Residencies & Workshops

The Move to Change Residency is an extension of MADC's annual Move to Change Dance Festival. This free residency is an equitable space for BIPOC dancers and choreographers ages 18+ to foster a culture of belonging where all BIPOC artists are supported and given resources, access to studio space, and time to focus on their creative process in a communal setting consisting of:

• Mindfulness - guided meditation, guided breathing exercises, and guided visualization exercises

• Mobility - low-impact exercises that assist in the ability to move joints & use muscles easily and comfortably 

• Modern technique class - highlights the fundamentals of Horton Modern through a center warm-up and across-the-floor work with options for everyone in the space

• Composition Exploration - guided prompts to spark self-exploration and investigation through movement in personal creative processes

• Round table discussion with writing prompts - communal connection that focuses on feelings and emotions with self through journaling prompts and conversation amongst the artists and the facilitator

This 4-hour, 4-week residency will culminate with a pay-what-you-can public sharing of what the artists created over the tenure of the program. This intimate sharing will give the community an in-depth view of each residency artist's creative process and the thought process behind the choreography.

This residency is geared towards artists looking to excavate the buzzwords behind social justice and go to the root of what showing up for self has always been: compassion, empathy, and love, while cultivating new practices in their personal creative processes. This residency encompasses artists at different career stages, from high school/college students transitioning into young professionals to artists with 20+ years in the dance field. Interested artists are invited to complete a free application for participation by 11:59PM on Sunday, September 20, 2026. All artists will be notified by 11:59PM on Sunday, September 27, 2026. All registered dance artists will be invited to participate in the 2026 Move to Change residency on Saturday, October 3, 10, 17, & 24, 2026, 12- 4PM, and culminating with a public sharing on Saturday, October 31, 2 PM at Grace Congregational Church of Harlem, 310 W 139th St, New York, NY 10030. This intimate pay-what-you-can showing will highlight each artist's creative process, culminating in a work-in-process solo created during the tenure of the four-week Saturday residency program.

The purpose of this residency is to center the experiences and needs of BIPOC dancers and choreographers in their creative process exploration; provide artists access to resources to assist in cultivating new concepts, methods, and ways to approach their creative process; and to incorporate small, impactful ways to protect their mental and emotional health. This residency will give BIPOC dancers and choreographers approachable tools to promote positive mental and emotional health; imbue BIPOC dancers and choreographers with the audacity to create movement outside of their comfort zone; and create an attainable space for BIPOC communities to witness the creative process to better understand the lived experiences and stories of artists who share their cultures and histories.

Move to Change is made possible with funding from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Center (LMCC) Creative Engagement Grant and the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone (UMEZ) Arts Engagement Grant.

2025 Residency Artists: Meena Chen (they/them); Danae Williams (she/they); Laura White (she/her); Kim Lopez Diaz (she/her); Jordan McKnight (she/her); Nailah Roberts (she/her); Rachel Orji (she/her); Nathalie Reynoso (she/her); and Sara Smith (she/her).

The Collective Thread Residency is an extension of MADC's annual Collective Thread Dance Festival. This free residency is an incubator for BIPOC women and femme identifying dancers and choreographers ages 18+ to reconnect to themselves and their creative practice through this season’s theme of ‘Self Care is Community Care,’ consisting of:

• Mindfulness - guided meditation, guided breathing exercises, and guided visualization exercises

• Mobility - low-impact exercises that assist in the ability to move joints & use muscles easily and comfortably 

• Contemporary class - open-level technique class that incorporates center warm-up, across-the-floor work, & phrase work that is rooted in movement from the African and Black American Diaspora: modern, jazz, and West African

• Composition Exploration - guided prompts to spark self-exploration and investigation through movement in personal creative processes

• Round table discussion with writing prompts - communal connection that focuses on feelings and emotions with self through journaling prompts and conversation amongst the artists and the facilitator

PLEASE NOTE: MADC uses the term "femme” to express gender rather than a strict biological sex or gender identity.

This residency is geared towards artists looking to nurture and nourish their whole self (emotional, mental, spiritual, & physical) while cultivating new practices in their personal creative processes. This residency encompasses artists at different career stages, from high school/college students transitioning into young professionals to artists with 20+ years in the dance field. Interested artists are invited to complete a free application for participation in November 2026. All registered dance artists will be invited to participate in the 2027 Collective Thread (CT) residency in late January to March 2027, Saturdays 12-4 PM, and culminating with a pay-what-you-can public sharing. This intimate pay-what-you-can showing will highlight each artist's creative process, culminating the tenure of the six-week Saturday residency program.

The purpose of this residency is to provide artists access to resources to assist in cultivating new concepts, methods, and ways to approach their creative process, and how, in doing so can greatly impact the communities that they serve. This residency will give women of color permission to heal in a safe, open space, the opportunity to share and strengthen their often silenced voices through dance, and create more platforms for communities of color to have opportunities to witness the creative process to better understand the lived experiences and stories of BIPOC women identifying artists.​

Collective Thread is made possible with funding from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Cultural Development Fund.

2026 Residency Artists: Shanik Garcia (she/her); Sama Bajonero Moreno (they/she); Nisha Pradeep (she/her); Roxanne L. Young (she/her); Jessica Watkins (she/her); Jacquelyn Batten (she/they); Chloe Cappo (she/her); Nailah Roberts (she/her); Aja Jett (she/her); Angelique Agudo (she/her); Aryanna Allen (she/they); Wendy Ann Powell (she/her); and Kim Lopez Diaz (she/her).

2025 Residency Artists: Allyson Ross; Arielsela Holdbrook-Smith; B’ili Scott; Clara Diaz; Kalin Stovall; Karisa Campbell; Karley Wasaff; Kerryn Perry; Madaline Maravillas; Monica Shah; Nathalie Reynoso; Sama Bajonero Moreno; Selah Piett; Star Mitchell; Yasiri Sanders; and Yma Ma. 

2024 Residency Artists: B. Millicent León; Destiny Toussaint; Jacquelyn Batten; Laura White; MiKayla Young; Monica Shah; Morena Paiva; Natalie Maddrey; Safiya Vanterpool; Sivgin Dalkilic; & Sloka Iyengar.

2022 Residency Artists: Paloma Bido; Ayling Dominguez; Denice Martin-Thompson; & Monica Shah.

2020 Residency Artists: Sofia Bengoa; Megan Curet; Shekoya Gordon; Sade Murray; Takiya Roebuck; Genesis Perdomo Santos; Andrea Smith; & Yasmin Venable.

2019 Residency Artists: ChaTiqua Brown; Nia Calloway; Veronica Cheeseboro; Sara Denise; Dyandra Folks; Nikita Patel; Monica Shah; Andrea Nicole Smith; Sharayah Spruill; Courtney Stewart; Imani Michael Vieira; & Maya Simone Z. 

Me < We: a workshop program is an extension of Me < We: a Works In Progress (WIP) Showing and Me < We: a solo dance concert. The Me < We workshop is a cultural affirming space for all BIPOC K-12 student artists to creatively express themselves through movement and create choreography with an underlying theme of community. This program consists of:

• ​One 30-minute movement based class to introduce the choreographic elements of space, time, and energy

• 30 minutes of creating choreography based on composition element prompts

• 30 minutes of round table discussions and a call to action (CTA) of solutions formulated by the participating artists to integrate into their lives and communities to form a better world

• 30 minutes of creating choreography based on community or tapping into Mindfulness Exercises: writing, drawing, and coloring

This workshop culminates with the sharing of their creative processes & ensemble piece during the Me < We: a solo dance concert.

The purpose of the Me < We workshop is to provide young artists access to technical and creative resources to assist in strengthening their voices. The goal of the Me<We workshop is to provide an open space to support BIPOC students in cultivating tools towards positive mental and emotional health, build a cohesive, sustainable circle of peers, strengthen their artistic voices, and realize that their voices are necessary to change the world.

This workshop has been offered at Groove With Me (2020); the Eastside Community High School Saturday program (2023); and Hi-ARTS and Mosaic Prep School Creative After School Adventures (2024 & 2025).