Inner Connectivity, Outer Expressivity

At Young Dance, each year is guided by a central theme. Last year’s theme, Mind:Body, proved so expansive and meaningful that we dedicate another year to its exploration. Even as our themes evolve, the mind-body connection will remain a foundation for theory and practice throughout our classes and organization.

This season, we’re embracing “Inner Connectivity, Outer Expressivity,” a concept drawn from the work of Rudolf Laban and Irmgard Bartenieff. This theme invites us to examine the vital link between our inner world—thoughts and feelings—and physical expression. By cultivating this inner harmony, we unlock greater ease and authenticity in communicating ourselves to the world.

Our exploration will be driven by two simple but powerful questions: Why? and How? Guest choreographers Lainey Lee, Gretchen Pick, Judee Shuǐ Xiān, and Laurie Van Wieren investigated these questions with the company as they developed original new works with the Young Dance Performing Company.

The Young Dance company is a group of passionate dancers committed to exploring themselves and their world through dance. Dancers ages 7 to 18 work with professional artists to investigate and collaborate on choreography related to the year’s theme and present their work in a high-quality, innovative performance.

Dancers from Young Dance’s All Abilities Dancing 2, Breaking 2, Hip Hop 2, Modern 4, and Choreography classes will also present work on this program.