Introducing the next wave of Young Dance Collective… stay tuned.

Young Dance Collective is

“A rigorous, thought-provoking and beautifully inventive movement from these insightful New York City kids- they are our leaders in this new century. Do NOT miss it, you will leave with tears in your eyes and quite a few ‘aha’ moments lodged in your heart and brain.” —Elizabeth Streb

“There is a time when the imagination is so rich and fear is so far away. These teens create fearless beauty and it’s such a joy to watch.” —Larry Keigwin, Artistic Director, Keigwin+Company

Ten years ago, a group of eight year olds formed the Young Dance Collective. Every Sunday, they met to explore their emotions, dreams, hopes and struggles through dance. Collaboration, self expression, transformation, and friendship—YDC was built on these cornerstones, and the result has been unlike any other in dance. On Friday, April 20th through Sunday April 22nd, these seven teen choreographers and dancers present their farewell show—Sunday. Please help them celebrate a decade of dance and their final body of work.

Who we are

We are a socially conscious modern dance group of seven teen choreographers and dancers. Dance is our art form, and our mission is to express who we are, and where we are in our lives, through dance.

Our works are entirely collaborative. Together, we create something very powerful.  Our movement expresses our thoughts about communication (or the loss and absence of it); about love, and how love manifests itself in friends, relationships, and the world around us; about loss—individually, and as a society; peer pressure; death; loneliness; and self definition.

Our discussions — every Sunday for the past decade —transform into our art.  As we dance, we continually react to, and interact with the world around us—all while supporting one other, existing in the moment, sharing a common identity and purpose, and diving into the core of the struggles and pressures we face and the joys we share. Our shared experience and expression has been a catalyst for our growth as individuals.  We hope our programs provoke thought in our audiences, especially teenagers, as we explore our daily reality in a post 9/11 world.

We have grown from performing in one-room spaces—altering our movements so we don’t run into the audience!—to performing at the Citigroup Theater Joan Weill Center for Dance.  As an independent, nonprofit company, we work diligently to produce our work and no creative endeavor has ever been compromised.

Sunday—The Farewell Show!

We believe our final program will be a powerful forum for sharing our message with other teens—teens who may be inspired to deal with their own struggles in a more productive way as a result, and possibly to choose a path that allows for their own expression and healing. We will be drawing from the pieces we’ve performed in the last decade, including Breathe Me, Stay with Me, and Right Here, Right Now, through to our final body of work. We have planned a special outreach campaign for New York City public schools in order to celebrate our retrospective.

Please help us fulfill our dream!

In total we need to raise $6,000 for the performance and expenses. By funding this project on Kickstarter, you enable us to secure our performance space at the 3-Legged Dog, and fund our our rehearsals, sets and costumes, promotional materials (posters and postcards), and special invitations to New York City high schools. If we raise more that $6,000 the remainder of the money raised will go to the next generation of young dancers.

Each backer will receive a reward as listed on this page. Please make sure to include with your donation the performance date and time you request.

Performance Dates and Times

Friday, April 20, 2012 (8pm)
Saturday, April, 21, 2012 (8pm)
Sunday. April 22, 2012 (2pm and 6pm)
Three Legged Dog
80 Greenwich Street (corner of Rector Street)

Because the Young Dance Collective is a 501 (c) 3 non profit, your donation will be tax-deductible (minus the $25 ticket cost) unless you donate anonymously.

Other ways you can help

Please spread the word about our project. You can view rehearsals photos and keep up with our progress on our Facebook page. The more people know about the Young Dance Collective and our Retrospect “Sunday” the more effective our performance will be in using dance to educate teens.

The Young Dance Collective

Hannah Cullen
Sophia Orlow
Lev Ratnofsky
Isa Reisner
Cosmo Scharf
Kassandra Thatcher
Kalei Tooman

Kim Cullen Artistic Advisor

What people are saying about The Young Dance Collective

When you see their work, because they are not only professional dancers but also choreographers, you see their minds at work. They have a deep intention to communicate ideas through movement and their work is speaking to you. It will make you feel like the future is wide and large full of unexpected potential. —Noemie LaFrance

“I thought I would be mentoring these kids and they ended up mentoring me.” —Brian Brooks

“This group of young choreographers and dancers are remarkably advanced for their age, and they defy expectations.” — Misnomer

Seven kids, four schools – and one story that brings them together.

It’s 2001, and you are one of thousands of seven year-olds watching the Towers fall  – in fact, your school has been turned into a triage center.

New York City students are relocated to public schools all over the city – and soon you’re either a terrified transplant, or a startled host to a group of new faces. Practically overnight, your entire world is turned upside down.

But somehow, in the midst of all the chaos, you’re connected with a small group of kids with similar interests to your own — and those bonds deepen further when you turn to movement as way to cope with this frightening new world.

Death, fear, love, hate and loneliness all find a voice in your first body of work together as The Young Dance Collective: “Be There for Me.” Together, you begin an intimate journey that will span the next nine years  — nine years of collaboratively (unheard of in the dance community) choreographing your shared stories. Your art is part social commentary, part raw emotion… all expressed through passionate movement.

This is a powerful representation of what New York teens have to say, and what’s important to them. Sometimes it’s dark, sometimes it’s challenging – it’s always beautiful. All we ask is that you open your eyes and take in our truth. Watch. And Listen.

Showtimes
Saturday November 20th at 8pm
Sunday November 21st at 6pm

Location
Ailey Citigroup Theater
The Joan Weill Center for Dance
405 West 55th Street at 9th Ave
New York, NY 10019

Tickets
$25 Adults
$10 Students
$125 LPRS
Limited Premium Reserved Seating (includes $100 tax deductible donation and a special gift)

Buy Tickets Online Now!

or Call 866-811-4111

The Company
Hannah Cullen
Sophia Orlow
Lev Ratnofsky
Isa Reisner
Cosmo Scharf
Kassandra Thatcher
Kalei Tooman
Kim Cullen, Artistic Director

What people are saying about The Young Dance Collective

“A rigorous, thought-provoking and beautifully inventive movement from these insightful New York City kids- they are our leaders in this new century. Do NOT miss it, you will leave with tears in your eyes and quite a few ‘aha’ moments lodged in your heart and brain.” —Elizabeth Streb

“There is a time when the imagination is so rich and fear is so far away. These teens create fearless beauty and it’s such a joy to watch.” —Larry Keigwin

When you see their work, because they are not only professional dancers but also choreographers, you see their minds at work. They have a deep intention to communicate ideas through movement and their work is speaking to you. It will make you feel like the future is wide and large full of unexpected potential. —Noemie LaFrance

“I thought I would be mentoring these kids and they ended up mentoring me.” Brian Brooks

YoungDanceCollective from CuttingMoves on Vimeo.

In YDC rehearsals we’ve started to work with a few rotary dial phones for our evening long work about communication we’ve been calling “Telephone” and Kim put together a phrase for Isa using the phone.  Take a look at the video for a hint of what’s to come in October.

View the Rehearsal Footage

Hannah and I are going to be performing a duet from the upcoming YDC show “Telephone” on Sunday April, 18th at 3pm. We’re showing this excerpt along side the works from artists like the Sean Curran Company, Dancewave Company, and the Limon Professional Studies Program in the PeriChild Ensemble Fundraiser. Come check out the show at The Peridance Capezio Center (126 E 13th Street). Tickets are $20 for Adults and $12 for High School Students.

www.PeridanceYouthEnsemble.Org

Map

Young Dance Collective in a repeat performance of Right Here. Right Now. as seen at PS122!

Come experience a dance-exploration into the art of becoming one’s self, as interpreted by seven inspired and inspiring teen artists. On October 2nd and 3rd, 2009!

Young Dance Collective will be performing Right Here, Right Now, a program that hurtles against and through expectations of where they are in the scheme of life. Alert, ardent, open and decisive, this sophisticated company offers a formative investigation that reveals the intelligence and intensity of our youth.

If you have kids, bring them. If you were once a kid yourself, you don’t want to miss this show!

When: Friday, October 2 at 8:00 pm

Saturday, October 3, 2009 at 8:00 pm Benefit Reception to follow

Where: Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theater, The Joan Weill Center for Dance,
405 West 55th Street, New York.

Tickets: Performance Tickets $20 Adults, $10 Students and Seniors.

Performance and Reception $50 Adults, $25 Students and Seniors.

Sitting at home today, I thought I should probably work on some stuff I had to do for YDC, since the upcoming show is so incredibly soon (Oct. 2nd and 3rd. hint hint). So I looked at our video on the website to take some notes and ended up sitting there, watching piece after piece forgetting to take notes because I forgot how good it actually is. So I am posting now to tell everyone, you better come see our show because it is damn good (if I do say so myself).