Chautauqua Artists in Residence
CHQ AIR is an initiative that provides incubating space for artists to explore their work, nurture new mediums and hone their craft utilizing our world-class galleries, studios and stages. Year-round, we offer artists with diverse backgrounds the opportunity to join us for a two – four-week residency (on-site housing and research support provided) at our historic 750-acre lakeside Institution situated in the bucolic landscape of western New York State.
Come Breathe with Chautauqua AIR Presents
2022 was the program’s inaugural year, and we were proud to host seven dance residences, working in tandem with three national partners to select companies: Works & Process LaunchPAD at The Guggenheim, Dance Lab New York, and Joyce Productions.
Our artists in residence are either sponsored or recommended by our national partners.
Are you the next artist that will join us at Chautauqua?
Upcoming Artist in Residences
Preview Premiere and Reception: Gamelan Dharma Swara
Gamelan Dharma Swara is proud to present at Chautauqua the Preview World Premiere of a new Dharma Swara commission, co-created by Artist-in-Residence Gusti Komin and longtime dance teacher and choreographer Shoko Yamamuro. The traditional welcome piece to open a performance or event is reimagined. Works of this genre — typically in the female style — often focus on notions of reception and invitation alongside purification and blessing; however, this exploratory work will also consider the group’s identity as New Yorkers performing Balinese arts via the lens of expatriate artists.
Following the preview premiere, mingle with fellow attendees and performers at the Strohl Art Center for a reception. Enjoy an assortment of hearty hors d’oeuvres; refreshments will be available for purchase.
About Gamelan Dharma Swara
Gamelan Dharma Swara — “a duty of perpetuating sound” — is one of the United States’ leading Balinese music and dance ensembles. From their beginnings at the Indonesian Consulate of New York to the present day, they have been captivating audiences with raucous performances for over 33 years and counting. The group performs a spellbinding blend of iconic traditional pieces paired with bold, contemporary compositions, spanning some 500 years. It has been called “thrilling, mesmerizing and powerful” (New York Times) and “sublime, receiving perhaps the weekend’s most rapturous response” (The New Yorker).
Preview Performance of SOMEWHERE by YY Dance Company
Join us for an exclusive preview performance by YYDC, offering a sneak peek of SOMEWHERE, an evening-length dance piece that marks the second part of Yue Yin’s planned trilogy. The trilogy commenced with NOWHERE, which was previewed at Chautauqua and performed at Chelsea Factory in NYC in 2023. This upcoming work highlights Yue’s unique dance vocabulary and FOCO technique, which focuses on generating, guiding, and transforming energy within bodies and space. Witness SOMEWHERE as a work in progress at Chautauqua!
Following the preview performance, join YYDC at the Athenaeum Hotel for a four-course dinner and conversation with Artistic Director and Choreographer Yue Yin. You may purchase a single ticket to the preview or a ticket for the dinner and the preview performance.
Based in NYC, YYDC is a contemporary dance company dedicated to the teaching, production and performance of original choreographic works by founder and artistic director, Yue Yin. Over the past decade, Yin has refined and expanded an original movement vocabulary – FOCO Technique™ – a fusion inspired by the Chinese folk and contemporary dance movement. The company has presented works at dance festivals such as SummerStage, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival Inside Out and New York International Fringe Festival, and at venues such as Hanover International Choreographic competition, BAM Fisher, Joyce SoHo Theater, Peridance Theater, Lincoln Center Rosh Hall, New York Live Arts and many others. Yue Yin is an internationally recognized performer, choreographer and the founder and artistic director. She studied at the prestigious Shanghai Dance Academy and NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts where she received her MFA in 2008.Yue Yin was the recipient of the 2021 Harkness Promise Award. This prestigious award recognizes her innovation in choreography and education. She was the winner of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago 2015 International Commissioning Project, winner of the 2015 BalletX Choreographic Fellowship, and winner of Northwest Dance Project’s 5th Annual Pretty Creatives International Choreographic Competition in 2013. Through these high-profile successes, Yin has received commissions from all three widely-recognized companies as well as other companies and organizations namely Gibney Company, Martha Graham Dance Company, Boston Ballet, Philadelphia Ballet, Limon Dance Company, Alberta Ballet, Balletto Teatro di Torino, Juilliard School for Dance and more.
*Inclement Weather Location: Carnahan-Jackson Dance Studios
Preview Performance of SOMEWHERE, Dinner and Conversation
Join us for an exclusive preview performance by YYDC, offering a glimpse into SOMEWHERE, the next installment of Yue Yin’s planned trilogy following NOWHERE. Previously previewed at Chautauqua and performed in 2023 at Chelsea Factory in NYC, SOMEWHERE showcases Yue’s unique dance style, emphasizing the FOCO technique, which focuses on generating, guiding, and transforming energy within bodies and space. Witness the evolution of SOMEWHERE at Chautauqua and engage in a conversation with Artistic Director and Choreographer Yue Yin during the elegant spring meal that follows.
$69: Preview performance and four-course dinner
$69: Dine with a Dancer! Sponsor a dancer to join your table for dinner!
Menu:
Bread
Baguette and Olive Ciabatta
Soup
Spring Pea Soup, White Truffle Drizzle, Borage Flower (Vegan)
Salad
Shaved Asparagus & Arugula Salad W/ Watermelon Radish, House Made Ricotta, Toasted Hazelnuts, Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette. (Vegan Option: No Ricotta)
Amuse-Bouche
Sorbet
Entrée
(Choice of one of the following)
Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs, Ramp and Walnut Pistou, Yukon Gold and Leek Gratin, Carrot Puree
6 oz CAB Filet Mignon, Red Wine Demi, Yukon Gold and Leek Gratin, Carrot Puree, Buttermilk Fried Ramps
Fried Polenta Cakes and Seared Wild Mushrooms with Ramp and Walnut Pistou, Carrot Puree (Vegan)
Dessert
(Choice of one of the following)
Strawberry Semifreddo, Rhubarb Compote, Candied Rhubarb Ribbons, Micro Basil
Chef Selected Vegan Option
Based in NYC, YYDC is a contemporary dance company dedicated to the teaching, production and performance of original choreographic works by founder and artistic director, Yue Yin. Over the past decade, Yin has refined and expanded an original movement vocabulary – FOCO Technique™ – a fusion inspired by the Chinese folk and contemporary dance movement. The company has presented works at dance festivals such as SummerStage, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival Inside Out and New York International Fringe Festival, and at venues such as Hanover International Choreographic competition, BAM Fisher, Joyce SoHo Theater, Peridance Theater, Lincoln Center Rosh Hall, New York Live Arts and many others. Yue Yin is an internationally recognized performer, choreographer and the founder and artistic director. She studied at the prestigious Shanghai Dance Academy and NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts where she received her MFA in 2008.Yue Yin was the recipient of the 2021 Harkness Promise Award. This prestigious award recognizes her innovation in choreography and education. She was the winner of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago 2015 International Commissioning Project, winner of the 2015 BalletX Choreographic Fellowship, and winner of Northwest Dance Project’s 5th Annual Pretty Creatives International Choreographic Competition in 2013. Through these high-profile successes, Yin has received commissions from all three widely-recognized companies as well as other companies and organizations namely Gibney Company, Martha Graham Dance Company, Boston Ballet, Philadelphia Ballet, Limon Dance Company, Alberta Ballet, Balletto Teatro di Torino, Juilliard School for Dance and more.
June 23 @ 3:30 pm Week One (June 22–29)
Chautauqua Writers’ Center Faculty Reading with Ruth Forman (Poetry) and Charlotte Matthews (Prose)
Hall of Philosophy
Chautauqua Writers’ Center Faculty Reading with Ruth Forman (Poetry) and Charlotte Matthews (Prose)
Chautauqua Writers’ Center Faculty Reading – Week One Resident Faculty Writers
RUTH FORMAN is an acclaimed poet, author, and friend of words. She is the award-winning author of best-selling children’s books Curls, Glow, Bloom, Ours, One, and Like So, children’s book Young Cornrows Callin Out the Moon, and poetry collections We Are the Young Magicians, Renaissance, and Prayers Like Shoes. Ruth has received the Barnard New Women Poets Prize, The Pen Oakland Josephine Miles Literary Award, The National Council of Teachers of English Notable Book Award, and recognition by The American Library Association. She is a former teacher of creative writing with June Jordan’s Poetry for the People program at UC Berkeley and the University of Southern California as well as a longtime faculty member with the VONA writing program. Ruth is currently a professor at the Middlebury Bread Loaf School of English. When not writing and teaching, she practices a passion for classical Yang family style tai chi chuan. You learn more about her at ruthforman.com.
CHARLOTTE MATTHEWS is author of five poetry collections, a novel, and a memoir, Comes with Furniture and People (finalist Indie Awards finalist Women’s Issues). Associate Professor at The University of Virginia, she is the recipient of the Adele F. Roberts Award for Excellence in Teaching. A veteran Chautauqua writer-in-residence, she is committed to helping others recognize the power of their own voices and stories.
June 30 @ 3:30 pm Week Two (June 29–July 6)
Chautauqua Writers’ Center Faculty Reading with Lillian-Yvonne Bertram (Poetry) and Chloé Caldwell (Prose)
Hall of Philosophy
Chautauqua Writers’ Center Faculty Reading with Lillian-Yvonne Bertram (Poetry) and Chloé Caldwell (Prose)
Chautauqua Writers’ Center Faculty Reading – Week Two Resident Faculty
LILLIAN-YVONNE BERTRAM is an African American writer, poet, artist, and educator who works at the intersection of computation, AI, race, and gender. They are the author of Travesty Generator (Noemi Press), a book of computational poetry that received the Poetry Society of America’s 2020 Anna Rabinowitz prize for interdisciplinary work and longlisted for the 2020 National Book Award for Poetry. They are the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Poetry Fellowship. Their other poetry books include How Narrow My Escapes (DIAGRAM/New Michigan), Personal Science (Tupelo Press), a slice from the cake made of air (Red Hen Press), and But a Storm is Blowing From Paradise (Red Hen Press). Their most recent full length poetry book, Negative Money, was published in 2023. Their new chapbook, written with AI, is called A Black Story May Contain Sensitive Content and won the 2023 Diagram/New Michigan chapbook contest. They direct the MFA in creative writing program at the University of Maryland and are a 2024 Foundation for Contemporary Arts grant recipient.
CHLOÉ CALDWELL is the author of four books: The Red Zone: A Love Story, the critically acclaimed novella, Women, and the essay collections Legs Get Led Astray and I’ll Tell You in Person. and Chloe’s next book, Trying, is forthcoming from Graywolf Press in 2025. Her novella WOMEN will be reissued by Harper Perennial on June 4th, 2024. She is the co-founder of Scrappy Literary where she runs writing retreats and offers personalized support for writers.
Her essays have appeared in The New York Times, Bon Appétit, New York Magazine’s The Cut, The Strategist, Romper, Buzzfeed, Longreads, Vice, Nylon, Salon, Medium, The Rumpus The Sun, and half a dozen anthologies including Goodbye To All That: Writers on Loving and Leaving NYC and Without A Net: The Female Experience of Growing Up Working Class, and Sluts. Her essay “Hungry Ghost” was listed as Notable in Best American Nonrequired Reading. She lives in Hudson, NY. www.chloesimonne.com
July 7 @ 3:30 pm Week Three (July 6–13)
Chautauqua Writers’ Center Faculty Reading with Van G. Garrett (Poetry) and Jimin Han (Prose)
Hall of Philosophy
Chautauqua Writers’ Center Faculty Reading with Van G. Garrett (Poetry) and Jimin Han (Prose)
July 14 @ 3:30 pm Week Four (July 13–20)
Chautauqua Writers’ Center Faculty Reading with Julianne Neely (Poetry) and Nana Euka Brew-Hammond (Prose)
Hall of Philosophy
Chautauqua Writers’ Center Faculty Reading with Julianne Neely (Poetry) and Nana Euka Brew-Hammond (Prose)
July 21 @ 3:30 pm Week Five (July 20–27)
Chautauqua Writers’ Center Faculty Reading with Frank X. Walker, II (Poetry) and Stacy Hawkins Adams (Prose)
Hall of Philosophy
Chautauqua Writers’ Center Faculty Reading with Frank X. Walker, II (Poetry) and Stacy Hawkins Adams (Prose)
July 28 @ 3:30 pm Week Six (July 27–August 3)
Chautauqua Writers’ Center Faculty Reading with Gayle Danley (Poetry) and Grant Faulkner (Prose)
Hall of Philosophy
Chautauqua Writers’ Center Faculty Reading with Gayle Danley (Poetry) and Grant Faulkner (Prose)
Hear From Those Involved With CHQ AIR
Below are some of the artists and creative professionals that have visited us at Chautauqua for a CHQ AIR residency stay. See what some of them had to say about their experience at our stunning village on the lake.
“My time in Chautauqua was an absolute dream. The team and the facilities provided a safe space for me to push myself artistically whether it was educating myself in photography or finding a new movement vocabulary. I was met with warmth and all of the resources I could ask for. It’s a perfect artistic sanctuary for whatever the needs may be.”
—Cassandra Trenary
Principal Dancer
American Ballet Theatre
“There could not have been better a moment to fill the need I had for creative time and space. Whether spending limitless time in the dance studio, virtual meetings in the conference rooms, or simply taking a walk through the beautiful grounds, Chautauqua Institution is the exact right place to #BuildMakeandCreate.”
—Hope Boykin
Educator/Creator/Mover/Motivator
Original member of Complexions
Dancer, The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, 20 Years
“GALLIM’s residency at Chautauqua was absolutely magical. The studios were gorgeous, the campus was absolutely stunning, and we were so thoughtfully cared for by the Chautauqua family. The company used the special opportunity to bond outside the studio and dive into our work in the studio all within one week time. It was a blessing to create in such a beautiful and warm environment and we can’t wait to come back some day!”
—Andrea Miller
Artistic Director + Choreographer
GALLIM
“I had a wonderful stay at the Chautauqua Institution. The staff was helpful and accommodating to our company’s needs and provided a wonderful space for us to create and explore our artistic process. In addition, we had the opportunity to connect and interact with the local community who were excited about our work and gave us a very warm welcome. It is definitely an artist retreat I would return to.”
—Abdiel
They / Their / Them
Pre Doctoral Lecturer, Dept. of Dance
(In residence with Do The Hustle)
History of Chautauqua AIR Presents
During the spring of 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Chautauqua had a unique and first-time opportunity to host two renowned companies on our grounds and in our arts venues. The Jazz at Lincoln Center Septet, led by Wynton Marsalis, was in residence for two weeks, and Dance Theatre of Harlem was in residence for one month. These world-class artists loved our facilities, were moved by our idyllic grounds, and were eager to engage with our curious community both in-person and online. After their experience, they left the Institution feeling renewed and supported. Hearing that Chautauqua met a need for breathing space and room, CHQ AIR was born.
Previous Artists
Dance Theatre of Harlem
Malpaso Dance
Dance Lab NY
Photo: Joe Gustafson Photography
Christopher Williams Dance
Do the Hustle
Hope Boykin
Cassandra Trenary
GALLIM Dance
Learn more about Residencies at CHQ
Chautauqua Institution is an inspirational destination for artmaking, and a purposefully diverse community that engages through transformational art, critical conversations, natural beauty and joyful gatherings, and our residencies reflect that blend. It is our endeavor to offer breathing space and room for art that is a work in progress while simultaneously facilitating thoughtful dialogue in a way only Chautauqua can.
Each residency includes public engagement that features conversations with artists, unique looks inside the creative process and the opportunity to receive improvement feedback. Come inspire creativity, produce new work and build your career with CHQ AIR.
CHQ AIR artists are selected with our national partners, including Works & Process Launchpad at The Guggenheim. Each residency includes public engagement that features conversations with artists, unique looks inside the creative process and the opportunity to receive improvement feedback.
Feed Your Soul At Chautauqua
Chautauqua is proud to be a walking community. See all the beauty we have to offer to inspire your soul. Plan on spending your time in a bucolic setting on the lake that permits space for personal growth, exploration and curiosity. You can bike or walk our picturesque grounds and brick walkways that lead you to all the wonders of this magical place: lush gardens, historic architecture, educational classes, lectures from brilliant leaders, leisure activities, boat rentals, top entertainment and performances, multiple dining options and so much more! It’s a destination like no other – one that allows you to reconnect with nature and nourish your soul in a supportive, welcoming community.
Amenities
Enjoy the many services we offer on grounds:
- Post office
- Library
- Laundry
- Fitness Center (with pool)
- Gallery Store
- Bookstore
- Dining options
- Shopping boutiques