“When people say ‘15 years of YCF, presenting at the Joyce and New York Live Arts,’ I’m like, ‘What?!’” – that’s roughly how Emily Bufferd, director of NYC-based Young Choreographer’s Festival, is feeling about those forthcoming milestone moments. Bufferd began the organization to offer the growth opportunities, requisite materials, and spotlight needed for young choreographers to get an industry foothold.
That mission is not only still going strong but has expanded into endeavors such as educational programming. Proof of concept lies in alumni now working as industry movers and shakers, not to mention presenting in spaces such as The Joyce and New York Live Arts. Dance Informa speaks with Bufferd to hear more about all of this, as well as where the organization goes from here, on this 15th anniversary year.
Proof of concept: In spaces they dreamed of, expanding beyond
“Being welcomed into these spaces is truly the full circle moment, from when we started 15 years ago!” Bufferd notes. “Does that mean we’ve made it, getting those welcomes after 15 years? We’re movin’ on up!” she adds with a laugh.
It’s the sort of thing that she’s dreamed of since the beginning, and there’s been a lot of hard work to get there. There’s had to be a lot of proof of concept, Bufferd affirms. It’s also no small thing that YCF made it through the pandemic, came back after having to pause, she also notes – because, quite sadly, many similar presenting organizations did not.
Apart from featuring at those two illustrious venues, this year comes with expanding programming from one to two nights – programming that’s 100% works from young, emerging choreographers. Bufferd can’t describe many other specifics of this year’s programming, yet she can say that there will be some “truly illustrious” alumni presenting work. “But it’s always curated to be a great show,” she believes.
“Every year, young artists submit incredible work, and then get matched with a mentor. Those pairs then make the work all the more viable.” Such educational programming wasn’t part of Bufferd’s original vision for the organization, but is now a treasured part of it. She loves that many mentors have gone on to hire their former mentees, for example.
The artists: Moving forward from a stepping stone
Those artists’ journeys typically don’t end there. Over YCF’s 15 years, the organization has presented the work of 175 emerging artists who have gone on to win Princess Grace, Drama Desk, ACE and Tony Awards, as well as choreograph on Broadway and create works for major ballet companies. “It’s always exciting to see alumni do incredible things. There have been amazing people doing amazing things in the world who have come through YCF…it’s incredible to me,” Bufferd shares with a big smile.
She confirms that, yes, such alumni success is organizational proof of concept, but also that these choreographers are “tenacious and hungry,” not to mention plain talented, so many likely would have found another way to their dreams if YCF was not their stepping stone. They’re the sort of people who don’t take a “no” now as a “no” forever, Bufferd notes; the persistence and talent have combined to carry them forward to where they want to be. “YCF is a piece of the wider puzzle of their success,” she believes.
“Sometimes you just need a chance, and I think we’ve been that for many artists,” Bufferd says. She notes how sometimes people will think that certain artists are “just a dancer,” but when they get space, time and support to choreograph, they create work that makes people go, “Whoa, they can do that!”
Bufferd hopes that successful YCF alumni appreciate the organization’s part in that. She also notes that they are talented, persistent and simply “good people” – so one can presume that they likely are also gracious in that way.
+15 years: “…what now?”
All of that does make this a big “we got to where we wanted to” moment for YCF, Bufferd notes, yet, she does hope to see the organization expand even further. “There’s a vision board, with funding for all of that still to be forthcoming, as it often goes in the arts.” Featured visions include three nights of programming, additional educational programming and more community outreach, including school residencies, professional artist panels, and free community-based programming.
Bufferd seems particularly passionate about expanding YCF’s work with dancers even younger than the 18-25 age range that they present. “We’d love to go into high schools, perhaps work with even younger dancers, to get those students’ choreographic juices flowing even more,” Bufferd notes.
She describes how as a teacher, she sees students around eight to 10 years old go from having wonderfully fearless creative impulses to often asking “…am I right?” A questioning of the value of one’s work begins around that age. “The earlier we start with a full allowance of creativity, the more open they’ll be as artists. I’d love for YCF to nurture that even more,” she says.
Such nurturance is all part of YCF’s larger mission. “Young artists deserve proper presentation, and they always have…that’s what we’re doing,” Bufferd believes. “The fact that there wasn’t anybody or anywhere doing this 15 years ago – I find it shocking, really, because you don’t get an established artist without an emerging artist,” she reminds us. YCF takes chances on the former so that they have a better chance of becoming the latter.
Fifteen years and 175 artists later, that process has played out time and time again. With the upcoming programming at the Joyce and New York Live Arts, on two separate nights, there’s no sign of that stopping now. Cheers and congratulations to all artists part of that: past, present and future. Dancing onwards and upwards!
YCF’s 15th anniversary programming includes Saturday, March 7, at The Joyce Theater; and Sunday, June 21, at New York Life Arts. Find out more here.
By Kathryn Boland of Dance Informa.
Share this:
