Bard Dance Program and New York City-based Movement Research Announce Three-Year Professional Partnership

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.—The Bard Dance Program has initiated a new partnership with Movement Research, a leading laboratory for the investigation of dance and movement-based forms. As part of the three-year initiative, Movement Research teaching artists will offer technique and repertory courses for dance majors and non-majors, and a creative residency culminating in a public showing.

“Movement Research has been a major player in the dance world for over forty years,” said Tara Lorenzen, associate professor of dance and dance program director. “They serve as a home base for many dancers and choreographers in New York City, and the teaching faculty they support are among some of the most artistically rigorous practitioners in the field. The Movement Research Performance Journal has been a guiding text for dance scholars and practitioners alike. I am thrilled to share their work with the dance program, the Bard campus, and the Hudson Valley.”

Since 2009, the Bard Dance Program has hosted an in-residence dance company or organization within the program, who infuse their technique and composition with the academic program. Previous resident companies have included the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, Trisha Brown Dance Company, American Dance Festival, Gibney Dance, and, most recently, the French cultural institution Villa Albertine.

During the new partnership, Movement Research will also offer scholarships to Bard dance majors to attend the company’s Winter MELT Intensive, a daily workshop series focusing on technique, somatics, improvisation, and composition, among other areas. This expanded opportunity reflects the shared values of the Bard Dance Program and Movement Research, which both emphasize exploration, experimentation, and access.

“The ethos of the Bard Dance Program is deeply symbiotic with Movement Research’s mission and values,” said Barbara Bryan, the company’s executive director. “The comprehensive education and expansive opportunities offered at Bard uniquely prepare students to thrive as professional artists. Upon graduation, Bard dance students naturally gravitate toward Movement Research to continue their training and connect with the professional dance community in New York City and beyond.”

Bryan continued: “We at Movement Research, alongside our faculty of teaching artists, are deeply excited to collaborate with Bard on this thoughtfully designed partnership, which builds upon decades of organic connections between our organizations.”

About Bard Dance Program
The Bard Dance Program sees the pursuit of artistry and intellect as a single endeavor. They believe that the study of the dancing body is rooted in a relationship between physical practice and exposure to the broader, interdisciplinary, contexts in which the art form exists. The program fosters the discovery of a dance vocabulary that is meaningful to the dancer/choreographer and essential to their creative ambitions. This discovery leads students to cultivate original choices that are informed by a full exploration of their surroundings, and to find expression in new and dynamic ways. Through intensive technique and composition courses, onstage performance, production experience, and dance studies, students are prepared to understand and practice the art of choreography and performance.

About Bard College
Founded in 1860, Bard College is a four-year residential college of the liberal arts and sciences located 90 miles north of New York City. With the addition of the Montgomery Place and Massena properties, Bard’s campus consists of more than 1,200 parklike acres in the Hudson River Valley. It offers bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, and bachelor of music degrees, with majors in nearly 40 academic programs; advanced degrees through 14 graduate programs; 10 early colleges; and numerous dual-degree programs nationally and internationally. Building on its 166-year history as a competitive and innovative undergraduate institution, Bard College has expanded its mission as a private institution acting in the public interest across the country and around the world to meet broader student needs and increase access to liberal arts education. The undergraduate program at the main campus in upstate New York has a reputation for scholarly excellence, a focus on the arts, and civic engagement. Bard is committed to enriching culture, public life, and democratic discourse by training tomorrow’s thought leaders. For more information about Bard College, visit bard.edu.
 
(10/20/26)

This event was last updated on 10-13-2026

Back to Top