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How do you give birth to a ballet, or create a contemporary dance piece? National Choreographers Initiative has the answer.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2024, National Choreographers Initiative (also known as NCI) is marking two decades of innovation in dance creation.
Every summer, NCI Artistic Director Molly Lynch – a resident of Corona del Mar – invites four choreographers, as well as 16 professional dancers from ballet companies across the country, to come to Orange County to participate in NCI. The project culminates in a public performance at the Irvine Barclay Theater that showcases the new dance creations.
Since the program launched in 2004, National Choreographers Initiative has welcomed 76 choreographers (with a noteworthy 31 being women), along with 169 dancers hailing from 54 national dance companies. Impressively, 33 of the pieces born from this program have been premiered and performed by major dance companies.
Over the past 20 years, NCI has become well known in the dance world.
“I had 104 choreographers apply this year,” said Lynch. “I try to look at bringing a mix of styles so it’s interesting for the dancers and the audience. And I always try and have at least one woman choreographer. We have three women choreographers this year.”
National Choreographers Initiative is more than just a dance vacation in southern California for participants. Chorographers and dancers are awarded a fee plus room and board for an experience that Lynch says is akin to summer camp for professionals. Dancers live in dorms on campus at UCI, where Lynch is a Professor in the Dance Department at the Claire Trevor School of the Arts. She teaches ballet, pointe, repertory, senior seminar and arts management. The school’s dance studios are available during the summer and are near the dorms, so it’s an immersive experience.
There are few if any artistic endeavors like NCI, although Lynch had launched a similar venture called Pacifica Choreographic Project when she was Artistic Director for Ballet Pacifica from 1988 to 2003.
“It was modeled after South Coast Repertory’s New Scripts play readings and having a laboratory to create something new but not necessarily finished,” said Lynch. “That was the initial idea for the Choreographic project. Some people in the community wanted to see that continue because they liked the idea of seeing something that is not necessarily complete—they can give their thoughts about it and see and different choreographers work.”
Because Ballet Pacifica performed at the Irvine Barclay Theatre, Lynch had a relationship with them and approached The Barclay for their support. They gave her a date in July for NCI performances. And with The Barclay being on the campus of UCI, it was the perfect three-way partnership.
Lynch emphasizes to the participating choreographers that unlike a traditional commission for a specific ballet company, they don’t have to complete a new piece.
“We want them to come in and be free to work on whatever it is they feel like they want to be developing in their choreographic process,” Lynch explained. “The piece doesn’t have to be completed in three weeks, it can be one section out of two, or two out of three, or experimenting, to try and take the pressure off. I think often times when choreographers are commissioned to do work, they fall back on what they know is going to work, they don’t necessarily push themselves forward into trying something a little different. Contrary to a playwright who can sit down at their laptop and write words and then hand the script to people and hear what it sounds like, choreographers really need to have bodies to work on. You can have some sort of ideas but it’s a collaborative process with the dancers.”
That’s why Lynch tries to select dancers that are interested in doing new choreography and working with different people.
“They are more a part of the process, and the choreographers rely on the dancers. There is a give and take going on, along with what the choreographer is trying to accomplish it.”
Over the years, National Choreographers Initiative has become well known in the dance community, partly due to the networking that occurs during the three-week rehearsal period.
“One of the things that has come out of this that I did not know would happen is the networking that has happened between dancer to dancer, and also dancer to choreographer,” noted Lynch. “Choreographers are usually working by themselves; they don’t have the opportunity to network with other choreographers.”
Lynch has seen many examples of choreographers restaging what they started at NCI for various ballet companies, and even becoming directors of companies.
During the three-week rehearsal process, Lynch seldom asks choreographers what they are working on and reinforces the idea that they can be flexible and change their music and ideas.
“They can experiment, but I remind them that we have a show on July 27 so they have to show something,” said Lynch. “They get to introduce what the audience is seeing so they have some context, such as this a dance in three sections and you completed two of them. I don’t want them to feel they have to finish. This is like a lab. It’s an experimental place for them to try things out.”
The July 27 evening features discussions with each choreographer plus performances of what they worked on the previous three weeks. The pieces generally range from 10 to 20 minutes each.
For tickets to the National Choreographers Initiative performance on July 27, visit https://www.thebarclay.org.
NCI Choreographers for 2024
Charles Askegard has had a long and distinguished career as a dancer, director and choreographer. He joined the American Ballet Theatre under the tutelage of Mikhail Baryshnikov, where he performed leading roles in major full-length ballets and worked with legendary choreographers Twyla Tharp, Glen Tetley, Natalia Makarova, and Agnes de Mille. After 10 years with ABT, he joined the New York City Ballet to further his artistic goals. He performed there as a Principal Dancer for 14 years where he had the opportunity to work under Jerome Robbins and Peter Martins and dance a large number of the classic Balanchine ballets in the repertory. Upon leaving the New York City Ballet, he formed a company, Ballet Next, whose mission focused on producing new work. He is currently employed with the Philadelphia Ballet as Rehearsal Director where he has choreographed for both the Philadelphia Ballet, and the Philadelphia Ballet II. Most recently, he has been named the Dance Artist in Residence of the Performance Garage in Philadelphia for the 2025 season, which is a choreographic position. His work has been presented by companies, Universities, summer festivals, schools and ballet galas, across the nation and also in the movie John Wick III.
Cherice Barton, an accomplished choreographer, director, and educator, currently resides in Los Angeles. Following a decade-long tenure as a contemporary ballet dancer, Cherice rose to prominence as the resident choreographer for Franco Dragone’s Le Rêve Cirque spectacle in Las Vegas. Cherice then developed a choreographic portfolio spanning a diverse array of projects, including collaborations with Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, The Grammy Awards, America’s Got Talent, Lucasfilm Animation, Dancebreak Broadway Showcase, Rosin Box Project, and Spotlight Grand Finale at the Music Center LA, among others. As an educator, Cherice has been sought after to speak and conduct masterclasses at various institutions such as the Juilliard School, USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance and Marymount Manhattan College. Her dedication to education is exemplified by the establishment of Axis Connect, a non-profit, bi-coastal educational platform she co-founded with her sister Charissa. This initiative serves as a crucial link between aspiring dancers and the professional dance industry, fostering a supportive community where artists can explore diverse career options.
DaYoung Jung, a former Principal Dancer and current Rehearsal Director at Oklahoma City Ballet, is from South Korea. Jung trained at Moscow’s Bolshoi Ballet Academy and graduated with honors from a master’s degree in Ballet Pedagogy. Throughout her career, Jung performed the title roles of many of the great classics, such as Giselle, Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake, and The Sleeping Beauty, as well as works by George Balanchine, Jirí Kylián, Septime Webre, Twyla Tharp, Michael Pink, Robert Mills, and many others. Transitioning away from the stage, Jung became a Rehearsal Director at Oklahoma City Ballet. She is also a dance educator who has been invited as a panelist by Ballet Des Moines to speak on moving arts and dances and called upon for her expertise as a judge at ADC/IBC final in 2023. She has quickly established herself as an award-winning choreographer. She was invited to present her work “Dissipation” at The Five Moons Dance Festival in August 2021. The following year, she was invited again to present – this time with her work, “Composition”. In 2022, “Vignettes” was chosen as the audience’s favorite of the Milwaukee Ballet’s competition Genesis: International Choreographic Competition. Her most recent work, “There, Never There.” was performed by Oklahoma City Ballet in 2023 at the Ballet Under The Stars.
Donna Salgado is a dancer and choreographer working in New York City, and is the founder and directing artist of Continuum Contemporary/Ballet. Donna’s formal ballet training began under Tatiana Akinfieva-Smith and continued as a member of the Eastern Shore Ballet Theatre. She holds a BFA in Dance Performance from Towson University and an MFA in Dance from SUNY Purchase, and spent summers training at ABT, CPYB, NYSSSA Ballet, and Lines Ballet. As a performing artist, she’s worked with the José Mateo Ballet Theatre, Eglevsky Ballet, Connecticut Ballet, Rebecca Kelly Ballet, Sierra Nevada Ballet, Thomas/Ortiz Dance, David Fernandez’s Some Dance Company, Deborah Lohse’s ad Hoc Ballet, and Marika Brussel, among others, and has danced in works by George Balanchine, Paul Taylor, Geoffrey Holder, Edwaard Liang, Gabrielle Lamb, and Juanjo Arques. Donna’s choreography has been presented and/or commissioned by the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival (3 seasons), Bryant Park, Columbia Ballet Collaborative, Counterpointe Festival for Women Choreographers, Latin Choreographers Festival, 92nd Street Y, Newport Dance Festival, Brooklyn Ballet, Nacre Dance Group, Princeton University Ballet, Harvard Ballet Company, and the Ballet on the Beach Festival.
NCI Dancers for 2024
Women: Iori Araya (Ballet Memphis), Anwen David (Ballet Memphis), Celeste Gaiera (Richmond Ballet), Brooke Gilliam (Atlanta Ballet), Amelia Grubb (Ballet Des Moines), Elizabeth “Lizzie” Kanning (Ballet Idaho), Ahna Lipchik (Indianapolis Ballet), Emily Speed (Ballet Idaho).
Men: Colin Canavan (Ballet Austin), Robert Fulton (Nevada Ballet Theatre), Joseph Hetzer (Oklahoma City Ballet), Daniel Kubr (Sacramento Ballet), Wyatt Pendleton (Ballet Memphis), Sean Sessions (Saint Louis Ballet), Hunter Solomon (Ballet Tucson), Nathan Young (Grand Rapids Ballet).
Dancer Bios
Iori Araya began her early training in Japan. Idemitsu scholarship prize at the Asian Pacific International Ballet Competition allowed her to complete her training at The Australian Ballet School. She danced with Singapore Dance Theatre (now Singapore Ballet) and New Jersey Ballet prior to joining Ballet Memphis in 2017. Her noted roles include Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Fate in Gho Choo San’s Romeo & Juliet, In Dreams by Trey McIntyre, Water of the Flowerymill, and Party of the Year by Matthew Neenan, Chant by Val Caniparoli, Age of Innocence by Edwaard Liang, and numerous works by George Balanchine.
Anwen Brown is from Pittsburgh, PA. She trained at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School and San Francisco Ballet School. At age sixteen, she participated in the Prix de Lausanne. Anwen dances with Ballet Memphis, and is looking forward to her twelfth season. Anwen has performed Sugarplum and Clara in The Nutcracker, Second Violin in Concerto Barocco, Fairy Godmother in Cinderella, and Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. She has also enjoyed featured roles in Trey McIntyre’s In Dreams, Matthew Neenan’s Party of the Year, Gerald Arpino’s Birthday Variations, Mariana Oliveira’s Pagliacci, Mark Godden’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Gabrielle Lamb’s Elapse.
Colin Canavan is from Reading, MA and began his pre-professional training at Walnut Hill School for the Arts before graduating from Indiana University’s Jacob’s School of Music in 2022 with a BS in Ballet Performance, Arts Management, and Human Resource Management. At IU, he performed roles such as the principal in Balanchine’s Donizetti Variations, Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, and other Balanchine, Robbins, Wheeldon, Morris, and Bournonville works. Colin attended the 2021 Jacob’s Pillow Contemporary Ballet Program under Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. Joining Ballet Austin in 2022, he has performed works by Stephen Mills, Jessica Lang, and Amy Seiwart. His notable performances include Jessica Lang’s Garden Blue, Laertes in Stephen Mills’ Hamlet, and Imp of the Perverse in Mills’ Poe / A Tale of Madness. Colin also teaches at the Ballet Austin Academy while pursuing an MS in Human Resource Development
Robert Fulton started dancing in Pennsylvania with the Allegheny Ballet Company, trained at Houston Ballet, and then joined Ballet West as a trainee. Now, he performs with Nevada Ballet Theatre, taking on lead roles like Siegfried in Ben Stevenson’s Swan Lake and Scarecrow in Septime Webre’s Wizard of Oz. Besides dancing, Robert is studying business at Penn State World Campus. He used his love for ballet and business skills to create The Ballet Scout, a website helping dancers find auditions, training, and jobs easily.
Celeste Gaiera’s love for dance began as a young child in New Zealand where she grew up and trained in many different styles of dance. After arriving in the United States, she joined a pre-professional ballet training program in Oregon, after which she moved to San Francisco to further her dance training. She then was selected to join Pittsburgh Ballet Theater’s graduate program on scholarship, where she enjoyed many opportunities performing with the company. Celeste attended Nederlands Dans Theater in 2016, where she performed works by Paul Lightfoot, Sol León, Mengahn Lou, and Crystal Pite. Celeste joined Texas Ballet Theater as a company member in 2017 and danced there for four years under Ben Stevenson, O.B.E. She then joined Richmond Ballet, where she is currently dancing and has been for the past three years, performing a variety of both classical and contemporary ballets. She attended NCI 2022 and is thrilled to be returning this year!
Brooke Gilliam is a company member with Atlanta Ballet where she has danced for six seasons. Originally from Boulder, CO, she began her training at the Colorado Conservatory of Dance under the direction of Julia Wilkinson Manley. At 16, after attending the summer intensive, she was offered a merit scholarship to the Conservatory Program at Atlanta Ballet. From there, Brooke was a part of Atlanta Ballet 2 for two seasons before her promotion to the main company in 2018. Since joining, some of her most noteworthy performances include Russian Girls in George Balanchine’s Serenade, The Shadow in Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Coco Chanel, Life of a Fashion Icon, Alexander Ekman’s Cacti, demi-soloist in Yuri Possokhov’s Don Quixote, and Garrett Smith’s Corridors. She is thrilled to be a part of NCI 2024.
Joseph Hetzer started his classical training at South Bay Ballet in Torrance, CA before becoming a member of the inaugural class at the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance in 2015. While in school, Hetzer worked closely with William Forsythe on both his classical works and new creations, dove into different genres and movement styles, and performed on three continents. He joined Oklahoma City Ballet as a corps de ballet member in 2019 and was promoted to soloist in 2023. During his time in OKC, he has performed featured roles including: Mad Hatter/Lewis Carroll in Septime Webre’s ALICE (in wonderland), Gaston/the Baron in Val Caniparoli’s Lady of the Camellias, and Hilarion in Ryan Nye’s Giselle. Hetzer has also performed works by Jerome Robbins’s, Jessica Lang, Twyla Tharp, Sarah Tallman, Alexander Ekman, Penny Saunders, and George Balanchine. Outside of ballet, Hetzer is a Lululemon Ambassador, spin instructor at Cyclebar Classen Curve, and teacher at Kim Massay Dance Productions. He is very excited to be returning to NCI for his third year.
Amelia Grubb Hillman calls Iowa home and has been a company dancer with Ballet Des Moines for the past 8 seasons. Originally hailing from the Washington, D.C. area, she completed her training on scholarships at the Kirov Academy of Ballet and the Akhmedova Ballet Academy. In addition to her career with BDM, Amelia has performed with English National Ballet,The Washington Ballet, Richmond Ballet, and Columbia Classical Ballet. Some of her most cherished performances have been in the role of Cinderella, Ma Cong’s Screaming Silence, and performing Christopher Wheeldon’s Je Ne T’aime Pas with her husband, Logan Hillman.
Elizabeth “Lizzie” Kanning is originally from Seattle, WA. She trained at Pacific Northwest Ballet School and the second company of Oregon Ballet Theater. Elizabeth is a soloist with Ballet Idaho, and she has also danced professionally with Ballet Austin and Ballet Tucson. Over the years she has had the joy of performing soloist roles in Christopher Wheeldon’s Five Movements, Three Repeats; George Balanchine’s Serenade, Walpurgisnacht, Valse Fantasie, Concerto Barocco, and Divertimento No. 15; and Thang Dao’s Quiet Imprint. Other highlights include Lar Lubovitch’s Concerto 622, Danielle Rowe’s Chaminade, Joseph Hernandez’s I lost my love, and Alejando Cerrudo’s Extremely Close. Elizabeth is excited to return to NCI this summer!
Daniel Kubr was born and raised in Switzerland. He started his professional ballet training at the Theater Basel in Switzerland. In 2015, he moved to Carlisle, PA, to train at the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet under the direction of Marcia Dale Weary. In 2018, Daniel joined the Cincinnati Ballet as a second company member. And starting in 2019, he was a company trainee with Texas Ballet Theater before joining Sacramento Ballet as an apprentice in 2021. He was promoted to the main company in 2023. Some of his favorite ballets he has performed in include State of Matter by Ihsan Rustem, Carry Me Anew by Ma Cong, Ghost Light by Penny Saunders, George Balanchine’s Who Cares?, and Gregory Dawson’s Strange Love.
Ahna Lipchik trained and performed with the Milwaukee Ballet School and later attended the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. While in school, she competed at Youth America Grand Prix and World Ballet Competition, earning high marks, winning best choreography at both, and an invitation to perform in the World Ballet Competition’s final gala performance. Ahna has since performed with San Diego Ballet, State Street Ballet, and as a guest artist with schools and companies around the country. She has enjoyed dancing featured roles in works by Kevin Jenkins, Kassandra Taylor Newberry, Robert Sund, and Autumn Eckman, as well as principal roles in ballets by Sir Frederick Ashton, George Balanchine, Marius Petipa, and August Bournonville. She is currently a soloist with Indianapolis Ballet. Ahna has found great fulfillment through teaching, choreographing, and through her inter-arts collaborations.
Wyatt Pendleton, originally from Tucson, AZ, is going into his third season with Ballet Memphis. After getting his BFA in Ballet from the University of Utah, he spent two years in Milwaukee Ballet 2 and then four seasons dancing with Rochester City Ballet before joining Ballet Memphis. During his time with these companies, he has performed in a myriad of classical and contemporary works. Some of his career highlights include Trey Mcintyre’s In Dreams, Renfield in Steve McMahon’s Dracula, and Terminus by Kate Skarpetowska. He is excited to be back at NCI for a third time!
Sean Sessions, currently a dancer with Saint Louis Ballet, is originally from Baltimore, MD. He has performed feature roles in Christopher Wheeldon’s Within The Golden Hour as well as The Sleeping Beauty, Alice in Wonderland, and The Nutcracker. Alongside the classics, he has originated numerous roles in contemporary work such as Emery LaCrone’s Agile Episodes. Before dancing with Saint Louis Ballet, he danced with Suzanne Farrell Ballet and Cincinnati Ballet’s Second company.
Hunter Solomon, originally from Brunswick, GA, began dancing at age 7, training at various dance schools. After graduation, he continued training at Atlanta Ballet’s conservatory program under Sharon Story. The following summer, he attended Milwaukee Ballet’s intensive and joined the second company under Rolando Yanes. Hunter joined Boulder Ballet in 2019, dancing Paul Taylor’s Airs as well as working with choreographers such as Amy Hall Gardner, Sidra Bell, Gregory Dawson. In 2022, he joined Ballet Spartanburg for one season. This past season, he joined Ballet Tucson, dancing in works by Andrea Schermoly, Kiyon Ross, Paul Gibson. As well as dancing He has danced in George Balanchine’s Serenade and Divertimento No. 15 and Christopher Wheeldon’s After the Rain pas de deux.
Emily Speed grew up in Argyle, TX, and received her classical training from Hugh Nini, Marina Almayeva, and Henry Danton. Throughout her career, she danced for Ballet Tucson, Alabama Ballet, Colorado Ballet as a demi-soloist, and most recently, Ballet Idaho as a leading artist. Her favorite leading roles include Danielle in Danielle Rowe’s Dreamland, Russian Girl in George Balanchine’s Serenade, Jiri Kylian’s Petite Mort, Antony Tudor’s The Leaves are Fading, Lilac Garden, and Pillar of Fire, Clara, Dew Drop and Sugar Plum in The Nutcracker, Pink Couple in Clark Tippet’s Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1, Red Couple in Twyla Tharp’s A Brief Fling and Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, among numerous others. Emily performed at Vail Dance Fest in 2015, 2017, and 2019 and at Battery Dance Festival in New York City in 2021. Emily appears as a principal guest artist across the country.
Nathan Young is originally from Little Rock, Arkansas. He began his training at the age of 13 at the Arkansas Academy of Dance and attended summer training programs such as Ballet West, Joffrey Ballet, and Long Beach Ballet. In 2013, Nathan graduated from the University of Oklahoma, where he received a BFA in Ballet Performance. Nathan then moved to Nashville, Tennessee, dancing for the Nashville Ballet for four seasons. He has performed in notable works by Christopher Wheeldon, Jirí Kylián, Jennifer Archibald, Trey McIntyre, Val Caniparoli, Danielle Rowe, and Yuri Possokhov. He has been dancing with Grand Rapids Ballet since 2018.
