Berkshire Pulse to Celebrate 10 Years of Young Choreographers Program With Performance at Tanglewood

On Sunday, November 1st, at 3pm, Berkshire Pulse will celebrate the 10th anniversary of its Young Choreographers Initiative with an afternoon of dance-making, creative youth development, and community building hosted at Tanglewood's Linde Center for Music and Learning as part of TLI Close to Home. 

This free performance will feature original works by three YCI alumni, a new piece created by current Young Choreographers Program students, and a short film created by filmmaker Yonah Sadeh of Sadeh Studios, reflecting on the program's history and lasting impact on the young artists who have participated in the program. The evening will also feature live music by teen musician DJ Kinfuzed of Pittsfield's BeatNest.

About The Young Choreographers Program

Berkshire Pulse's Young Choreographers Program was established in 2016 and is led by Program Director Susan Quinn. 

Over the past decade, YCI participants have created powerful work that has reached audiences well beyond the Berkshires. In 2019, the YCI work “Untitled,” which explored sexual assault, was selected from 10 works nationwide and performed at the National Youth Artist Summit in Austin, Texas. In 2023, YCI presented “If Anything Happens,” a work exploring the impact of gun violence in schools, at the Mass Cultural Council's Creative Youth Development Teaching Artist Showcase and Community Day in Boston.

For young people in particular, access to the arts can be transformative. Breaking down financial barriers to participation is an essential part of Pulse's ongoing commitment to accessibility. In 2023, Berkshire Pulse established the Diane Pearlman Young Choreographers Initiative Scholarship in honor of long-time Pulse friend, partner, and board member Diane Pearlman. The scholarship underwrites tuition and direct program costs for all students participating in the Young Choreographers Program, ensuring that cost is not a barrier to participation.