92Y Harkness Dance Center Announces A Call for Submissions For THE FUTURE DANCE FESTIVAL

92Y has announced that submissions are open for a new virtual festival - The Future Dance Festival. Created by Harkness Dance Center director Taryn Kaschock Russell, the Future Dance Festival is a choreographic competition aiming to give new creators an opportunity to showcase their work.

"As I searched for what 92Y could meaningfully provide on our virtual stage, I kept coming back to our collective future," comments Taryn Kaschock Russell. "What is the future of dance in a creative world roiled by pandemic closures? Whose work are we not able to see grow and emerge? I want to provide a bridge for young dancemakers to be seen by company directors who are interested in commissions and discovering new voices, new visions, and new vocabularies."

The Future Dance Festival is open to applicants 18+ who have only had one professional commission to date. First round decisions will be made by Russell, narrowing the applicant pool to 30 videos, with second round decisions by a panel of company directors:

Janet Eilber, Artistic Director, Martha Graham Dance Theater
Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director, Ballet Hispanico
Jessica Tong, Associate Artistic Director, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
Kyle Abraham, Artistic Director, A.I.M by Kyle Abraham
Victor Quijada, Artistic Director, RUBBERBAND
Jennifer Stahl, Editor in Chief, Dance Magazine

Three finalists will be chosen by each panelist (with a fourth runner up) and showcased, virtually, on one of three consecutive weekend programs in April 2021. Each weekend will also include brief filmed interviews with the panelists discussing their choices and what made the choreographer's work interesting.

For additional details and submission form, please go to 92Y.org/FutureDanceFestival.

Submission & Selection Period

January 1 - February 5, 2021 Submissions Open
February 6 - 26, 2021 First Round Notifications
March 19, 2021 Finalists Announced

Festival Virtual Programing

April 9-11, 2021 Weekend 1: Featured Finalists + Panelist Interviews
April 16-18, 2021 Weekend 2: Featured Finalists + Panelist Interviews
April 23-25, 2021 Weekend 3: Featured Finalists + Panelist Interviews