Anthony Santos, Dance Theatre of Harlem, 2020
weekend retreat residency program
ABOUT
Kaatsbaan Cultural Park’s Weekend Retreat Residency Program provides opportunities for artists of all genres to create, live, and collaborate in the idyllic countryside of the Hudson Valley.
With studio space, meals, and housing on our Hudson Valley campus, these weekends offer an extraordinary environment for cultural innovation and excellence.
Kaatsbaan Weekend Retreats are tailored to accommodate individual artists and small groups spanning various creative disciplines.
The new residency program offers affordable access to spacious studios and specialized workspaces for dancers, writers, visual artists, composers, musicians, and designers. Residencies are generously subsidized and include essential amenities such as individual, hotel-style rooms and healthy, locally sourced meals.
Residencies are for artists only. No guests or pets allowed.
A deposit of 50% is required upon residency confirmation. The remainder of the fee is due two weeks prior to residency arrival date.
Dates
The Weekend Retreat Residency Program will take place over two weekends in the winter of 2025:
January 24 – 26, 2025
February 7 – 9, 2025
The magic and generosity of Kaatsbaan seeps into the process and the art. The care and space given to artists and art making is rare and a true gift. There aren’t many places like Kaatsbaan, a dance dream.
Bobbi Jene Smith
Director, Choreographer, and Dancer
Work Spaces
Three studios in the Studio Complex building are available for music, theater, and dance artists/ensembles. Each artist or group will have a minimum of 6 hours of studio time per day on Friday and Saturday between 9am and 9pm, with three hours minimum on Sunday between 9am and 3pm. Additional shared access to studios may also be available. Please note technical support such as theatrical lighting is not included.
Studio 1
The Black Box Theater features vaulted ceilings, sprung marley floor, 40’x 40’ of stage space (not including wings or crossover space), sound system, piano, and tiered audience seating.
Studio 2
Affectionately known as Horses Studio, this 52’ x 52’ space features a sprung marley floor, mirrors, barres, sound system, piano, and abundant natural light.
Studio 3
This 43’ x 33’ studio has mirrors, barres, marley floor, piano, sound system and windows. Please note this studio has two narrow columns.
Three work rooms in the Artist Farmhouse building are designated for individual artists such as writers, makers, painters, and composers. Each artist using these spaces has unlimited access throughout the weekend.
Work Room A
Ideal for writers and visual artists, this 15’ x 12’ space features a work table and 3 windows along 2 walls.
Work Room B
Flooded in natural light, this 13’ x 18’ features a work table, dormers, and 4 windows along 3 walls.
Work Room C
This tranquil 230-square-foot, L-shaped room features a work table and 5 windows along 3 walls.
The creativity in a focused setting like KAATSBAAN differs from what happens in the city. You can leave all distractions aside and connect with your collaborators deeply and meaningfully.
Roderick George
Artistic Director, kNoname Artist
SAMPLE SCHEDULE
Lodging
The Dancers’ Inn and Artists Gatehouse Apartments offer 20 guest rooms nestled within our expansive 153-acre campus. The organization’s unwavering commitment to historic preservation and environmental conservation has safeguarded its extensive open spaces, pristine hayfields, lush woodlands, and inspiring vistas of the Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains.
The Dancers’ Inn provides motel-style accommodations, bucolic views and private baths.
The two-bedroom Gatehouse Apartments provide private kitchens, baths, and lounge areas. As complete apartments, they are available at a premium rate (see below).
Rates
The Kaatsbaan Weekend Retreat is $500 for an individual artist per weekend, inclusive of access to studios, lodging, Friday dinner, Saturday meals, and Sunday brunch.
Group costs begin at $500 for the first artist, adding $300 for each additional artist.
Premium lodging in one of our 2-bedroom Gatehouse Apartments is also available for a rate of $1,000 per weekend for two people. The apartments include private kitchens, a bathroom, and lounge areas.
We do not offer refunds, but artists may reschedule if needed.
APPLY
To apply for the Weekend Retreat Residency Program, please complete the Inquiry Form.
Early inquiries are strongly encouraged to secure your preferred dates.
Kaatsbaan was an integral part of my first days as Artistic Director of the Limón Dance Company. Kaatsbaan provided the time and space to dive deeper during a moment that was quite vulnerable for us. We sincerely appreciate how important our residency there was.
Dante Puleio
Artistic Director of Limón Dance Company