JULY 29 - AUGUST 4, 2024
SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO
NEW CENTURY DANCE PROJECT
NEW MEXICO'S FESTIVAL OF Performance & Choreography
'Threat' performed by Zeitgeist Dance Theatre Second Company at the 2023 New Century Dance Project, choreographed by Yusha Marie Sorzano, captured by Audrey Derrell
Choreography Submissions
Are Due March 1, 2024
You missed out!
Our mission is to advance excellence in artistic expression, choreographic process, and performance by nurturing high school and collegiate preprofessional dancers as well as early-career dancemakers. Festival components include a choreography intensive for dancers ages 15 - 24, a choreography competition, concert performances, and community outreach events.
New Century Dance Project is
Nurturing Performance Artists And Choreographers Who Are Fearless And Unapologetically Authentic
Credit: Yuniel Betencourt dances his own award winning choreography, ‘FREYR!’ at the 2023 New Century Dance Project.
Yuniel was the 2023 Critics Choice Award recipient in the High School Division
Music Credits: Freyr! - performed by Peter Broderick - Written By Peter Ray Broderick and Steven Broderick
Supporting Team
FESTIVAL LEADERSHIP
Francisco Gella
Founding Artistic Director
Co-Artistic Director, Zeitgeist Dance Theatre
Francisco Gella’s distinguished career as a professional dancer, choreographer, artistic director and dance educator in the genres of ballet, modern and contemporary dance, spans more than twenty years since he took his first ballet class at the University of Washington during his freshman year. As an educator, Francisco believes that the key to excellence in dance arts moving forward is inspiring dance makers and performing artists to see what is possible through honoring historical foundations of technique and artistry, appreciating the diversity of style and genre in contemporary dance, realizing the body-mind-spirit connection in creating powerful movement, and experiencing transformative opportunities to be mentored by professional dancers who model what it takes to be successful in finding their own voice and to acquire the essential tools for success.
Festival Managing Director: Jeffrey Hoffman
Festival Operations Coordinator: Tara Debevec
Resident Dance Company: Zeitgeist Dance Theatre
Through my time at NCDP, I had the opportunity to connect with various dancers, dance-makers, and artists alike, all of which held the kindest hearts and the most honest artistic approaches, allowing care, vulnerability, and passion for the art of dance in its purest form. Presenting work alongside such an amazing group of creatives and choreographers, I left NCDP feeling heavily inspired, fulfilled, and understood in my artistry. Overall, I gained a larger trust for the uncertainty of creation and appreciating the value an idea has from its beginning, to its wavering process of workshopping, until its final resolution.
Brenan Gonzalez
2023 NCDP Critics Choice Award recipient in the undergraduate category
USC Kaufman Junior pursuing a BFA in Dance
THE 2024 FESTIVAL
DISTINGUISHED MASTER ARTISTS
Each year, the New Century Dance Project Artistic Director selects venerable, award-winning artists to share their extensive knowledge, experience and wisdom with festival intensive participants. You can find out more about them and our resident artists by visiting our teaching faculty page.
Jim Vincent
Dance & Creative Consultant,
Director, and Educator
Courtney Henry
Interdisciplinary Creator, Writer, and Educator
Zak Ryan Schlegel
Choreographer, Artistic Director, and Educator
FESTIVAL CHOREOGRAPHY COMPETITION & SHOWCASE
NCDP offers outstanding opportunities for Emerging Professional, Undergraduate, and High School Choreographers to showcase their work on a professional stage at the festival.
ABOUT THE COMPETITION AND SHOWCASE
Two culminating concerts of the festival weekend bring together a diverse group of emerging professional, and student choreographers from across North America who have been selected from a talented pool who submitted their work for consideration. These artists selected as NCDP finalists represent some of the best of our collective dance future. The work of these choreographers is presented on stage and adjudicated. Winning work awarded cash prizes.
FESTIVAL CONCERT DATES:
TBD (sometime between August 1 and 3)
FESTIVAL CONCERT AWARDS:
- $3,000 to 1st Place Critics Choice Awardee in the Emerging Professional Category
- $2,000 to 1st Place Critics Choice Awardee in the Undergraduate College Student Category
- $1,000 to 1st Place Critics Choice Awardee in the High School Student Category
An additional $300.00 “Audience Choice” award will be presented to one choreographer in each category!
BENEFITS TO SELECTED FINALISTS:
All choreographer finalists whose work is selected to be presented at the festival will receive:
- A video of their performance
- Still images of their performance
- Critiques from an expert panel of adjudicators
- A Feedback Forum with the adjudicators following the New Voices Concert
'Monologue' choreographed by Lu Wang, (California State University Long Beach, BFA, New York University, MFA) 2023 Critics Choice winner in the Emerging Professional category. Performed by Lu Wang and Yuxi Liu. Captured by Audrey Durell.
2023 Choreographer Finalists
The following lists represent the past year’s choreographer finalists and festival concerts. The 2024 choreographers will be selected by April 15 and will be listed here at that time.
New Voices Concert
Presented on Friday, August 4, 2023
The High School Finalists
Yuniel Betancourt
Hialeah, FL
New World School of the Arts
*Grand Prize Recipient
Sophie Biderman
Santa Fe, NM
New Mexico School for the Arts and NDI New Mexico
Lillian Smith
Tyler, TX
Dance Town (Miami)
Alexis Stus
Dallas, TX
Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts
*People's Choice Award Winner
Helena Merlino and Audry Gonzalez-Rutt
Santa Fe, NM
Aspen Santa Fe Ballet School, New Mexico School for the Arts and National Dance Institute of New Mexico
Orlando Paz
Los Angeles , CA
Los Angeles County High School for the Arts
Jordan Plange
Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles County High School for the Arts
The Undergraduate Finalists
Bianca Calderone
Pittsburgh, PA
Point Park University, BFA in Dance
Brenan Gonzalez
Los Angeles, CA
USC Kauffman, BFA in Dance
*Grand Prize Recipient
Amber Lew
and Lucia Taylor
Boston, MA
Boston Conservatory at Berklee, BFA in Dance
Anastasia Miller
Spring, TX
University of Arizona, BFA in Dance
*People's Choice Award Winner
Katie Tuchi
Phoenix, AZ
Loyola Marymount University, BA in Dance
New Voices Concert
Thursday, August 4th
The Presenting Undergraduate Choreographers
Meredith Brown
Asheville, NC
Fordham University and
The Ailey School
Grace Coleman
Centennial, CO
New York University
Marissa Furfaro
Pittsburgh, PA
Purchase College State University of New York -
Conservatory of Dance
Ekko Greenbaum
West Palm Beach, FL
The Boston Conservatory
Tulia Marshall
New Paltz, NY
Purchase College State University of New York -
Conservatory of Dance
Anastasia Miller
The Woodlands, TX
University of Arizona
The Woodlands, TX
University of Arizona
Alicia Pak
San Jose, CA
California Institute of the Arts
Binyamin Salzano
Fort Collins, CO
Colorado State University
The Presenting High School Choreographers
Zoe Baber
Agoura Hills, CA
Elite Dance and Performing Arts Center
Sophie Biderman
Santa Fe, NM
New Mexico School for the Arts and
National Dance Institute New Mexico
Lorena Daily
Winter Park, FL
Skyra Studios
Bijou Douglas
Torrance, CA
Los Angeles County High School for the Arts
Avery Gay
Scottsdale, AZ
Club Dance
Addison Rey Hill
Valencia, CA
Los Angeles High School for the Arts and Shooting Stars Dance Studio
Lucia Rosen
Santa Fe, NM
New Mexico School for the Arts and
National Dance Institute New Mexico
Avery Trammell
Aurora, CO
Mpact Dance Project
Joey Vice
Westerville, OH
Generations Performing Arts Center
Shana Winer
Miami, FL
Miami Dance Collective
The Emerging Professional Finalists
Deanna Stanton
Little Rock, AR
University of Cincinnati, BFA in Ballet
Beth Twigs
Seattle, WA
Colorado State University Global Campus, BS Marketing, University of Washington, MFA Candidate
Rebecca Wright
Los Angeles, CA
University of the Arts, BFA
*People's Choice Award Winner
The Amplified Concert
Friday, August 5
The Presenting Emerging / Professional Choreographers
Arturo Garcia
El Paso, TX
NGL by J2k Dance Studio
Claude “CJ” Johnson
Brooklyn, NY
AIM by Kyle Abraham
Glen R. Lewis
Portsmouth, VA
Iswel Dance Theater
Sophia Oddi
Los Angeles, CA
Independent
Zak Ryan Schlegel
El Prado, NM
Shen Wei Dance Arts
An Evening of World Premieres with Zeitgeist Dance Theatre
Presented on Saturday, August 5, 2023
Presenting Choreographers:
Barak Marshall
Los Angeles, CA
Artistic Director, Barak Marshall Dance Theatre
Francisco Gella
Santa Fe, NM
Co-Artistic Director, Zeitgeist Dance Theatre
Yusha-Marie Sorzano
Los Angeles, CA
Co-Artistic Director, Zeitgeist Dance Theatre
An Evening of World Premieres w/ Zeitgeist Dance Theatre and the NCDP Choreography Awards Ceremony
Saturday, August 6
Presenting Choreographers:
Lauren Edson
Boise, ID
Artistic Director, LED Boise
Francisco Gella
Santa Fe, NM
Co-Artistic Director, Zeitgeist Dance Theatre
Yusha-Marie Sorzano
Los Angeles, CA
Co-Artistic Director, Zeitgeist Dance Theatre
A Reputation for Educational & artistic Excellence
NCDP INTENSIVE REGISTRATION
The Festival Intensive is for preprofessional dancers ages 15-24 and features master classes, workshops, choreography, and concerts for the seven-day event. You can either start by learning about the schedule, workshops, and more or, if you are ready to register for NCDP 2024, you can go ahead and enroll today. Registration for the Intensive means that you will receive access to all of the festival concerts too!
Register by March 15, 2024 to receive the Early Bird Discount!
Please message us in the chatbox below or contact us if you have any questions about New Century Dance Project.