Residencies at the Yard

“I think every artist needs a home, and The Yard is My Home.”

— Amy Brenneman
Actress, Writer, Producer, Yard Artist

For nearly 50 years, The Yard has provided creative residencies for choreographers and dance companies. 

The pandemic gave us an opportunity to pause, recalibrate, and listen to what artists need in this moment. All of our 2021 residencies were co-designed with the artists. Input from our colleagues in the field also shaped them. We are grateful to the residency centers that pioneered the pandemic era “bubble” residency, which gave us a model.

“If the expectation is for artists to continue to produce work that is generative, intelligent, thoughtful - centering joy, centering cultural conversations, centering relationships - artists desperately need this untethered space. It’s absolutely essential.”

- 2021 Yard artist in residence

While in residence, artists have nearly unlimited access to our studio and theater. They receive direct support from our team in technical production, videography, and marketing. With each residency, we strive to meet the choreographer’s unique needs and be collaborators in their creative process. 

All of our residencies are paid. We offer $1,000/week to choreographers and $800/week to their collaborators. We stock our kitchens with food staples to supplement a $150/week food stipend. We cover travel, housing, production supplies, and—last but most certainly not least—beach passes to Lucy Vincent. 

Through residencies, The Yard enables and amplifies the work of artists. This has always been the backbone of our mission.   

Our Selection Process

In the wake of COVID-19, The Yard made a commitment to rebook all of the artists whose engagements were canceled in 2020 and to honor commitments made prior to the pandemic for 2021 and beyond. These engagements will carry us into 2023.

We are beginning the process of reimagining our curatorial model, including how we invite conversations with artists interested in developing work at The Yard. At present, we have a small staff and are unable to engage with interested residency candidates to the extent we desire. We are exploring ways to build that capacity and increase opportunities for artists to be in dialogue with us. We invite you to be in touch with us should you have ideas, thoughts, or questions. Our Programming Director’s email yvonnemendez@dancetheyard.org.