, so having this help is essential,” says Gaynor. “We ask college students to delve deeply, and it may be taxing. Eva serves as a bridge between us and the scholars or just gives a listening ear. Our objective is to make sure that college students really feel supported all through.”
Collaboration is vital
Catanzaro and Gaynor additionally spotlight collaboration as a core worth and apply at YDC. This system encompasses a skilled composer phase – the place since 2018, composers have collaborated with choreographers all through the complete course of to create authentic compositions. “It’s authentic work throughout,” Catanzaro explains.
All choreographers and composers get to decide on who they need to work with – and to this point it’s labored out that these matches occur pretty easily, he provides. “The matches themselves make one thing distinctive…the work of John Cage and Merce Cunningham wouldn’t be the identical with out them working collectively.” College students have been amazed how intently the composers hearken to them, Gaynor says – that somebody is invested of their concept and dealing laborious to assist notice it.
Besides, the ten items in this system showcase a variety of musical influences — spanning from African to jazz to pop and past. Catanzaro sees that as “an idea in itself.” On the similar time, Gaynor factors out that all of it begins with motion. “The motion originates from an concept, after which we layer the music on high of that.”
…and so is group
Group can be a key working precept of this system. For one, college students carry out in every borough the place they arrive from. In so doing, they carry out for over 1,000 youthful college students in summer time camps and group facilities. Program artists can interact with these younger audiences by way of such traditions as post-show “Q and A” classes.
“There have been actually stunning interactions between these children and college students in our program…it’s nice for them to have the ability to discuss their work and their course of,” Gaynor says, smiling large. There are even common group members who attend – some who come to the primary and final performances on the tour, to see how the items have developed, she notes.
The significance of group additionally shines by way of this system itself, resembling by way of alumni usually returning to contribute to this system; Gaynor emphasizes that they rent as many alumni as potential. Some even function mentors for present college students. “We love this cycle of individuals coming again,” Gaynor says.
The impression of those values at work collectively – collaboration, group and professionalism – present up within the college students’ progress. “On day one, once I ask them to improvise, a few of them stare at me like I’ve 5 heads…after which we see what they in the end do. It’s simply wonderful to witness,” Gaynor says. Then there are college students resembling a returning dancer who, after three years in this system, believed that it totally modified her life. “We’ve each been rising,” Gaynor instructed her.
Certainly, the YDC workforce is all the time studying, all the time attuned to how they will make this system higher and higher every year – much more related, much more impactful. “There’s an actual love for this program throughout. Everybody on the workforce makes it potential,” says Catanzaro. In flip, transparency throughout the workforce is essential, Gaynor says. “We need to be sure folks really feel valued. There are not any secrets and techniques, and we maintain pushing one another to do our greatest.”
Requested the place to from right here, Catanzaro and Gaynor each affirm that there’s a lot they know – as an illustration, the significance of the mission, and what finest practices assist them work towards it – but additionally lots that they don’t know. “The fascinating and thrilling factor about this system is that we don’t actually ever know what’s going to occur subsequent. We do have a plan, a compass, however the future is ours to make,” Catanzaro says. “Nothing is new, and all the things is new,” Gaynor quips. “We inform the kids, ‘We don’t know what it’s but, however it’s there.’”
Potential college students within the YDC 2025 program can start making use of in December 2024. Keep tuned to the YDC web site for updates!
The Younger Dancemakers Firm is supported by Jody and John Arnhold | Arnhold Basis, the Harkness Basis for Dance, the Emily Davie and Joseph S. Kornfeld Basis, the Richenthal Basis, the Teirstein Household, the New York State Council on the Arts with the help of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, the Moral Tradition Fieldston Faculty, and particular person contributors.
By Kathryn Boland of Dance Informa.
