Yesterday we welcomed 74 excited teen artists to our 2014 Young Dancers Workshop. For the next three weeks they will be immersed in a cooperative creative community with a stellar faculty including long term BDFers like co-director Karl Rogers and ballet marvels Shonach Mirk-Robles and Martha Tornay. We are thrilled to also welcome new faculty Shani Collin-Achille, Charlotte Griffin, Courtney Jones, Tommy Neblett and Pam Vail. These amazing teachers exemplify our values to promote high quality holistic training while building community and modeling cooperative work. They represent our passion for creating a web of sustaining relationships. Most have had previous relationships with BDF–both Charlotte and Shani have been part of our Emerging Choreographers Program; Courtney was here as a young dancer and counselor; and Pam attended as a student in 1993. I am thrilled to have Tommy Neblett teaching repertory, and he and Diane Arvanites-Noya’s company Prometheus Dance opening our season.
Organizing a festival on this scale is a huge endeavor that keeps us running all year long to plan the program, identify the faculty and artists, attract the participants, raise the money, publicize the events, and get a zillion details confirmed. Its fun, challenging and exhausting but….. all completely worth it when excited, new spirits show up on campus to share the essential human expression of movement with each other. Let the dancing begin!
