Yolette Yellow-Duke (they/she) has been exploring their love for the arts their entire life. Originally from Brooklyn, NY, they received their MA in Dance Performance with honors from the London Contemporary Dance School, where they wrote a dissertation examining cultural appropriation in dance and disparities between dancers of color and white dancers. While at LCDS, they trained at RESET 2020 with Wayne McGregor company members and at GAGA LAB in Tel Aviv. Yolette has also trained at the Bates Dance Festival, Gallim Dance Intensive, Movement Research’s MELT Intensive, and the American Dance Festival, where she was a stagecraft apprentice for companies including Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, Ballet Folklorico, Shen Wei Dance Arts, and Pilobolus.

As a performer, they’ve had the pleasure to work with Renegade Performance Group, Johnny Cruise Mercer, Kayla Farrish, J. Bouey, KINESIS PROJECT Dance Theatre, Thomasin Gulgec, Andre Tyson, Sara Hook, Camilo Godoy, Yun Cheng, and James Avery. Her choreography has premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the Here Arts Summer Sublet Series, and Movement Research at Judson Church.

For Yolette, dance is rooted in the idea that movement is an act of healing, of resistance against oppressive systems, as well as a form of self-care. Through dance, they believe that we can all find moments of liberation.