���� IMPACT REPORT
Sara Mearns
Photo by Christopher Duggan.
Dear Vail Dance Festival Friends,
With this impact report, we share highlights of Vail Valley Foundation’s 2024 Vail Dance Festival, along with gratitude for your support that has made our Festival what it is today. The impact you’ve had on our community, and the dance community as a whole, is truly remarkable, and for that, we are all grateful.
The Vail Dance Festival is a world-renowned dance laboratory in the Rocky Mountains. It acts as an incubator for important new works, and creativity gives space to thrive. This year, thanks to your support, the Festival premiered 12 new works by a dynamic range of today’s leading and emerging choreographers.
Our season also continued the tradition of performances by renowned companies, including Dance Theatre of Harlem, Limón Dance Company, Colorado Ballet, Dorrance Dance, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, and DanceAspen. We reveled in the distinctive voices of these companies who shared their individual brilliance, as they demonstrated how dance today is a thrilling and powerful collective.
The next generation of artists is nurtured every year during our Festival, which fosters the development of extraordinary dancers from around the world. We were honored to have New York City Ballet star Sara Mearns and choreographer Jamar Roberts as our Artists-In-Residence. Their contributions, along with those of all our participating artists, made this season unforgettable. Thank you for all you do to make our Vail Dance Festival an incredible success.
Sincerely,
Susan Campbell Committee Chair
Damian Woetzel Artistic Director
Vail Dance Festival Committee
Susan J. Campbell, Chair
Jill Plancher, Vice-Chair
Judy Berkowitz*
Priscilla Brewster
Jeffrey Byrne
Sara Friedle
Stacey Gillett
Lisa Goldman
Sheika Gramshammer
John Harrison
Sally Hybl
Alexia Jurschak
Jonna Mackin, Ph.D.
Jane Netzorg
Senenne Philippon
Fred Tresca
Betsy Wiegers
Damian Woetzel
*Dance Committee Chair 1998-2018
Marquee Presenter
Jody & John Arnhold
Premier Presenter
Susan & Jeff Campbell
Jill & Kevin Plancher
Paul Repetto & Janet Pyle
Tina & David Wilson and The Carol F. Storr Endowment for Classical Ballet
Season Presenters
Priscilla Brewster
Jonna Mackin, Ph.D.
Oscar Tang & Agnes
Hsu-Tang, Ph.D.
We are grateful to the Vail Dance Festival Committee and our Marquee, Premier, and Season Presenters for their leadership of, commitment to, and investment in this incredible Festival.
Total Ticket Revenue Generated
Performance Tickets Sold
FESTIVAL FUNDING BREAKDOWN ����‚���
Festival Attendees
Performances
Performance Venues
Festival Events & Master Classes; $16,970 revenue generated
Attended in the Past
Likely to Return Again
Came specifically to Vail for the Festival
Economic Impact
Room Nights Booked in Vail by Festival Guests and the Vail Valley Foundation for Staff and Artists
Donor Events
Commissioned World Premieres
World Premiere Piece d’ Occasions
Conversations on Dance
Podcasts Recorded
Viewers Tuned in Live for NOW: Premieres Livestream
Individual Donors (9/1/23–8/31/24)
This year, 66% of our funding came from individual donations. Thanks to YOUR unwavering support, we were able to make this Festival a success!
Individual Donations
Ticket Sales
Grants
Miscellaneous
Sales/Sponsorships
Government
WORLD PREMIERES � NEW WORKS
#1 JAM SESSION ���� piece d’ occasion
Music: Abdias Armenteros, Jayla Chee, Youba Cissokho, Eliza Salem, and Joel Wenhardt
Choreography: Adji Cissoko, Michelle Dorrance, Ron Myles, and Denys Drozdyuk & Antonina Skobina
#2 A Star. A Crown.
A Trine. A Bevy.
Music: “Will There Be Any Stars in My Crown?” and “I’ll Fly Away” by ComposerIn-Residence Caroline Shaw
“Songs to the Dark Virgin” by Florence Price
Choreography: Artist-In-Residence Jamar Roberts
Generously underwritten by Jill & Kevin Plancher and the Vail Dance Festival Artistic Reserve Fund, made possible by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.
#3 DANCE & BE BORN
Music: Yello
Choreography: Denys Drozdyuk & Antonina Skobina
#4 After Sorrow/After Joy
Music: Mystery Sonatas for Solo Violin No. 2 and No. 5 by David Lang with arrangement by Boosey and Hawkes, Inc., o/b/o G. Ricordi & Co. Bühnen-und Musikverlag GmbH.
Choreography: Kyle Abraham
Generously underwritten by Ginny Gold, Alexia & Jerry Jurschak, and Vickie Morris.
#5 Musagetes Quartet
Music: Concerto for Harpsichord and Strings by Composer-In-Residence
Caroline Shaw
Choreography: Lauren Lovette
Generously underwritten by Malo & John Harrison
#6 Nine Freights
Music: “Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again” by Bob Dylan
Choreography: Justin Peck
Generously underwritten by The Paul Repetto & Janet Pyle Gift for Collaborative Works.
#7 Another Way piece d’ occasion
Music: Youba Cissokho
Lyrics: Davóne Tines
Choreography: Adji Cissoko & Ron Myles
#8 Piano Songs
Music: “Ellis Island, Paris,” and “Folkdance” by Meredith Monk with arrangement by Boosey and Hawkes, Inc., publisher and copyright owner
Choreography: Tiler Peck
Generously underwritten by Donna & Donald Baumgartner, co-commissioned by New York City Center Fall for Dance Festival.
#9 “secret story ballet”
Music: Composer-In-Residence Caroline Shaw (2024) & Franz Schubert (1824)
Choreography: Pam Tanowitz
Generously underwritten by Gina Browning & Joe Illick.
SOUNDS OF DANCE
#10 RHAPSODY
Music: “It’s Not Unusual” by Les Reed & Gordon Mills; “Bulgarian Chicks” by Balkan Beat Box, feat. Vlada Tomova & Kristin Espeland
Choreography: Larry Keigwin, assisted by Derek Crescenti & Andrea Lodico
Generously Underwritten by Susan & Jeff Campbell
#11 BLUES IN B-FLAT
piece d’ occasion
Music: Traditional
Choreography: Michelle Dorrance
#12 JUKEBOX 2.0 piece d’ occasion
Music: Various Artists of Today
Choreography: Michelle Dorrance, KJ Takahashi & Ron Myles
#13 Doublethink
Music: “Cranes” by Tigue with improvisation based on “Double Bass 1” by Luke Stewart
Choreography: Michelle Dorrance with additional choreography and solo improvisation by the artists
Generously underwritten by Shirley & Jim Cassing and LaDonna & Gary Wicklund
We are committed to the creation and arrangement of new music and embrace music as the foundation of dance.
We took the sounds of dance to new heights in 2024, commissioning three new music scores and featuring two festival composers.
Festival Composers
Shelbie Rassler
Festival Music Director
Festival Musicians
Youba Cissokho Kora
Kate Davis
Multi-Instrumentalist
Alan Moverman Pianist
Tabitha Rhee Violist
Michael Scales Pianist
Caroline Shaw
Multi-Instrumentalist, Vocalist
Caroline Shaw Leonard Bernstein Composer-In-Residence
Alex Sopp Flutist
Davóne Tines Bass-Baritone
Derek Wang Pianist
National Repertory Orchestra
Michael Stern, Music Director
Brooklyn Rider Quartet-In-Residence
Juilliard Alumni Jazz Ensemble
New music at the Vail Dance Festival was made by possible by Jean & Tom McDonnell, Susan & Elihu Rose, and Susan & Jeff Campbell.
COMMUNITY ARTS ACCESS
Heather Watts Emerging Artist Fund
FREE Dancing In the Streets
FREE Dancing In the Park
Children 12 & under received free lawn admission
FREE tickets distributed to local non-profits through Community Arts Access
Discounted Lawn Tickets sold to students & faculty
Scholars-In-Residence
Reduced-price tickets sold to Dance for $20.24
Children participated in Celebrate the Beat
Pop Hop Camp
Master Classes offered
Students attended free performances
The Vail Valley Foundation has established the Heather Watts Emerging Artist Fund to support the Vail Dance Festival’s ongoing commitment to championing rising stars in dance. The Festival, which recently concluded its 36th season, is highly regarded as a world-class destination for international dance stars and emerging talent in both music and dance across diverse genres and styles. The fund is named in honor of legendary Balanchine ballerina Heather Watts, who has made extraordinary contributions to the world of dance throughout her continuing career, including at the Festival over many seasons. Watts is an influential creative collaborator for the Vail Dance Festival, often described by Artistic Director Damian Woetzel as “the heart and soul of our Festival," and she has been instrumental in bringing emerging artists from across disciplines to the Festival, supporting their development and often launching their careers.
“Heather Watts’ important work of supporting young artists at the Vail Dance Festival is a seamless connection to her many contributions to the field of dance. From her groundbreaking career at New York City Ballet, to her expansive role at the Vail Dance Festival, Heather has influenced countless artists across diverse backgrounds and artistic disciplines for decades. It is a tremendous joy to launch this fund with the Vail Valley Foundation to help ensure that her legacy continues to inspire and touch the hearts of artists and audiences alike, here in Vail and around the world.”
—Jonna Mackin, Ph.D.
INTERN / AMBASSADOR PROGRAMS
Engaging the next generation of arts leaders
We are committed to helping nurture the career development of our future generations of artists, leaders and professionals.
We’ve established a robust program for ambitious middle school, high school, college, and postgrad students to join the Festival team and gain valuable experience while supporting a variety of key areas from administration to marketing to production. Twenty-five interns and ambassadors joined us in 2024.
Intern Program
Interns support a variety of areas in artist hospitality, media/marketing & communications, education/ outreach, venue/rehearsal management, food/ beverage and development. Ten talented young professionals and graduate and undergraduate students from across the country joined the Festival team for over two weeks gaining extraordinary experience in arts production and management.
“I learned so much not only about the Artist Services position but also furthered my passion for management in the concert dance/ballet world and events and discovered a new passion for the fast-paced dance festival environment.”
—Anna Johnson, 2024 Intern
Ambassador Program
A unique hands-on opportunity for 8th–12th graders. Ambassadors receive both community service and educational experience.
Thank You Volunteers
Thank you to our amazing volunteers for giving their time and hard work to make this year’s Festival a success.
FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
Rhapsody
Larry Keigwin’ s Rhapsody brought joy and community to this year’s Festival by engaging locals to participate!
“Returning to the stage after 40+ years was a thrill. Performing in front of 2,400 dance fans was a rush. Sharing the same stage with some of the best dancers in the world was a dream come true. I encourage everyone and anyone to perform in Vail Dance Festival’s 2025 “Flash Dance!”
—Sara Friedle
Celebrate The Beat Pop Hop Camp
Pop Hop is a free week-long arts education dance program designed to foster teamwork, creativity, and the joy of accomplishment through dance. Each summer, the camp culminates in a performance at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater during Vail Dance Festival’s International Evenings of Dance.
“Kevin and I are proud to support the Vail Dance Festival and Celebrate the Beat’s Pop Hop camp. This program provides Eagle County students with the opportunity to experience the joy of movement and performance and create a love of the arts that will last a lifetime.”
—Jill & Kevin Plancher
We are proud to share some of the highlights from the Festival with you! The Vail Dance Festival is not possible without your support. THANK YOU for your contributions and dedication to making this event special every year. Questions or interested in renewing your support of the Vail Dance Festival? Contact a member of our Philanthropy Team.
Sierra Adams
Vice President, Philanthropy sadams@vvf.org
Whitney Smith
Director of Philanthropy, Education, and Community Engagement wsmith@vvf.org
Stephen Licciardi
Director of Philanthropy slicciardi@vvf.org
Martha Brassel
Senior Director of Philanthropy mbrassel@vvf.org
Miah Wheeler
Director of Philanthropy mwheeler@vvf.org
Kendra Powell
Associate Director, Donor Engagement kpowell@vvf.org
Peter Barclay
Senior Director of Development Strategy pbarclay@vvf.org
Bailey Nelson
Admin & Campaign Manager bnelson@vvf.org
Photos by Christopher Duggan and Chris Kendig.