See previous Summer Artist Residents: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019.

The Young Artist Residency Program

We thank all who applied for the Summer 2020 program. Unfortunately, Bearnstow was
closed because of the Covid 19 pandemic. We greatly appreciate your interest in Bearnstow
and urge you to write us for further information on the Residency Program or other
Bearnstow programs: admin@bearnstow.org.


Young Artist Residents and workshop participants enjoy a communal meal on the dining porch.

Bearnstow’s Young Artist Residency Program, which runs for ten weeks, is an intensive summer program of dance, creative process, performance and teamwork for a select group of hardworking individuals, who show genuine promise and commitment to the art of dance. Chosen Residents receive the following:

  • Eight weeks of workshops, including approximately 240 hours of instruction and mentoring by a superlative international faculty of professional artists
  • One week of natural history lectures, hands-on instruction and trail walks
  • Opportunity to perform in weekly informal showings throughout the summer
  • Opportunity to lead movement session(s) for our youth Day Camp
  • Rich opportunity to meet, study with, and create original work with other artists and students attending each workshop
  • Personalized attention due to small class sizes, and invaluable insight into the aesthetic and process of each instructor
  • Chance to be part of a close-knit company of artists who collaborate on a program of their own choreographic work in a shared concert at summer’s end
  • Shared room and board throughout the season, and a nominal honorarium
In exchange, the Residents work as a team of capable assistants who can “put their hand to anything.” In addition to collaborating on food preparation and camp facility mainten­ance throughout the summer, Residents may be involved with designing programs and other promotional material, conducting research, or assisting with other administrative duties at camp. Throughout the season it is not unusual for Residents to go from devising exotic recipes and serving incredible meals, to improvising on the shore of the pond, composing sound scores, creating original dance videos, and planning performance projects together at other venues nationally and internationally. Living together and making art together are central to the Bearnstow experience.

Qualifications: Young Artist Residents come from a wide range of experiences, from college freshmen to nature lovers to professional dancers seeking new inspiration. The best qualifications are a deep desire to dance, an ability to think creatively, work with flexibility, and apply oneself rigorously to working with others.

Application process: Please send the following to Bearnstow Administration: (admin [at] bearnstow [dot] org):

  • Professional résumé (MS Word .doc or .docx, or Adobe Acrobat .pdf only)
  • Portrait color photo
  • Up to two working links to online videos showing choreographic or performance work
  • Contact information for two references (one personal, one profes­sional)
  • One letter of recommendation
  • Personal statement expressing why Bearnstow specifically appeals to you (no more than 250 words)


Lucas Rollins-Page solo in the 2019 final concert
Ellen Oliver solo in the 2019 final concert