About - YYDC - YY Dance Company

YYDC is a NY-based non-profit contemporary dance company established in 2018 and dedicated to the performance, producing and sharing of original choreographic works, as well as teaching of original contemporary dance technique created by founder and artistic director, Yue Yin. Over the past decade, Yin has refined and expanded an original movement vocabulary called FOCO Technique™, a unique contemporary form of dance movement rooted in Chinese classical and folk dance melded with the complex and diverse influences of the immigrant experience. The form grew from Yin’s own blended international background and a deep appreciation for precision, contrast, fluidity and musicality and gained recognition from dance practitioners around the world. In 2024, Yue Yin officially promoted two of the long-time collaborators Grace Whitworth and Nat Wilson to be the first two certified FoCo Technique instructors in the world as a dedicated group effort to share, promote and present this cultural expression with the young generation of the dancers.

The overall vision for YYDC is to advocate and showcase this diverse movement style in original, emotionally charged and culturally influential performances nationally and internationally. In addition YYDC:

- Creates original commissioned and repertory works for a wide range of companies including Martha Graham Dance Company, Gibney Company, Philadelphia Ballet, Boston Ballet, BalletMet, Limon Dance Company, Balletto Teatro di Torino, Oregon Ballet Theater, NW Dance Project, Whim W’him, Bruce Wood Dance, Houston Contemporary Dance Company, Ririe Woodbury Dance Company, 10 Hairy Legs, New Dialect, Backhausdance and more.

- Works with educational institutions such as Juilliard School of Dance, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Princeton University, USC Kaufman School of Dance, Purchase College, Marymount College, George Mason University, Point Park University, West Michigan University and more.

- Teaches professional and pre-professional classes in FoCo Technique™ and FoCo x ONE to non professional movement practitioners.

- Cultivates a broader interest in contemporary dance by presenting artistically engaging, culturally and socially conscious works.

YYDC has recently been presented by Women Move The World season at 92NY, the company also performed at New York Live Arts, Chelsea Factory, BAM Fisher. The company also performed in the international dance festivals such as Schrittmacher Festival in Aachen, Germany, Belgrade Dance Festival in Serbia, Florence Dance Festival, Oriente Occidente Festival, Orsolina28 Residency along with presentations in Modena, Verona in Italy. The company will engage a domestic tour for the first time presented by Dancecleveland and Mutual Dance Theater in Ohio in 2026.

Yue Yin

Artistic Director • Choreographer • Creator of FoCo Technique™

Yue Yin is a choreographer, founder and artistic director of YY Dance Company and the creator of FoCo Technique™. She began her training in Chinese classical and folk dance in Shanghai, China at the prestigious Shanghai Dance Academy and completed her MFA in dance at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in 2008. In 2018, Yin founded YYDC, a non-profit contemporary dance company dedicated to the teaching, production and performance of her original choreographic work. Yin is the creator of her signature FoCo Technique™ which is a unique contemporary form of dance movement rooted in Chinese classical and folk dance melded with the complex and diverse influences of the immigrant experience. Overall the form grows from Yin’s own blended international background and a deep appreciation for precision, contrast, fluidity and musicality.

Yue Yin was the recipient of the 2021 Harkness Promise Award. This prestigious award recognizes her innovation in choreography and education. She was the winner of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago 2015 International Commissioning Project, winner of the 2015 BalletX Choreographic Fellowship, and winner of Northwest Dance Project’s 5th Annual Pretty Creatives International Choreographic Competition in 2013. Yin’s work has been commissioned from acclaimed organizations such as Gibney Company, Martha Graham Dance Company, Oregon Ballet Theater, NW Dance Project, BalletMet, Boston Ballet, Philadelphia Ballet, Limon Dance Company, Whim W’him, Bruce Wood Dance, Houston Contemporary Dance Company, Alberta Ballet, Balletto Teatro di Torino, Peridance Contemporary Dance Company, Juilliard School for Dance, USC Kaufman School of Dance, Tisch School of The Arts, Princeton and more.

ARTISTIC ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Grace Whitworth

Rehearsal Director • Stager

Grace was born near Cleveland, Ohio. She grew up dancing at The Fine Arts Association (FAA) and was honored to receive the Outstanding Senior Award with a scholarship to attend the conservatory of her choice. Grace attended Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA and earned a BA in Ballet and Jazz studies. She was a proud recipient of the Nicole Marie Falbo Memorial Scholarship. After graduating, Grace moved to Chicago, IL and danced on scholarship at Lou Conte Dance Studio, (home of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago). Grace moved to New York City in 2011 and began dancing for YYDC, LaneCoArts and ABARUKAS. During 9 years with YYDC, Grace has performed in the US and toured internationally to China and Germany. Grace is currently serving as dancer, rehearsal director, stager of Yin’s works as well as master teacher of FoCo Elements – a branch of FoCo Technique ™ that promotes improvisation within the guidelines of FoCo technique. In the past, Grace has assisted Yin in commissions for Bruce Wood Dance in Taxes, Alberta Ballet in Canada, Boston Dance Theater, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company in Salt Lake City to name a few. At the collegiate level, Grace assisted Yin during creation for Tisch NYU, Rutgers University, Barnard College, George Mason University and most rewardingly, her alma mater, Point Park University.

She performed with companies such as Winifred Haun and Dancers, Jaxon Movement Arts and Thodos Dance Chicago (New Dances). Grace performed in many festivals, most notably, Dance Chance (Eduardo Zuniga, former Luna Negra dancer), Dance Chance Redux (Autumn Eckman, former Hubbard Street Dance Chicago dancer), and grand-prize winner of The Joyce Soho A.W.A.R.D. Show under Jaxon Movement Arts, DanceNOW at Joe’s Pub, Dixon Place, IDACO, Offset Dance Fest, Pan-Asian Dance Festival, APAP at Peridance, 92nd Street Y and City Center, Kaatsbaan International Dance Festival, SummerStage, Jacob’s Pillow, FLICfest, Fringe Festival, Battery Dance Festival. Grace is enjoying the dance journey that YYDC has sourced for her.

Joseph C. Tedeschi – President, Co-Founder

Together with Yue Yin, Joseph is the co-founder of YYDC and serves as its President. When not working with Yin, who is also his wife, Joseph is a senior lawyer and strategic advisor with a focus on media, entertainment and the arts.

Joseph is also a member of the Board of Directors of Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts NY, an organization that has provided pro bono legal services to the arts community for over 50 years.

Joseph graduated from Harvard University magna cum laude with a B.A. in History and Literature and earned his J.D. at the University of Virginia School of Law.

Elaine Mandelbaum – Board of Directors

Elaine H. Mandelbaum is General Counsel of Interactive Brokers LLC and Senior Vice President of IBG LLC, an automated global electronic broker-dealer. In her role, she is responsible for the global legal team of Interactive Brokers. Prior to that, Elaine worked for Citigroup for 21 years, most recently as Head of Litigation and Regulatory Investigations for Citi’s Institutional Clients Group (ICG). Prior to starting at Citigroup, Ms. Mandelbaum was a litigation attorney at the New York office of Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue, and previously at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.

Elaine is the immediate past President of the SIFMA Compliance & Legal Society, and has served on the SIFMA C&L’s Executive Committee for over a decade. Elaine was previously Vice Chair of the FINRA National Adjudicatory Council, the appellate body for decisions rendered in FINRA disciplinary and membership proceedings. Elaine serves on the Board of Directors of the Legal Action Center and of the National Council of Jewish Women, and was the recipient of the 2015 “Woman Who Dared” Award from the NCJW.

Elaine is a frequent speaker at PLI, SIFMA and other industry conferences on topics relating to complex securities litigation, corporate governance, internal and regulatory investigations and issues relating to women in the securities industry. She is an honors graduate of Yale College and of Harvard Law School.

Shannon Bell – Board of Directors

Shannon Bell is a Managing Director at The Orogen Group, an operating company that makes significant long-term control and other strategic investments in financial services companies and related businesses. Ms. Bell has more than 20 years of experience in communications and has spent the majority of her career in financial services where she has developed expertise in reputation and crisis management, brand building and corporate communications. Ms. Bell started her career at APCO Associates, a global public affairs firm, where she built grassroots and grass tops campaigns for some of the country’s largest companies and trade associations. In 1997, she joined Standard & Poor’s, serving as a director of media relations for its debt ratings business. In 2000, Ms. Bell became director of public relations for Zurich Financial Services where she was responsible for directing Zurich’s corporate communications strategy in North America. She joined Citigroup in 2003 and ultimately became director of corporate communications and corporate spokesperson. At Citi, she was responsible for developing integrated communications strategies for corporate announcements including acquisitions and divestitures, capital planning, management changes and financial results. She received her B.A. from Emory University.

Katie Wagner – Board of Directors

Katie Wagner is the Executive Director of Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (VLA), which provides legal and education services to the New York arts community. She is responsible for developing VLA’s legal services, education, and advocacy programming, and facilitating pro bono legal representation for hundreds of artists and arts and cultural organizations in need each year. In 2024, Katie joined YYDC's board of directors.

Prior to joining VLA, Ms. Wagner was Vice President and Counsel for the National Music Publishers’ Association, the leading trade organization representing the interests of music publishers in the United States. Ms. Wagner served as a legal advisor for the litigation and policy initiatives of the association. She also focused on NMPA’s overall litigation efforts and related licensing offerings.

Ms. Wagner began her legal career in private practice, specializing in intellectual property and complex business transaction proceedings. She received her B.A. from Duke University and her J.D. from Tulane University Law School, where she served as editor-in-chief of the Tulane Journal of International and Comparative Law.