In a time when venues dedicated to the arts are dwindling, Yard executive director Stephanie Pacheco said she is extremely proud of the programming the organization continues to offer.

“We want to provide platforms for people to tell their own story and for the community to see themselves reflected on stage,” she said.  

This summer’s lineup includes a wide variety of events that explore themes of indigenous storytelling, climate change and the relationship between humans and their surroundings.

The season opens this weekend with a performance by members of the Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe in collaboration with Boston-based company Danza Orgánica. The show is titled Âs Nupumukômun, or We Still Dance, and takes place Saturday, June 28 at the Performing Arts Center.

Danza Organica is a Boston-based dance troupe.

Ray Ewing

Danza Organica is a Boston-based dance troupe.

Ray Ewing

The performance is also part of the Truth & Joy Celebration, an event hosted by the Martha’s Vineyard Diversity Coalition in collaboration with the Yard and the Aquinnah Cultural Center. On Sunday, there  will be a Joy Jam at the Portuguese American Club from 1 to 5 p.m.

Âs Nupumukômun was originally performed in October 2022 and has since toured around New England. 

The collaboration between Danza Orgánica and the Wampanoag tribe began after the dance company’s first performance at the Yard in 2018. 

“Kristina Hook, who is an elder of the tribe, is also in this work, came with her daughter to see our final presentation [in 2018],” said Mar Parrilla, Danza Orgánica’s artistic director. “At the end of the presentation, Kristina said, ‘That could have been us. Can you help us tell our story?’” 

Tribal member and dancer Michael Sellitti said the common ground between the tribe and the dance organization jump-started the collaboration 

“It was just really interesting to converse with a group of people who were from somewhere very, very far away, whose story, cultural ties and visions of what the future could be was just so similar to what I experienced growing up here on the reservation with my folks,” he said.  

Part of the work focuses on the next generation. Tribal member and dancer Oceana Dias was eight years old in the 2018 rendition of the work. Now 13, she enjoys the process of learning something new while passing on her knowledge to the younger kids.  

“It’s always changing, but there’s always little pieces that I can rely on being there all the time,” she said. “It’s my family, so I know everyone. I’m comfortable with them, and building on it as well is really nice with our new kids, being able to teach them the stuff that I learned [in 2018].” 

Mr. Sellitti said he does not consider himself a dancer but enjoys being able to experiment and become confident in his movements.  

“It’s very comfortable and because it’s comfortable, you don’t spend as much time in your head when you’re working on the piece,” he said. “You can be in your body, and you can fully feel and express the work.” 

Ms. Parrilla hopes audiences walk away with an understanding and realization that history continues to repeat itself.

“Colonizers taking over spaces in very violent ways is not new,” she said. “It has happened, and we’re telling that story as it has happened here, and it has happened to many of us. We’re still here, in spite of that, to tell the stories.” 

Yard programming director Yvonne Mendez said that she likes to represent topical issues when she curates the summer lineup.

“You want there to be a really nice balance between the artists and also feeding into what’s important with engagement activities,” she said. “What partners on the Island could we activate for a particular topic or genre?” 

Choreographer Judy Sperling and the Time Lapse Dance ensemble perform on July 18 and 19 with an exploration of human connections with nature, and Red Clay Dance, a Chicago-based company, performs on July 24 and 25 with both a completed work and a new piece they are workshopping that focuses on reclaiming spiritual and ancestral connections to their land.  

Dance Theatre of Harlem returns to the Yard this summer, in residence from August 18 to 24. The troupe will host a public movement workshop on August 19 at Ocean Park in Oak Bluffs. 

“Last year, there was a very popular program we did with them called Dancing In The Streets,” Ms. Pacheco said. “Hundreds of people come out. It’s free for all ages. Anyone can dance. You don’t have to know what you’re doing.” 

The Yard continues to be a place for meaningful artistic collaboration, according to Ms. Pacheco.  

“Public support for the arts is really at risk,” she said. “But I think we’re in a moment where all of these different organizations and institutions come together and say that we really want to support this artist.”

For tickets and a full schedule, vist dancetheyard.org.