Kayla Mak and Emiko Nakagawa shine as Scholars-In-Residence at the 2024 Vail Dance Festival
Christopher Duggan/Courtest photo
The Vail Dance Festival is regarded worldwide as an international destination for dance. But it’s not only for the nightly performances in its picturesque locale in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. It’s also highly regarded as one of the premier opportunities for the world’s best dancers, musicians, and choreographers to extend themselves as artists. “It is hard to imagine a more open-minded cultural event than the Vail Dance Festival.” said The Denver Post and The New York Times writer Ray Rinaldi in a recent article. “Ballet, ballroom, tap — any form of movement seems to be welcome at this free-ranging fest. … There is really nothing else like it in the United States.”
That melting pot of creativity extends both onstage and in the festival’s hillside tent studios where artists from various companies and diverse styles come together to take class, collaborate on new choreography and share in the collective experience of growing together as artists and colleagues. The opportunity to come to the world-class Vail Dance Festival as an artist is regarded as an honor and a privilege for any dancer at any level of their career. For younger dancers it can be a substantial career accelerator too.
The one-of-a-kind Scholar-In-Residence program was introduced by Artistic Director Damian Woetzel in 2014 to award advanced pre-professional dancers the invitation to take part in the festival with extraordinary performance and learning opportunities. The young dancer scholars receive mentorship and hone their artistic practice over an immersive two weeks where they participate side-by-side with festival artists from around the world, attend rehearsals and events, and have opportunities to perform in classic repertory as well as new works.
Young artists in this position have represented a range of genres of dance including ballet, flamenco, street dance, and tap.
This year the festival welcomed rising fourth-year Juilliard dance student Kayla Mak and tap dance student Emiko Nakagawa as Scholars-In-Residence.
“Each of these young artists are extraordinarily talented and I am thrilled to have had them both in this year’s Scholar-In-Residence program,” Woetzel said. “Not only did they make a lasting impact on our audiences throughout their festival appearances, but they also created meaningful collaborative partnerships and deep friendships with their artistic peers that will only continue to flourish for years to come.”
Scholar-In-Residence Kayla Mak grew up in Rye Brook, New York, and is of Japanese, Chinese and Cuban descent. Before enrolling at Juilliard, she studied at Westchester Dance Academy and Ballet Academy East. She has performed at the Kaatsbaan Cultural Park Summer Festival 2022, Switzerland’s Origen Festival Cultural, and in season 3 of “The World of Dance.”
As one of this year’s Scholars-In-Residence, Kayla performed in the Vail Dance Festival’s “UpClose: SWERVE” with Damian Woetzel, Dancing in the Park, International Evenings of Dance I, and International Evenings of Dance II where she danced in George Balanchine’s “Who Cares?” alongside some of today’s biggest dance stars including Tiler Peck and Robbie Fairchild.
Scholar-in-Residence Emiko Nakagawa is a tap dance student artist currently based in New York City. She is originally from Japan where she trained at IVY Art Square led by Miyoko Tsuta and SEIYU. She was mentored by Yukiko “Smilie” Misumi, a prominent tap dance educator in Tokyo, Japan, and has performed in numerous festivals and competitions around the world including LA Tap Fest, The Big Apple Tap Festival, Cutting Contest Woodshed Experience, Kawasaki Tap Festival, and more. She has studied with Dianne Walker, Michelle Dorrance, Derick Grant, and Jared Grimes, and she has studied at the Broadway Dance Center (awarded “Outstanding Student’ in 2022), and The School at Jacob’s Pillow (2023 Tap Dance Performance Ensemble).
As a Scholar-In-Residence, Emiko performed at the Vail Dance Festival’s Opening Night program where she wowed audiences with her phenomenal abilities alongside tap dance superstar, Michelle Dorrance who spoke highly of the young artist. “Emiko is an incredible technician with thrilling speed and clarity,” Dorrance said. “She is also a joy to work with and is as hard-working as she is kind. I first met her in Tokyo and I am so proud of the dancer she has become.”
Emiko also performed a solo at the Dance for $20.24 program and appeared in Dorrance’s new work for the festival created for the NOW: Premieres program for closing night on Aug. 5.
