Seattle Theatre Group's 26th Annual DANCE This Continues to Connect Community-Focused Dance with National Talent

Seattle Theatre Group will present the 26th annual DANCE This on Friday, July 12 at The Moore Theatre. DANCE This is STG’s signature dance program that brings together youth and adult performers from diverse communities to collaborate and share their culture through the art of dance. DANCE This continues to connect national dance organizations with local dancers, highlighting the region’s vibrant talent, featuring a cast of local dancers ages 13+ from various dance organizations across the Greater Seattle area.

This year’s guest artist commissions are from Jamel Gaines of Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet (JGCO) with Staging Artist Rayan Le curieux-Durival and local rehearsal director Nia-Amina Minor, who will set “Thank You” (2023), created to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the March On Washington; andAaron Gordon, alum of the Chicago and LA casts of Hamilton, who will set an original piece inspired by the musical to selections from the Hamilton Mixtape, with local rehearsal director Tani Ohashi. Husband and wife duo Erick and Abby Paul of Æ Creative will serve as finale choreographers. Commissions include dancers from Backstage Dance Studio, Bellevue College Dance Company, Gotta Dance, Northwest Tap Connection, Spectrum Dance Theater, Tacoma Urban Performing Arts Center, and Westlake Dance Center.

There are two performances on Friday, July 12 at the Moore Theatre in Downtown Seattle: a youth and group matinee at 1:00 PM and an evening performance at 7:30 PM. Tickets start at $5 for title I groups attending the matinee and $18 for the evening performance. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at www.stgpresents.org or in person at the Paramount Theatre Box Office at 911 Pine Street in Downtown Seattle.

This year’s lineup features local groups Folclor Oaxaqueño, a traditional folkloric group with Oaxacan roots; International Ballet Theatre, the premiere ballet company of King County’s Eastside; Northwest Tap Connection, a race and social justice dance studio deeply rooted in rhythm tap; and Sayaw Filipino Folk Dance Troupe, a student-based performing arts dance group of the Filipino American Student Association at the University of Washington.

Pooja Ganesha and Mackenzy Isaacson are this year’s artists in residence. The DANCE This Artist in Residency program is designed to support choreographers in the greater Seattle area in their artistic development of a 5-to-6-minute original piece. Selected choreographers are offered rehearsal space, time, and support along with a financial budget to aid the project. The new ensemble work created during their residencies will be premiered at this year’s DANCE This performance.

DANCE This is line produced by Kirsten Barron Kinney and features lighting design by Annie Liu.

In 1998, lead creator and producer Vicky Lee collaborated with Edna Daigre from Ewajo Dance Studio and Chris Daigre to create and produce the inaugural DANCE This. Past guest master artists have included Napoleon & Tabitha from So You Think You Can Dance, Savion Glover, Joffrey Ballet, Mark Morris Dance Group, Spectrum Dance Theatre, Whim W’Him, Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet, Jeroboam Bozeman from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Donald McKayle, Adam Parson, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and Chloe Arnold of Syncopated Ladies, as well as Broadway professionals.

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