"an uncommonly deft combination of dance and verbal theater."
- Brian Seibert, The New York Times

yaa | ya (y+AH): to call or attract; often said before calling someone’s name to get their attention.
samar (‘sum’ + ‘are’): evening conversation, sleepless night, night of entertainment



Tohfe Beidas
Kristine Covillo (President)
Samar Haddad King
Ryan King (Treasurer)
Jessie Mandel (Secretary)
Sana Odeh
Zoe Rabinowitz
Nathan Trice
Dave Welty
17
Years
39
Cities
15
Countries
4
Continents
“Samar Haddad King deftly melds styles from hip-hop and ballet to social dance and acrobatics.”
- Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun Times






















“The YSDT dancers move like this often, tender yet aggressive; tenacious yet desperate. The body subverts itself, becoming both weapon and wound.”
- Cleo Abramian, Hyperallergic
"Samar Haddad King’s propulsive choreography [is] equal parts rave stomping and sensuous writhing."
- Bob Verini, New York Stage Review
Programs
Engagement Programming
Residencies
Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre offers residencies for university students. Partial and extended packages are available upon request. Click here for more information.
Lectures
Public lectures provide insight into YSDT’s methods to create art across physical and political barriers, as well as geopolitical context. These multimedia presentations include footage of the creative process and performance excerpts, with discussion topics ranging from the performing arts to new media, Middle East, International and Women’s/Gender Studies.
Classes/Workshops
Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre views technique as a means of furthering our bodies as instruments for creative expression. Blending contemporary dance and theater to explore themes of repertory works, YSDT classes draw on visualization, improvisation and play to facilitate experiential, process-driven classes and workshops rooted in the following core values:
Facilitating an environment of imagination/play in order to help participants make connections and find new solutions for problems inside and outside of the classroom.
Validating the individual through empowered choice-making.
Modeling the power of collective action by honoring diverse perspectives and a multiplicity of bodies, abilities, and experiences while working together as a group.
Centering the power of storytelling in pursuit of social justice.
“The process the dancers went through creating Getting there, staying here was transforming. I watched Samar push the [Hubbard Street] second company both physically and emotionally. There was a visible growth of artistry.”
- Taryn Kaschock Russell, The Juilliard School




WINTER 2022/23
Losing It Tandem Scene December 15 & 16 @ 7:30PM GMT+1 Arras, France More information ISPA Congress Panel: Arts and Borders Kaye Playhouse January 23 @ 10:00-11:45 New York, NY Last Ward The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi February 10, 2023 @ 7:30PM Abu Dhabi, UAE More information Losing It En Marche Festival March 13, @ 8:00PM GMT+1 Marrakesh, Morocco More informationSPRING 2023
Losing It Oster Festival April 4 Hall in Tirol, Austria More information Losing It Nova Villa April 7 @2:30PM GMT+1 and Apil 8 at 11:00 AM GMT+1 Riems, France More information Gathering: New York City (new creation) Dance Place Residency April 11-15, 2023 Washington D.C. More information Gathering: New York City (new creation) Open Call Residency The Shed April 17-21, 2023 New York, NY More information Gathering: New York City (new creation) CUNY Dance Initiative Residency Snug Harbor Cultural Center April 23-29, 2023 Staten Island, NY More information“King's choreography is dynamic and athletic"
- Nancy Grossman, Broadway World
Gallery













“[YSDT] defines the space within which human relationships take place. They shape the landscape of expectation and hope.... What ensues is unique, free of easy classification, and beautiful."
- Sara J. Hart, Explore Dance


Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT (2019) Chaillot - théâtre national de la Danse, Paris, France (2018) Baryshnikov Arts Center, New York, NY (2018)Dance Initiative, Carbondale, CO (2018)Palestinian Museum, Bir Zeit, Palestine (2017) LaGuardia Performing Arts Center, Queens, NY (2008/9 & 2010/11) Queens Museum, Queens, NY (2007) Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, New York, NY (2005/6)


“The combination of the dramatic subject matter and the technical ability and experience of [King's] dancers makes for an undeniable explosive combination.”
-Amanda Keller, idanz
Contact
