AUGUST 2-7, 2022
SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO
NEW CENTURY DANCE PROJECT
NEW MEXICO'S FESTIVAL OF Performance & Choreography
''Collage” performed by The Dance Studio of Fresno, choreographed by Francisco Gella, captured by Dave Brewer.
THE CALL FOR CHOREOGRAPHY
DEADLINE IS MAY 23, 2022
You missed out!
Open to Professional and Emerging Choreographers,
Undergraduate Students, and High School Students.
The Mission of New Century Dance Project
Nurturing Performance Artists And Choreographers Who Are Fearless And Unapologetically Authentic
Credit: Leila Williams dancing her own award-winning choreography at the 2019 New Century Dance Project.
Leila won first place in the high school student division. She is now studying for her BFA at New York University’s Tisch School.

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
New Century Dance Project taught me the importance of sharing my integrity as a mover and emerging choreographer. Working on my craft and holding on to my ideas is much more valuable than presenting works based on what is trending or cool.
Bianca Calderon
2019 NCDP Award Winning Student Choreographer
Point Park University, Class of 2023
THE 2022 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

Penny Saunders
Choreographer

Pablo Piantino
Assistant Professor
FESTIVAL CHOREOGRAPHY COMPETITION
NCDP offers outstanding opportunities for Professional, Emerging, Undergraduate, and High School Choreographers to showcase their work on a professional stage at the festival.





About the Choreography Competition
Three culminating concerts of the festival weekend bring together a diverse group of professional, emerging, and student choreographers from across North America who have been selected from a talented pool who submitted their work for consideration. These artists represent some of the best of our collective dance future. The work of all choreographers is adjudicated and winning work awarded cash prizes. As a primary objective of New Century Dance Project is to nurture artistic talent, all choreographers receive critique from an expert panel of experienced dance makers.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE:
MAY 23, 2022
FESTIVAL CONCERT DATES:
August 4, 5, and 6, 2022
FESTIVAL CONCERT DATES:
- $2,500 to 1st Place Awardee in the Professional/Emerging Category
- $1,500 to 1st Place Awardee in the Undergraduate College Student Category
- $1,000 to 1st Place Awardee in the High School Student Category
All choreographers whose work is selected to be presented at the festival will receive a video of their performance.

Credit: 'Navigating' choreographed by Matt Luck, performed by Utah Dance Artists, captured by Dave Brewer.
Due to the COVID pandemic, NCDP has not held the choreography competition and live performances since August 2019. Below is a list of the last group of choreographers selected to perform their work at the festival. After this summer's choreographers have been selected in May for the festival, we will share their information here.
2019 PROFESSIONAL & EMERGING CHOREOGRAPHERS
Rebecca Aneloski
SALT LAKE CITY, UT
And Artists: A Salt Lake
City Based Dance Project
Alexandra Bender
CHINO, CA
Independent
Jenn Freeman
NEW YORK CITY, NY
Utah Dance Artists
(Draper, UT)
Francisco Gella
SANTA FE, NM
The Pointe Academy
(Highland, UT)
Haley Johnson
DRAPER, UT
Independent/Salt Contemporary Dance Company Member
Kelli Leighton
FOLSOM, CA
Leighton Dance Project
Matt Luck
LOS ANGELES, CA
Utah Dance Artists
(Draper, UT)
Hannah Millar
FRESNO, CA
Independent
Daniel Ojeda
BOISE, ID
Independent/Ballet Idaho Company Member
Sam Picart
SEATTLE, WA
Independent/Ashani Dances Company Member
Eileen Ramirez
ESCAZU, SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA
Danz Performing Arts Center and Danz Project Company
Jessica Zamarripa
LAREDO, TX
Laredo School of Contemporary Dance
Due to the COVID pandemic, NCDP has not held the choreography competition and live performances since August 2019. Below is a list of the last group of choreographers selected to perform their work at the festival. After this summer's choreographers have been selected in May for the festival, we will share their information here.
2019 PROFESSIONAL & EMERGING CHOREOGRAPHERS
Rebecca Aneloski
SALT LAKE CITY, UT
And Artists: A Salt Lake
City Based Dance Project
Alexandra Bender
CHINO, CA
Independent
Jenn Freeman
NEW YORK CITY, NY
Utah Dance Artists
(Draper, UT)
Francisco Gella
SANTA FE, NM
The Pointe Academy
(Highland, UT)
Haley Johnson
DRAPER, UT
Independent/Salt Contemporary Dance Company Member
Kelli Leighton
FOLSOM, CA
Leighton Dance Project
Matt Luck
LOS ANGELES, CA
Utah Dance Artists
(Draper, UT)
Jessica Zamarripa
LAREDO, TX
Laredo School of Contemporary Dance
Hannah Millar
FRESNO, CA
Independent
Daniel Ojeda
BOISE, ID
Independent/Ballet Idaho Company Member
Sam Picart
SEATTLE, WA
Independent/Ashani Dances Company Member
Eileen Ramirez
ESCAZU, SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA
Danz Performing Arts Center and Danz Project Company
2019 Student Choreographers
Aimee Brotten
TULALIP, WA
Northwest Dance and Acro
Bianca Calderon
ESCAZU, SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA
Danceworks Costa Rica and Point Park University
Grace Coleman
CENTENNIAL, CO
Denver School of the Arts and Mpact Dance Academy
Quaba Ernest
BROOKLYN, NY
Purchase College, State University of New York
Brian Golden
ORANGE, CA
Chapman University
Rosie Granito
AURORA, CO
Denver School of the Arts and Mpact Dance Academy
Eliana Hayward
KNOXVILLE, TN
Knox Dance Worx
Arianna Shahin
AMBLER, PA
Elon University
Ezra Sosa
PROVO, UT
Center Stage Performing Arts
Emma Wall
ORANGE, CA
Chapman University
Rebecca Webb
SALT LAKE CITY, UT
University of Utah
Leila Williams
LOS ANGELES, CA
The Windward School
Louis Williams
AUSTIN, TX
The Dance Institute and The Griffin School
2019 Student Choreographers
Aimee Brotten
TULALIP, WA
Northwest Dance and Acro
Bianca Calderon
ESCAZU, SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA
Danceworks Costa Rica and Point Park University
Grace Coleman
CENTENNIAL, CO
Denver School of the Arts and Mpact Dance Academy
Quaba Ernest
BROOKLYN, NY
Purchase College, State University of New York
Brian Golden
ORANGE, CA
Chapman University
Rosie Granito
AURORA, CO
Denver School of the Arts and Mpact Dance Academy
Eliana Hayward
KNOXVILLE, TN
Knox Dance Worx
Arianna Shahin
AMBLER, PA
Elon University
Ezra Sosa
PROVO, UT
Center Stage Performing Arts
Emma Wall
ORANGE, CA
Chapman University
Rebecca Webb
SALT LAKE CITY, UT
University of Utah
Leila Williams
LOS ANGELES, CA
The Windward School
Louis Williams
AUSTIN, TX
The Dance Institute and The Griffin School
A Reputation for Educational Excellence
NCDP INTENSIVE REGISTRATION

The Festival Intensive is for preprofessional dancers ages 13-24 and features master classes, workshops, choreography, and concerts for the six-day event. You can either start by learning about the schedule, workshops, and more or, if you are ready to register for NCDP 2022, you can go ahead and enroll today. Registration for the Intensive means that you will receive access to all of the festival concerts too!
Please message us in the chatbox below or contact us if you have any questions about New Century Dance Project.