Together with the Dance Gallery Festival (DGF), CAS is thrilled to welcome emerging choreographic and dance talent for weekend-long residency in Livingston Manor. The residency brings together two choreographers and their respective dancers for an immersive creative experience intended to enhance the deliberation and depth of the work that is created. The annual residency has been fruitful for choreographers workshopping new dances, giving space and inspiration to create in the picturesque Catskill mountains. Audiences are invited to open rehearsals as the choreographers and their dancers workshop new works, offering insights into their artistic processes.
Friday, August 28 - 11AM - 5PM
Saturday, August 29 - 11:30AM - 5PM
About Dance Gallery Festival
The Dance Gallery Festival, founded in 2007 by Astrid von Ussar and Mojca Ussar, is an internationally recognized festival with annual showcases in New York City and Texas, dedicated to deepening public appreciation for concert dance. The festival's Level UP commission program supports emerging choreographic talent by providing three selected companies with 25 minutes of performance time at the prestigious Ailey Citigroup Theatre and a commission fee. In partnership with Sam Houston State University since 2009, the festival also offers paid week-long guest artist residencies to select participants, including the opportunity to choreograph new work on upper-level students and teach technique classes. Now in its fifteenth year, the Dance Gallery Festival remains a vital and celebrated forum for some of the world's most talented choreographers.
About the Artists
Claude “CJ” Johnson — Chicago native, Brooklyn-based dancer, choreographer, and movement director, whose work is grounded in self-expression, community, and social change. A former company member of A.I.M by Kyle Abraham and a 2021 Princess Grace nominee, CJ has performed and created work with an extraordinary range of artists and companies, while developing his own choreography through residencies at Baryshnikov Arts Center, The Joyce Theater, CUNY Dance Initiative, and more.
Alyssa Myers & Aurora Vaughan — New York City-based dance artists and long-term collaborators whose work centers human connection, embodied inquiry, and interdisciplinary exchange. Both graduates of the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, they create process-driven work rooted in curiosity, relational practice, and genderless partnering. Myers is Director of (All)Ways Dance Company, while Vaughan serves as Associate and Rehearsal Director. Their collaborative work spans performance, research, film, and community engagement.