Young Professional Experience
Dre Drummond
Wednesday, December 22, 2021
"My duty as a healing artist is to go where others cannot or will not, to tell the stories that are being ignored and to reclaim the culture and identity of people of color. I feel called to decolonize many yoga spaces, festivals, conferences, and spiritual institutions.
My hope is to be a part of the change...
Cortney Taylor Key
Tuesday, November 30, 2021
CORTNEY TAYLOR KEY is a native of Charlotte, NC. Just shy of 3 years old Miss Key started taking ballet, tap and Jazz at Miss Donna’s school of Dance. Her training expanded under the instruction of Susan Thorsland Plaza Kim Hotchner and Chandra McCloud at The Northwest School of the Performing Arts middle and high...
Johnnie Cruise Mercer
Monday, October 25, 2021
Recently acknowledged as 2021 Pricess Grace Award Reciepient in Choreography, Johnnie Cruise Mercer is a queer black thinker, maker, performer, educator and social entrepreneur born in Richmond, VA and based in New York City. He is the founder and Company Director of TheREDprojectNYC (TRPNYC), a multidisciplinary arts...
Brooke Rucker
Wednesday, September 29, 2021
Brooke Rucker is a Brooklyn-based artist and arts administrator, specializing in dance. She began her arts training in her hometown Cartersville, GA and went on to earn her BFA in Dance at Florida State University in 2018. She has performed with Charles Anderson’s dance theatre X (2018 - 2019) and Gaspard & Dancers...
WE WELCOME YOU
Welcome to the Black Dance Stories: Young Professionals’ Experience (BDS YPE) Journal! BDS YPE is a platform for young Black emerging and professional artists to be seen, heard, and celebrated. PERIOD.OUR YPE MISSION
Holding space for young Black artists and professionals (ages 21-35) to be heard and connected in ways that motivate them to continue the magical work they are doing in the world of dance. Our mission is to continue to serve as the podium for Black dance stories and experiences to be held, shared and archived.YOUR YPE JOURNAL ENTRY
We invite you to submit your YPE journal entry that shares your experience as a young Black emerging and professional artist. This is a virtual safe space for you, as a young Black emerging and professional artist, to share your heart, story, and/or journey. Share what is on top for you as a dance artist through free writing, audio/sound sharing, or video recording of improvisation. There are no prompts to follow as we are holding space for you to share in your entirety. After completion of this form, the submission will be received by the BDS YPE team who will curate the journal entries. After the review, we will connect with the artist to coordinate the announcement of your entry.CHEERS! to being #YoungGiftedAndBlack!