Backhausdance, formed in 2003 by Jennifer Backhaus, is a powerful and entertaining voice in the dance world. The company’s repertory offers an eclectic and dynamic vocabulary with a wonderful sense of fluidity and strength. Featuring a diverse body of work that is innovative and visually appealing, Orange County’s critically acclaimed contemporary dance company is the recipient of numerous awards for achievements in choreography, design and performance, helping propel them to the forefront of Southern California contemporary dance. The repertory includes powerful, athletic dances; emotionally charged dramatic pieces; and whimsical, humorous glimpses at the human experience.

BODYTRAFFIC is a world-class contemporary dance company, known internationally for its Los Angeles-grown, contagious vivacity. Founded in 2007 by Lillian Rose Barbeito and Tina Finkelman Berkett, BODYTRAFFIC continues to push boundaries and establish Los Angeles as a city known for dance. The company is deeply committed to producing acclaimed works by distinctive choreographic voices, all while surging to the forefront of the contemporary dance world.

Caleb Teicher & Company (CT&Co), founded in 2015, seeks to expand the capacity of musically-driven dance through innovative choreography, performance, and contextualization. The company’s work represents a unique style of theatricality, humor, emotional expression, and aesthetic exploration.

The Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater celebrates Spain in America through performance, arts education, and community programs that bring the dance, music, and song of Spain to U.S. audiences. For over 45 years, the organization has shared the rich history and contemporary importance of culturally specific art, and maintains this commitment for artists, students, and art lovers the world over.

Hālau o Kekuhi is the 'hālau hula' (classical dance company) and the center of cultural knowledge for Edith Kanaka‘ole Foundation, which represents the lineage of one of the founders of the 1970s Hawaiian Renaissance that brought Hawaiian culture back into the active life of the Islands.. The cultural beliefs and practices in which the Foundation is anchored radiates from the traditional practices of the hālau that can account for eight generations of kumu hula. Hālau o Kekuhi is celebrated for its mastery of the ʻaihaʻa style of hula (dance) and 'oli' (chant). The ʻaihaʻa is a low-postured, vigorous, bombastic style of hula that springs from the eruptive volcano personae Pele and Hiʻiaka, characteristic of Hawai‘i Islandʻs creative forces.

Jessica Lang is an American choreographer originally from Bucks County, PA. As one of the most celebrated choreographers of her generation, Lang choreographs and teaches throughout the world.

The Philadelphia Dance Company (PHILADANCO!) is a nonprofit organization that presents the highest quality of professional dance performance and cultivates the skills of emerging and professional dancers and choreographers in a nurturing environment, while increasing the appreciation of dance among its many communities. Across the nation and around the world, PHILADANCO! is celebrated for its innovation, creativity and preservation of predominantly African-American traditions in dance.

Founded in 1990 as a way to celebrate the pioneering work of Founding Artistic Director Mark Howard, this innovative company is constantly searching for original means of expression while maintaining a high regard for tradition. Howard’s uniquely Irish-American company was the birthplace of progressive Irish dance which opened new avenues of artistic expression that led directly to commercial productions such as “Riverdance”.