Since childhood, growing up in New York City, Amadi “Baye” Washington and Sam “Asa” Pratt have danced together. As adults, they formed a dance company, “Baye & Asa,” to continue exploring the edges of possibility in movement. This month, May 12-20, they will be in residency with Dance Initiative, developing choreography and teaching classes.
The two became familiar with Dance Initiative’s residency through their dance community in New York City and contacted Executive Director Megan Janssen last year. “A lot of people find out about the residency program mostly through word-of-mouth,” she explained. “We don’t do a lot of marketing.” This creates a familial-like relationship between the local nonprofit and visiting dancers.
During their residency, and first visit to the Roaring Fork Valley, Baye and Asa will be shaping work for a 2024 Baryshnikov Art Center commission as well as an upcoming…