Letter from Artistic Director, Samar Haddad King

zoe — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 15:01:28 +0000

I wanted to start off our new year with a little glimpse into the past. Since 2010, I have been living in the occupied Palestinian territories. My husband was denied a visa to immigrate to the United States, and so I moved my base from NYC. We have been in an [...]

Free Your Mind: Reflections on Teaching Dance to Youth in the Criminal Justice System

admin — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 16:34:32 +0000

If I had to put our experience with the dance company into words, I would say it was nothing short of a freeing, exciting, and interactive experience. Our time with ysdt provided the opportunity for staff and participants to get to know each other in a fresh and creative way. The workshops improved [...]

YSDT on the SCENE

zoe — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 15:50:46 +0000

In the fall of 2012, thanks in part to funding from New York City’s Department of Cultural Affairs, Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre launched a new kind of outreach program. Geared towards underserved youth communities including homeless teens, incarcerated minors, survivors of abuse, and young adults with developmental disabilities, YSDT created the

Pictures and Video from Samar Haddad King’s new creation, From Dust

admin — Tue, 22 May 2012 13:01:20 +0000

Check out pictures and video from Samar Haddad King’s new piece From Dust, commissioned by Sareyyet Ramallah.

From Dust tells the story of the bond between a family and their land; and the lengths they will go to return home. Through the journey to return her grandfathers’ ashes to his birthplace, Layla comes to understand [...]

Interview with Samar Haddad King, Critical Correspondence

katie — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:56:20 +0000

Dancing in Palestine: Samar Haddad King in conversation with Katie Baer Schetlick

Katie Schetlick interviews Samar Haddad King, artistic director of Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre, a New York dance theater company. They discuss King’s exploration of Palestinian identity and family history in her new work, which is being made with a group of dancers at [...]

Review: (Bound)

admin — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:43:23 +0000

Explore Dance

Written By: Sarah J. Hart

Three walls, pushed into different positions by restless dancers, become the boundaries within, on, and against which the dramas of this piece take place. At times they represent the walls of buildings, other times they are the barrier [...]

Honoring the Process

admin — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:30:26 +0000

Months ago, my colleague Sara inspired this rumination on the collective similarities and differences of various art forms. As I read her last blog posts, I wondered, what is the distinction between performers across mediums? How do the performances of dancers, actors or musicians differ? I like to imagine that [...]

Pre-order your tickets for Bound and get $5 off!

admin — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 15:17:24 +0000

Check out our friends at Lintcoat and YSDT’s mention about Bound!

Remember to pre-order your tickets to the premiere of Bound by clicking here (Buy now and you save $5!)

We’ve reached 40% of our funding goal in the first 12 days of our Kickstarter campaign! Thanks so [...]

Bound in Process: Moving within Walls

zoe — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 18:18:31 +0000

Recently it feels like we have taken on three new company members; all of who are heavy, blind, and with little sense of direction. It doesn’t sound like the greatest asset for a dance company known for their athletic movement style in the process of creating a new piece; and yet they are [...]

Bound in process: unraveling the narrative

admin — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 18:39:28 +0000

Every time we rehearse Bound, I uncover more layers of this girl I am trying to bring to life. It’s like chipping away at a person who I am both creating and discovering, as though she exists both in my mind and separately from my mind, as an eternal figure in this perpetual drama. [...]