The Yard Summer 2024

by

Photo

Hub Wilson

Welcome

As we enter The Yard’s 2024 Summer Season, I’m thrilled to share the rich tapestry of performances, education programs, and community residencies ahead. For over 50 years, The Yard has been a beacon of creativity and culture on Martha’s Vineyard and this summer is no exception. Our mission revolves around nurturing diverse choreographers and performing artists while fostering strong community connections.

Celebrate the collective

This season brings the Martha’s Vineyard premiere of the award-winning A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, Chicana tap and music ensemble La Mezcla, and Haitian composer Val Jeanty with folkloric dance company Jean Appolon Expressions; alongside returning Yard favorites, the South Indian Ragamala Dance Company. From the raw emotion of contemporary dance to exhilarating traditional rhythms from around the globe, performances highlight the ensemble, collective journeys, and innovative expression.

Get closer to dance

Thanks to partnerships with some of our favorite island arts venues, summer performances take flight at the MV Performing Arts Center (Oak Bluffs); and over 25 dance classes can be found at The Yard’s dance studio (Chilmark), Vineyard Arts Project (Edgartown), and Slough Farm (Katama). The Yard is also partnering with Boston Dance Theater, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Trustees of Reservations, and local organizations to bring pop-up events to farms, wildlife refuges, libraries, and other community spaces across the island.

Arts for everyone

The Yard is more than just a stage for world-class performances. Education programs for kids and adults provide invaluable opportunities for learning and growth, health and wellness and joyful community. Through workshops and outreach initiatives, people of all ages are empowered to explore creativity and discover the transformative power of movement. Join us in celebrating the power of dance and music to inspire, educate, and unite.

Thank you for being part of The Yard family.

Stephanie Pacheco, Executive Director

Photo by Rob Strong

About The Yard

In the summer of 1973, The Yard’s visionary founder and late choreographer Patricia Nanon rented a barn on Tabor House Road in Chilmark to present performances. The dancers got dressed in a gutted school bus—the “green room.” Audience members sat on bales of hay in front of a makeshift stage. The generator that powered the shows had to be refueled at intermission.

Ten years later, Ms. Nanon purchased a few wooded acres near Beetlebung Corner in Chilmark -- a home for The Yard where we have been growing roots ever since. For 51 years, The Yard has supported dancemakers and created opportunities for people on Martha’s Vineyard through artist residencies, public performances, education programs, and year-round community engagement activities.

At the center of our mission is supporting artists in developing new work and creating meaningful impact on our island community through the arts. Creative Residencies last between 7-14 days. Dedicated time allows artists to escape the hustle and bustle of daily life, immersing themselves in the beauty and quiet of the rural island of Martha’s Vineyard. Finding solace and inspiration to create and collaborate, artists interact daily with the local community through programs like artist talks, community dinners, master classes, workshops, work-in-progress showings, and of course, performances. Residency companies promote our values of social justice and civic engagement, exploring topics of community interest like equity, health and wellness, climate change/action, cultural practices, and more. The Yard serves our community through unique partnerships, collaborating with island non-profit organizations, schools, and individuals to develop inclusive, impactful, and integrated community programming.

Photo by Christopher Duggan

Season At A Glance

PERFORMANCES

Friday nights at the Martha’s Vineyard Performing Arts Center, 100 Edgartown Road, Oak Bluffs, MA. All shows begin at 7 pm

June 28

July 12

July 19

July 26

PARTNER EVENTS

June 21-22

August 9

SUMMER CLASSES

June 20

June 24-28

June 22-July 13

June 26

July 10

July 17

July 18

July 25

July 29, 31 & Aug. 2

August 8 - 10

August 13 & 15

KIDS DO DANCE

July 8-12

July 22-26

Aug 5-9

Val Jeanty and Jean Appolon Expressions

La Mezcla, Ghostly Labor

Ragamala Dance Company, Avimukta

A.I.M by Kyle Abraham

Boston Dance Theater

Dance Theatre of Harlem

Full schedule on pages 12-15

Boston Dance Theater, master class

Naomi Goldberg Haas, Modern Dance for Life

Claire Page, Open Movement (Saturdays)

Jean Appolon Expressions, Haitian dance workshop

La Mezcla, Tap dance workshop

Ragamala Dance, Indian dance workshop

Martha Hart Eddy, BodyMind Dancing

A.I.M by Kyle Abraham

East African Dance with Godfrey Muwulya

Dance Theatre of Harlem, Ballet master class intensive

Martha Hart Eddy, BodyMind Dancing

Session 1

Session 2

Session 3

VAL JEANTY & JEAN APPOLON EXPRESSIONS

Performance

Friday, June 28 at 7 pm

MV Performing Arts Center

In Residence

June 23 - 30

Public Workshop

Wednesday, June 26 at 11 am

Vineyard Arts Project, Edgartown

Jean Appolon Expressions (JAE) is a Boston-based Haitian contemporary dance company, directed by dancer, choreographer, and educator Jean Appolon. Combining Modern technique and Haitian folkloric dance, JAE educates audiences about Haitian culture, traditions, history, and current issues. JAE will partner with Haitian electronic music composer, drummer, and turntablist Val Jeanty, also known as Val-Inc. A professor at Berklee College of Music and 2024 United States Artist Fellow, Jeanty is a pioneer of the electronic music subgenre called Afro-Electronica (also called “Vodou-Electro”), incorporating Haitian Folkloric Culture with digital instrumentations, creating a dream-like expressionism of Afro-Electronica Soundscapes.

Jeanty & JAE will present a medley of three stirring pieces from their repertoire: Black is Black, an improvisational performance featuring Haitian folkloric rhythms and dance; Traka, meaning “troubles” in Haitian Kreyòl, explores how dance, culture, and community are pathways to healing for victims of traumatic events; and a new piece in development called Pouvwa, meaning empowered.

Funded in part by the New England States Touring program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program and the six New England state arts agencies.

Website: jeanappolonexpressions.org

Olivia Moon Photography

LA MEZCLA GHOSTLY LABOR

Performance

Friday, July 12 at 7 pm

MV Performing Arts Center

In Residence

July 9-13

Public Workshop

Wednesday, July 10 at 11 am

Vineyard Arts Project, Edgartown

A polyrhythmic, San Francisco-based dance and music ensemble rooted in Chicana, Latina, and Indigenous traditions and social justice, La Mezcla was founded in 2015 by Dance/USA fellow Vanessa Sanchez. Their work brings together Tap dance, Son Jarocho, and AfroCaribbean rhythms to bring the often unseen histories and experiences of communities of color to stages, streets, and fields across the country.

Ghostly Labor is a high energy and multidisciplinary performance that explores the history of labor in the US/Mexico borderlands and the power & joy of collective resistance. This work brings together Tap Dance, Mexican Zapateado, Afro Caribbean movement, live music, and animated archival video. Featuring an all-female dance company, spoken word, traditional live Son Jarocho music from Veracruz, Mexico, and an Afro Latino percussive score, this full length dance theater production brings to life historical events, such as the Bath Riots of 1917 and the experiences of farm and domestic workers throughout California.

Ghostly Labor is a National Performance Network (NPN) Creation & Development Fund Project co-commissioned by MACLA/Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana (CA), The Yard (MA), Su Teatro Cultural and Performing Arts Center (CO), Pregones/PRTT (NYC), and NPN. More information: www.npnweb.org.

Community Popup Performance: Thursday, July 11 at 12 noon at Morning Glory Farm Website: LaMezclaSF.net

Photo by Domonique Washington

RAGAMALA DANCE COMPANY

AVIMUKTA

Performance

Friday, July 19 at 7 pm

MV Performing Arts Center

In Residence

July 15-22

Public Workshop

Wednesday, July 17 at 11 am

The Yard Studio, Chilmark

Minneapolis-based, Ragamala Dance Company is led by the mother and daughters choreographic partnership of Ranee, Aparna, and Ashwini Ramaswamy. Rooted in the dance form of Bharatanatyam, Ragamala’s expansive work centers around the kindred relationship between the ancient and contemporary. Through multi-disciplinary dance works, engaging the community, and educating the next generation, Ragamala epitomizes intercultural and immigrant narratives that evoke a shared sense of humanity. For Ragamala, family is an artistic incubator through which they craft multidisciplinary, intercultural dance landscapes.

Avimukta: Where the Seeker Meets the Sacred is an intimate ritual for the stage in which the dancers are seekers, engrossed in rituals of sacred contemplation that become an ecstatic prayer celebrating the inevitable dissolution of life. The performance features soloists Ranee, Aparna, and Ashwini Ramaswamy with the Ragamala Dance Company.

Website: ragamaladance.org/avimukta

Photo by Theresa Wood

A.I.M BY KYLE ABRAHAM

Performance

Friday, July 26 at 7pm

MV Performing Arts Center

In Residence

July 24 - 27

Public Workshop

Thursday, July 25 at 11 am

Vineyard Arts Project, Edgartown

A.I.M by Kyle Abraham is dedicated to creating dance-based work galvanized by Black culture and history and featuring the rich tapestry of Black and Queer stories. The work, informed by and made in conjunction with artists across a range of disciplines, entwines a sensual and provocative vocabulary with a strong emphasis on music, text, video, and visual art. Through a distinct movement vocabulary, Kyle Abraham brings forth the nuances and complexities of Black and Queer identities, contributing to a more inclusive and diverse representation in the world of contemporary dance.

A.I.M by Kyle Abraham will present a mixed repertory including If We Were A Love Song, a series of poetic vignettes set to some of Nina Simone’s most intimate songs. Composed primarily of solos and duets, the work unfolds like a series of living portraits, deepening our reflections on community, love, and one’s self; and MotorRover, a duet both abstract and tender, created by Kyle Abraham in conversation with Merce Cunningham’s 1972 ensemble work, Landrover. The piece is unadorned with no music or set. In the silence, one can almost hear the earth rearranging itself as America continues to shift beneath the dancers’ steady feet.

Website: aimbykyleabraham.org

Photo by Tony Turner

Partner Residencies

BOSTON DANCE THEATER

SURGE RESIDENCY PROJECT

Performance

Friday & Saturday

June 21 & 22 at 7 pm

Long Point Wildlife Refuge

In Residence

April 1-5 & June 17-22

Public Workshop

Thursday, June 20 at 11 am

The Yard Studio, Chilmark

Science and dance come together in this unique collaborative residency between The Yard, Boston Dance Theater, and the Trustees of Reservations Long Point Wildlife Refuge, supported by The National Endowment for the Arts.

Boston Dance Theater along with selected Martha’s Vineyard-based fellows* will create a site-specific show exploring climate action and sea level changes. With a commitment to presenting works of socio-political relevance, Boston Dance Theater explores one of the largest publicly accessible conservation properties on Martha’s Vineyard.

* This robust project includes a paid fellowship for local artists/residents to share stories of climate change. Movement, creation, and spoken word workshops conclude with a site-specific performance in, by, and for local communities. The goal is to build on existing narratives of resilience to climate change and help envision a thriving future for the Martha’s Vineyard community through artistic presentation.

Website: bostondancetheater.com/surge

Photo by Sarah Anne Stinnett

DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM

COMMUNITY RESIDENCY

Ballet Masterclass

August 8-10 at 11 am

Vineyard Arts Project, Edgartown

In Residence

August 7-13

Public Workshop

Friday, August 9 at 5:00 pm

Dancing In The Streets Ocean Park, Oak Bluffs

The Yard is thrilled to launch this new partnership with Dance Theatre of Harlem featuring a week of community classes and events. The 19-member, multi-ethnic company performs a forward-thinking repertoire that includes treasured classics, neoclassical works by George Balanchine and Artistic Director, Robert Garland, as well as innovative contemporary works that use the language of ballet to celebrate Arthur Mitchell’s belief that ballet belongs to everyone. Through performances, community engagement and arts education, the Company carries forward Dance Theatre of Harlem’s message of empowerment through the arts for all.

Dancing in the Streets - Presented in partnership with the Oak Bluffs Public Library. is a fun, engaging 40-45 minute open-air event. Drawing on DTH Resident Choreographer Robert Garland’s Return, a brilliant mashup of ballet and classic social dancing, the public—all ages, all skills—is invited to participate in an old-style Soul Train line…DTH style.

Website: www.dancetheatreofharlem.org

Photo by Lauren Volo

Photo

Move Your Body!

Community Classes

Whether you’re brand new to dance, a lifelong student, or a movement lover with two left feet, The Yard invites you to get up close and personal with visiting artists and local dance teachers, learn new dance forms, brush up on your technique, find a new hobby, and be inspired to move! To register for a class or workshop, visit dancetheyard.org.

Boston Dance Theater Dance Workshop

Class Times:

Thursday, June 20 at 11 am

The Yard Studio, Chilmark Registration Required. 60 minutes

Somatically-informed Movement Improvisation: You don’t have to be a dance professional to experience movement improvisation. Somatic practices encompass a series of movement forms that can be drawn together through their shared focus on body awareness. Workshop features reflection on movement habits, opening up movement capacity and developing self-directed or personal movement styles. Great for beginners and experienced alike.

Claire Page, Open Movement Class

Class Times: Saturdays, June 22 - July 13 at 11 am

The Yard Studio, Chilmark Registration Required. 60 minutes

FAMILY-FRIENDLY! An introductory creative dance class for everyone: adults, kids, families, people of all ages! Participants will develop creativity and strengthen their bodies while exploring the elements of dance. Class will begin with a seated to standing warm up and continue into a movement exploration throughout the space. Students will move across the floor, developing skills and personal expression, play movement games, and culminate with a guided improvisation. Class will end with a cool down, slowing the body, transitioning into the rest of your day with purpose.

Naomi Goldberg Haas Modern Dance for Life

Class Times: Monday-Friday, June 24-28 at 11 am Vineyard Arts Project, Edgartown Registration is encouraged. Drop-ins are welcome. 90 minutes

This daily workshop series is for the dancer coming back to the studio seeking improved mental and physical health, social interaction, and greater quality of life. Enjoy moving with full expression and purpose that integrates the thinking body with the emotional body. Emphasis on correct alignment, articulation and connected movement. A floor work section influenced by pilates and yoga. Large adaptable phrases conclude the class with a moment of gratitude.

Jean Appolon Expressions Haitian Dance Workshop

Class Times:

Wednesday, June 26 at 11 am

Vineyard Arts Project, Edgartown

Registration Required. 90 minutes

JAE works with students of all movement backgrounds, exploring dance as a form of communication and connection, focused on the universal benefit of moving together and expressing oneself from the inside out. This class blends Haitian folkloric and Afro-contemporary techniques and is accompanied by live drummers. Participants experience several different rhythms from Haitian Folklore, including Yanvalou, Ibo, Mayi, Kongo, and Nago.

La Mezcla Tap & Rhythm Dance Workshop

Class Times:

Wednesday, July 10 at 11 am

Vineyard Arts Project, Edgartown

Registration Required. 75 minutes

Ragamala Dance Bharatanatyam Master Class

Class Times:

Wednesday, July 17 at 11 am

The Yard Studio, Chilmark

Registration Required. 75 minutes

Martha Hart Eddy BodyMind Dancing

Class Times:

Thursday, July 18 at 11 am

Tuesday & Thursday, August 13 & 15 at 11 am

The Yard Studio, Chilmark

Registration Required. 75 minutes

Vanessa Sanchez and members of La Mezcla lead an open level Percussive Movement Workshop for dancers of all ages, featuring the rhythms of Tap dance and Zapateado Jarocho, and traditional footwork from Veracruz, Mexico. This workshop will feature a full body warm up, short percussive dance sequences, cultural discussions about the traditions of Son Jarocho, and live music. Hard-soled shoes suggested.

This master class workshop introduces participants to Ragamala Dance Company’s unique lineage of Bharatanatyam, an Indian classical dance that focuses on the rhythmic, gestural, and expressive vocabularies that are the underpinnings of the form. Beginners welcome.

Come explore your internal self through phrases, improv, rest, and play that evoke sensation and awareness. BodyMind Dancing™ is an anatomically informed holistic dance experience that integrates movement sensitivity, easy-going follow-along phrases, and skill building with improvisation. Somatic inquiry, together with the art of dancing, informed by diverse dance and movement traditions, are woven into the BMD experience. Dancing together we have the opportunity to feel our group creativity, embrace space and enjoy touch through the lens of Martha’s system of Somatic Movement Therapy –Dynamic Embodiment, which is an interplay of conscious movement, skilled touch, compassionate dialogue and moments of healing exchange.

A.I.M by Kyle Abraham Dance Workshop

Class Times:

Thursday, July 25 at 11 am Vineyard Arts Project, Edgartown Registration is required. 75 minutes Ages 16 and up.

A.I.M by Kyle Abraham Movement Workshops emphasize four of the company’s core movement values: exploration, musicality, abandonment, and intuition. The opening warm-up sequence focuses on the fluidity of the spine, articulation, and core body strengthening; and then builds up to challenging, creative and invigorating phrase work. Participants experience a personalized postmodern movement vocabulary full of intricate gestures and signature A.I.M movement.

Godfrey Muwulya East African Dance sessions

Class Times:

July 29, July 31 & Aug 2 at 11 am The Yard Studio, Chilmark Registration Required. 90 minutes

Dance Theatre of Harlem Ballet Master Class Intensive

Class Times:

Thursday-Saturday, August 8-10 at 11 am Vineyard Arts Project, Edgartown Registration Required. 90 minutes

Dance Theatre of Harlem Dancing in the Streets Pop-Up Workshop

Class Times:

Friday, August 9 at 5:00 pm Ocean Park, Oak Bluffs Free and open to all. No experience necessary. No registration required.

Godfrey Muwulya has been teaching East African Dance and Drumming on Martha’s Vineyard for over twelve years, captivating the community with his dynamic teaching style and extensive knowledge of Ugandan dance and music. In his workshop, participants will learn distinct East African dances from specific areas of Uganda, as well as the music and rhythms of the region.

Taught by artistic staff or company artists, master classes follow the standard form of warm up at the barre, center work and movement across the floor. Open to intermediate and advanced-level dancers, ages 16 and up.

Presented in partnership with the Oak Bluffs Library. A fun, lively community activity, DITS is a 40-45 minute open-air event. Drawing on DTH Resident Choreographer Robert Garland’s Return, a brilliant mashup of ballet and classic social dancing, the public—all ages, all skills—is invited to participate in the fun and personal expression of an old-style Soul Train line. Starting with a warmup, DTH company artists teach the vocabulary and sequence of a section of Dance Theatre of Harlem Repertory. Set to the sounds of motown, soul, and more, participants show off what they learned in an informal showing at the end of the workshop.

Kids Do Dance

Class Times: Monday - Friday | 9:00 am - 12 noon

Our popular dance program for youth ages 6-12. Developed by Deborah Damast, longtime islander, Yard artist, and Director of Dance Education at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Education, this original program offers a dynamic, innovative approach to movement for young people led by dance educators.

At KDD, kids use stories, literature, imagination, lived experiences, the environment, and more as inspiration to choreograph their own dances. Incorporating physical movement, partner work, voice, and other creative expression, young dancers create a 45-minute show to share with parents, families, and friends on the final day of the program. And just like the professionals, KDD caps off the week with a youth artist Q&A and milk and cookie reception. $400 per session per youth. Registration Required. dancetheyard.org

Some scholarships are available for year-round residents and Martha’s Vineyard guests. Contact Programming Director Yvonne Mendez at yvonnemendez@dancetheyard.org for scholarship information.

Photo courtesy of The Yard

Buy Tickets

To Buy Tickets:

Visit www.dancetheyard.org/tickets Yard Access Program:

The Yard Access program is designed to make Yard programs accessible to a wider portion of our community. If our ticket prices deter you from participating in Yard performances or other programs for financial reasons, the Yard Access program is for you. With Yard Access, most Yard events are $10. Please register in advance by sending your inquiry to info@dancetheyard.org.

Jean Appolon Expressions by Wayne Lake Photography

Yard Leadership

Stephanie Pacheco

Executive Director

Board of Directors

Michele Sasso

President

Deborah Damast

Elizabeth Keen

Curtis Wong

Yvonne Mendez

Programming Director

Martha Hart Eddy

Secretary

Catherine Hartnett

David Parker

Rebecca Haverson

Treasurer

Fred Humphrey

Sabrina Stoker

Fall & Spring programs

Catering mostly to the year-round Island population, we host a variety of residencies, performances, educational programs in Martha’s Vineyard schools, and special events. This fall, The Yard will partner with Slough Farm, Works & Process at the Guggenheim, and others to support Creation Residencies for emerging and established dance artists. Godfrey Muwulya returns for his 13th annual education residency, now in six island schools and growing.

For more information visit www.dancetheyard.org or follow us on Instagram @dance_the_yard and Facebook @TheYardMV.

Photo by Yvonne Mendez

Thank You!

2024 marks a historic season of growth at The Yard. The Yard is a space for everyone of all ages and backgrounds to experience the transformative power of dance. While we are exploring the next chapter for our Chilmark campus, we have the rare opportunity to introduce new and diverse work from both emerging and seasoned artists to a much larger audience. We need your support now to spread the word of The Yard to your network – your friends, family, neighbors, and colleagues alike.

For over 50 years, The Yard has elevated thousands of dance artists from around the globe, and enriched the Island’s cultural vitality beyond measure. Because of our supporters, we are able to provide artist residencies, public performances, education programs, and year-round community engagement activities. None of our meaningful and important work would be possible without the generosity of our donors.

Be a part of our growth. Be a part of our story.

Donate today at www.dancetheyard.org/donations, or by contacting Executive Director Stephanie Pacheco at stephaniepacheco@dancetheyard.org.

The Yard is grateful to the following agencies and institutions for their support of our 2024 programs and events.

Jerome A. and Estelle R. Newman Assistance Fund

MARTHA’S VINEYARD PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

The Yard’s 2024 Season is supported in part by a Grants for Arts Project award of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Special thanks to: