AUG 13 | In-Person & Livestreamed
Young Voices in Dance, Battery Dance Festival’s newest addition, celebrates the next generation of choreographers. The program highlights the intellectual curiosity, innovation, and artistic excellence of youth (ages 15-22) from across the country.
The program features live performances with original works choreographed and danced by youth in a variety of styles. Catch these talents on the rise on Battery Dance Festival stage.
In-person: 7pm EDT at Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park. Click here for directions.
Livestream: https://vimeo.com/739641400
The video will be available to watch for 10 days after the premiere and will expire on Aug 23rd.
Register for free to receive the livestream link and bonus content
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Program
SYDNEY BURTIS
The Difference
The Difference is a tap dance work that fuses sound and movement to take you on a journey through both jazz and contemporary music. With these differing genres of music at play, the dancers hope to inspire feelings of positivity, self-worth, and community, as they can make a lasting difference in your life.
About the Company
Sydney Burtis is a multidisciplinary artist from Kissimmee, FL based in New York City. Some of her credits include the National Broadway Tour of Billy Elliot, season 16 of “So You Think You Can Dance,” the YoungArts New York Gala, and more. She is a YoungArts Silver award winner in dance, Presidential Scholar in the Arts semi-finalist, alumnus of the Jacob’s Pillow Tap Program, co-founder of the Orlando Tap Festival, and professional assistant for Adrenaline and Revive Dance Conventions. She is a 2022 graduate of Pace University, and loves creating!
ZACHARY SETO
Nostalgic Beings of Synesthesia | NYC Premiere
This piece is the continuation of constant conversations, the dialogue of speaking in a language unknown to humankind. It explores the physical experience of undulating spiritual verbal dialect through movement. Canadian choreographer Zachary Seto channels the constant flow of infinite gold light and spiraling energy that surrounds us.
About the Company Zachary Seto is a Canadian-born Chinese Sri Lankan multidisciplinary artist. He was awarded the YoungCreators Top Choreographer in 2020, the youngest ever winner at the age of 15 ages 14-22+. Completing his first commissioned dance on film Estrella Emergence, for MAC. A CCDT company member, he trains in RAD Ballet & The José Limón Technique. Working & learning repertoire works by Jennifer Archibald, Marc Boivin, Colin Connor, and Roderick George. Selected by Dance Ontario, he is a part of their Creative Partnership Program for Dance Weekend 22.
CAMRYN & COURTNEY SPERO
Distance
“Distance” investigates what it means to be part of a collective and how to reconcile the fleeting time and space we have to explore the relations within it. Set to New Order’s 80s synth-pop track “Blue Monday,” the juxtaposition of artificial kicks with deadpan vocals introduces questions of superficiality and authenticity in our interactions, as dancers enter and exit formation, are caught in repetition, and groove on and off the relentless beat.
About the Company
Camryn Spero and Courtney Spero are twins at Vassar College where they passionately dance and choreograph for their pre-professional dance company, the Vassar Repertory Dance Theatre. They are proud co-presidents of Vassar on Tap, and members of Flypeople, an audition-based student-run dance group. Their choreographic work explores relationships, how individuals relate to each other in symbiosis, conflict, and endings. Camryn and Courtney play with musicality and the synthesis of contemporary, modern, jazz, and hip-hop in their works.
LERATO RAGONTSE
In Between Change
In Between Change focuses on the beauty of technique. The piece emphasizes the importance of allowing yourself to appreciate the journey that leads to success. Through breath, the dancers showcase their elegance and strength while expressing the importance of breathing and letting things be, even if that means change.
About the Company
Lerato Ragontse is a versatile dancer and choreographer that specializes in ballet, pointe and contemporary techniques. She has studied dance for 6 years and currently attends NYU Tisch for Dance.
ANYA SUSAN
In Conversation
In Conversation, created in 2020 and reworked in 2022, is a work about the reflection of the selves. With no true characterization of a ‘younger’ or ‘older’ self, it is meant to depict how the information learned throughout one’s life can and will influence our future choices and responses. Without ever letting go of these identities, we learn to integrate and adapt. Reworking the piece in 2022 affirms this concept, providing a time capsule into the choreographer’s then 18 year old mind that she gets to reexamine at 20.
About the Company
Anya Susan (they/she/he) is a dance artist and choreographer from South Florida. Anya attended New World School of the Arts High School in Miami, Florida and is currently a senior at NYU Tisch School of the Arts with plans to receive their BFA in Dance. Their choreography has been presented at 92Y Harkness Dance Center’s “Dance Up!” and several Tisch Dance Works performances. They are grateful for this opportunity and eager to explore new creations and collaborations in the future.
KATE LOUISSAINT
For Love | World Premiere
For Love is an upbeat exploration of black sisterhood, love, and the distinctive ways we approach telling our stories of love lost, and love found. This piece sits at the intersection of theatre and groove.
About the Company
Kate Louissaint is an aspiring multimedia artist and New York City native. She graduated from the dance department at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School in 2020, and joined the Musical Theatre Class of 2024 at the University of Michigan. She is a 2021 YoungArts Finalist in Theater, and has worked as a Rehearsal Assistant for Dorrance Dance Company. She is grateful for this opportunity to perform alongside members of her chosen family.
MYLES KING
The Last Foundry
The Last Foundry navigates the complex relationship between power and vulnerability. While power and vulnerable struggle to coexist in society, this work highlights that they can. The choreographic process of this piece was highly collaborative with the dancers who are within the minority community and highlight the power and vulnerability that we all possess as minority people within the world.
About the Company
Myles King, originally from Brooklyn, NY, is a recent graduate from the SUNY Purchase College: Conservatory of Dance, graduating Magna Cum Laude with a BFA in Dance. At Purchase, Myles received the Adopt-A-Dancer Scholarship and the 2022 Outstanding Senior Dance Award. His previous training includes The Ailey School and Frank Sinatra School of the Arts High School. Myles was also an apprentice with Traverse City Dance Project for their 2021 Summer Season. He has performed works by notable choreographers such as Robert Battle, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Jae Man Joo, Jessica Lang and more.
SHANNON HARKINS
Dreams and Nightmares of a Mutant People | NYC Premiere
Dreams and Nightmares of a Mutant People explores escapism through character, artistry, and individual oddities. Classical ballet elements meet with expressive and enhanced movement to create an otherworldly environment.
About the Company
Shannon Harkins started her dance training primarily in ballet at The Washington School of Ballet. She attended Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Massachusetts and is a recent graduate of the Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College, SUNY. She strives to create work that combines aspects of classical technique with added nuances, theatrics and humor.