Zaccho Youth Company (ZYC) is a pre-professional aerial dance company founded by Artistic Director Joanna Haigood. ZYC presents work that is content driven and integrates aerial flight and suspension as a way of expanding the dancers’ spatial and dynamic range. Under the direction of choreographer Joanna Haigood, company members (ages 9 through 17) collaborate in the creative process by contributing important conceptual and choreographic material. ZYC is part of Zaccho Dance Theatre’s award winning Youth Performing Arts Program, hosted at our home studio in Bayview Hunters Point. Several ZYC company members have gone on to serve as Zaccho Teaching Artists and to perform in Zaccho Dance Theatre professional productions.
Since its inception in 2002, ZYC has performed throughout the Bay Area to unanimous acclaim. Venues and festivals have included: Circus for the Arts in the School Benefit, Vision Series Dance Festival, The Luggage Store Gallery’s In the Streets Festival, the Black Choreographers Festival, Global Youth Media and Arts Festival, Sky Dancers Festival, ODC Youth Festival, Project Artaud Theater, Dance Palace in Point Reyes, the Discovery Museum, ODC Theater, Dance Mission, The Kofman Auditorium, SOMArts, Zeum Theater, Montalvo Arts Center, Fort Mason’s Cowell Theater, Canopy Aerial Studios in Atlanta, GA, CounterPULSE, and the Bolinas Community Center.
Current Members:
Aryssa Muhammad
Malia Hillyard-Chow
Simone Edward
Surah Rupan-Tompkins
Aminah Muhammad
Alumni Mentors:
Azraa Muhammad
Meché Perez
Imani Payton
Meléa Emunah