JULY 28 - AUGUST 3, 2025
SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO
NEW CENTURY DANCE PROJECT
New Mexico’s Festival of Performance & Choreography
PRESENTED BY ZEITGEIST DANCE THEATRE
"Monger"
Performed by: Zeitgeist Dance Theatre at the 2023 New Century Dance Project
Choreographed by: Barak Marshall, captured by Audrey Derrell.
New Mexico's Festival of Performance & Choreography Kicks off on July 28th, 2025
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 preprofessional performance ensemble, choreography intensive for dancers ages 16-24, a choreography fellowship competition, concert performances, and community outreach events.
New Century Dance Project is
Nurturing Performance Artists & Choreographers Who Are Fearless & Unapologetically Authentic
"The Child in the Violin"
Choreographed by: Helena Merlino
Danced by: Alana Casas, Audrie Gonzales-Ellsworth, Madeleine Joseph, Gredel Holladay
Music/Composer: Adios, by Benjamin Clementine
The Child in the Violin was the 2024 Critics Choice Award recipient in the High School Division
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 2025 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, Educator, Past Artistic Director of Nederlands Dans Theater and Hubbard Street Dance
Zak Ryan Schlegel
Choreographer, Artistic Director, Educator, Dancer with Shen Wei Arts, and Founding Chief Creative Director of Congress
FESTIVAL CHOREOGRAPHIC FELLOWSHIP
NCDP offers an outstanding career advancement opportunity for three upper level collegiate through established professional choreographers to choreograph on an ensemble of advanced preprofessional dancers in Santa Fe, New Mexico during the Festival week of July 25 - August 3.
THE NCDP ENSEMBLE CONCERT DATE:
Featuring the work of the 2025 Choreographic Fellows performed by the preprofessional dancers of the NCDP Ensemble. The performance date and time is TBD but will be held on either August 1 or 2.
FELLOWSHIP BENEFITS
Selected Choreographer Fellows will receive the following to participate:
- Provided with an ensemble of 10-12 advanced preprofessional dancers
- Round-trip economy air
- Ground transportation while in New Mexico
- Lodging for ten days
- Stipend of $1000
- Meal allowance of $250
- A professional quality video of their work
- A set of digital still images of their work
- Critiques of the work from an expert panel of adjudicators
- An in-person feedback forum with the adjudicators following the performance
CASH AWARD INCENTIVE
Choreographer Fellows’ work will be adjudicated by an experienced panel of concert dance professionals. Adjudicators will select one work as the Grand Prize recipient with an accompanying cash award of $2,000.
"The Child in the Violin" – Choreographed by Helena Merlino, 2024 Critics’ Choice Award Winner High School Division. Performed by Alana Casas, Audrie Gonzales-Ellsworth, Madeleine Joseph, Gredel Holladay. Captured by Audrey Durell.
2024 Choreographer Finalists
The following lists represent last year’s Finalists, selected from the largest number of submissions in the festival’s history. These choreographers presented their work as part of the NCDP New Voices Concert in Santa Fe, NM.
Although we are changing the submission process and requirements in 2025 to include our new Choreographic Fellowship program, since the start of NCDP in 2016 the program has invited over 100 high school, undergraduate, and emerging professional choreographer Finalists selected from hundreds of submissions from all across North America!
New Voices Concert
Saturday, August 3, 2024 | 2PM at NDI New Mexico
2024 Emerging Professional Finalists
Seda Aybay (She/Her)
Inglewood, CA
UCLA, Ailey Program
2024 Emerging Professional Division Critics Choice Award Winner!
Grace Gallagher (She/Her)
Fort Collins, CO
Arizona State University, MFA and BFA
Amanda Lewis (She/Her)
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee Ballet
2024 Emerging Professional Division Peoples’ Choice Award Winner!
Fernando Ramos Cintrón (He/Him)
Santa Fe, NM
Middle Tennessee State University
2024 Undergraduate Finalists
Hailey Fleming (She/Her)
Boston, MA and Purchase, NY
Boston Conservatory, BFA and SUNY Purchase, BFA
Keira Fleming (They/Them)
Boston, MA and Purchase, NY
Boston Conservatory, BFA and SUNY Purchase, BFA
Maile Johnson (She/Her)
Lehi, UT
Brigham Young University, BFA
Sadie Grace Shelburne (She/Her)
Raleigh, NC
University of Southern California, BFA
2024 Undergraduate Division Critics Choice Award Winner!
Courtney Spero (She/Her)
Brookfield, CT
Vassar College
2024 Undergraduate Division Peoples’ Choice Award Winner!
Aubrie Stoehr (She/Her)
Temecula, CA
Chapman University, BFA
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
HIGH SCHOOL FINALISTS
Amelle Amirouche (She/Her)
Los Angeles, CA/Glendale, CA
Los Angeles County High School for the Arts
2024 High School Division Peoples’ Choice Award Winner!
Carrington Mason (She/Her)
Los Angeles, CA/Glendale, CA
Los Angeles County High School for the Arts
2024 High School Division Peoples’ Choice Award Winner!
Natalina Chen (She/Her)
San Marino, CA/Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles County High School for the Arts
Sadie Ferguson (She/Her)
San Marino, CA/Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles County High School for the Arts
Abigail Pearson (She/Her)
San Diego, CA
Coronado School of the Arts
Helena Merlino (She/Her)
Santa Fe, NM
New Mexico School of the Arts and Aspen Santa Fe Ballet
2024 High School Division Critics Choice Award Winner!
Chloe Smith (She/Her)
Kathleen, GA
Studio Powers
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 & THE NCDP CHOREOGRAPHY AWARDS CEREMONY
Friday, August 2 and Saturday, August 3, 2024 | 7PM at NDI New Mexico
Did you miss the 2024 Zeitgeist World Premiere Concert? Watch the entire show HERE.
Presenting Choreographers:
Zak Ryan Schegel
Prado, NM / Los Angeles, CA
Independent Choreographer / Artist, Shei Wei Dance Arts
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
Friday, August 2 and Saturday, August 3 | 7PM at NDI New Mexico
Presenting Choreographers:
Zak Ryan Schlegel
Prado, NM
Independent Choreographer / Artist, Shen Wei Dance Arts
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
THE NCDP FESTIVAL ENSEMBLE
The NCDP Festival Ensemble is for preprofessional dancers ages 16-22. The Ensemble is a selective group of advanced dancers who are interested in pursuing careers in dance performance and to dive into exploring the craft of choreography.
Up to thirty-six dancers from across North America will work with one of three Choreographer Fellows. Fellows will create an 8-12 minute work over the course of one week. At the end of the week, all three works will premiere on the stage for New Mexico audiences.
In addition, all Ensemble dancers will take daily company class, and jump into choreography and performance workshops before their rehearsals begin each afternoon. Zeitgeist Dance Theatre Trainees, in Santa Fe during the same period of time for their three-week residency and Company Experience, will join the Ensemble each day for the classes and workshops.
Send in your required materials by March 15 to be considered.
Please message us in the chatbox below or contact us if you have any questions about New Century Dance Project.