The National Center for Choreography - Akron

The National Center for Choreography - Akron NCCAkron – Research and Development for Dance. Founded in 2015. Research and Development for Dance. The National Center for Choreography - Akron.

NCCAkron has the ability to bring groups of people together who might not otherwise be coming together.” – Lionel Popkin...
08/18/2026

NCCAkron has the ability to bring groups of people together who might not otherwise be coming together.” – Lionel Popkin

NCCAkron's relationship with Lionel Popkin (Los Angeles, CA) has spanned individual artistic research to field-wide inquiry and organizing.

We first hosted Lionel for a 2018 Research Residency as part of his work on “The Oedipus/Antigone Project.” He also came through as part of Gerald Casel’s 2019 Creative Residency for “Not About Race Dance.”

During that time, questions about his own artistic trajectory and the field at large led to NCCAkron co-hosting a Dancing Lab: South Asian Experimental Dance Artists (SAEDA), led by Lionel. NCCAkron Dancing Labs offer space for rigorous play and positive failure—an exchange of working knowledge among artists who might not otherwise have the time or proximity to work together.

Independent South Asian American dance artists from across the U.S. gathered in a virtual space to discuss shared and divergent artistic practices, expanding representations of South Asian bodies. Lionel, Hari Krishnan (Middletown, CT / Toronto, ON), Meena Murugesan (Los Angeles, CA), Parijat Desai (New York, NY), Pramila Vasudevan (St. Paul, MN | ), and Sujata Goel (Harrisburg, PA) met over the course of a year to build a support network and explore how performance can frame individual expression and cultural transmission.

Throughout the Dancing Lab, the cohort examined the assumptions, expectations, and limitations of experimenting with contemporary movement while also being measured against the classical aesthetics of traditional Indian performance. A culminating conversation is available on NCCAkron's YouTube channel.

In 2026, Lionel became the first Artist Alumnus to join the NCCAkron Board of Directors, where he will continue to ask deep questions about the field of dance.

💫 As part of our Anniversary, we're sharing stories of artist residencies, collaborations, and research from the past decade—just a glimpse of the 800+ artists from 100 U.S. cities who have shaped our first 10 years.

08/12/2026

Join us for Studio to Screen with Miami-based choreographer Pioneer Winter this Thursday night. This special event features screenings of his works Gimp Gait: A Solo for Two and Birds of Paradise. Following the screenings, NCCAkron Executive/Artistic Director Christy Bolingbroke will join Winter for a curated conversation exploring his work and craft on and off the screen. After the conversation, the films will continue looping for audiences throughout the evening as part of Summit Art Space: Art After Hours.

Studio to Screen with Pioneer Winter
Thursday, August 13, 2026
6:00-7:00pm
Summit Art Space: Art After Hours
140 E Market St. (3rd floor)
Akron, OH 44308

FREE! Please RSVP https://www.eventbrite.com/e/studio-to-screen-with-pioneer-winter-tickets-1993831121557

Announcing the arrival of Season 7 of the podcast Inside the Dancer’s Studio! To listen to new episodes visit nccakron.o...
08/11/2026

Announcing the arrival of Season 7 of the podcast Inside the Dancer’s Studio! To listen to new episodes visit nccakron.org/podcasts or click the link in our bio.

Inside The Dancer's Studio explores conversations with choreographers from across the country, sharing their creative process in their own words. Now in its seventh season, the podcast is recorded as an ongoing documentation practice with NCCAkron visiting artists, celebrating a decade of rigorous play, positive failure, and dance research & development.

Artists featured in Season 7 include Charles O. Anderson (Columbus, OH | ), Ananya Dance Theatre (St. Paul, MN | ), Ryan K. Johnson (Columbus, OH | ), Jean Appolon (Boston, MA | ), Sean Dorsey (San Francisco, CA | ), Netta Yerushalmy (New York City, NY | ), Soles of Duende (New York City, NY | ), Michael J. Love (Philadelphia, PA | ), Yayoi Kambara (San Francisco, CA | ), Angelina Ramirez (Tucson, AZ | ) and Carlos Menchaca (Albuquerque, NM), and Ragamala Dance Company (Minneapolis, MN | ).

To explore all podcasts, access transcripts, and subscribe, visit nccakron.org/podcasts or click the link in our bio. New episode dropping soon 👇

Produced by Lisa Niedermeyer () of Handmade Future Studio, with audio engineering by Rahsaan Cruz, theme music by Floco Torres (), cover art by Micah Kraus (), and transcription by Arushi Singh ().

Join us tonight for Making Moves: DMV at Red Emma's Bookstore in Baltimore. This free event brings together arts leaders...
08/06/2026

Join us tonight for Making Moves: DMV at Red Emma's Bookstore in Baltimore. This free event brings together arts leaders to discuss the often invisible labor and creative processes behind arts administration. This FREE public conversation will include local dance case studies with national relevance that explore themes of labor organizing, adaptive thinking, and the power of community.

Speakers will include Ryan Johnson and Quynn Johnson of Sole Defined (Washington, D.C. | ), C. Brian Williams of Step Afrika! (Washington, D.C. | ), Mallory Miller (Washington, D.C. | ) Tariq Darrell O'Meally of Blacklight (Largo, Maryland | ) and slowdanger (MD/PA | ) with contributing author and moderator Christy Bolingbroke (Akron, OH | ).

Making Moves: DMV
Thursday, August 6, 2026
7:00pm – 8:00pm
Red Emma's Bookstore
3128 Greenmount Ave
Baltimore, MD, 21218

FREE! Register with link in bio

How do we identify the recipient of the Knight Choreography Prize?The Knight Choreography Prize recognizes a living U.S....
08/04/2026

How do we identify the recipient of the Knight Choreography Prize?

The Knight Choreography Prize recognizes a living U.S. choreographer or artist collaborative whose body of work is distinguished not only for their artistry but also for their originality of thought and impact. Establishing this annual NCCAkron award for choreographers in perpetuity was made possible by a $1.5M award from the Knight Foundation (2022).

For each award cycle, dance artists, stakeholders, and NCCAkron alumni from across the U.S. are invited to nominate choreographers. An NCCAkron committee selects five artists from the nomination pool – based on curatorial values – and invites them to submit application materials.

A separate, final selection committee reviews the materials to determine that year’s recipient. The honoree receives an unrestricted cash award of $30,000, plus $20,000 in programmatic support, to be co-designed with NCCAkron.

Shamel Pitts (Brooklyn, NY | ) was introduced to NCCAkron through the nomination process. Named the 2024 recipient, he chose to co-design programmatic support to participate in a Creative Administration Research Investigative Retreat including his TRIBE artistic and admin team, identifying Indira Goodwine-Josias (Boston, MA) as CAR Thought Partner.

While in Akron, Shamel offered a community dance class. During the class, he reflected on his creative process and explored how elements could be integrated into the studio workshop experience.

Additionally, NCCAkron supported a technical residency for Shamel and his collective to develop their latest Afrofuturistic performance work, Marks of RED, at MASS MoCA (North Adams, MA | ).

What began with an anonymous nomination grew into a deep, multifaceted and longitudinal relationship.
💫 As part of our Anniversary, we’re sharing stories of artist residencies, collaborations, and research from the past decade—just a glimpse of the 800+ artists from 100 U.S. cities who have shaped our first 10 years.

In a time and body-based field where change is the only true constant, how do we learn from artists about adaptation and...
07/21/2026

In a time and body-based field where change is the only true constant, how do we learn from artists about adaptation and organizational evolution?

In 2019, the Bridge Project, a program part of Hope Mohr Dance (now Bridge Live Arts | ), was nearing its 10 year mark. NCCAkron created a research residency for multidisciplinary choreographer, activist, and attorney Hope Mohr (San Francisco, CA | ) to consider how she might want to write about this milestone. During that residency, Hope met with Jon Miller, Director of the University of Akron Press () —this is how the book “Shifting Cultural Power: Case Studies and Questions in Performance” was born.

Published in 2021, “Shifting Cultural Power” was the first in the NCCAkron Series in Dance, written by Hope with a foreword and developmental editing by Michèle Steinwald (). The second book in the series, “Artists on Creative Administration: A Workbook from the National Center for Choreography”, also included a chapter co-authored by Hope, Cherie Hill (), and Karla Quintero () on the continued evolution of Bridge Live Arts and their transition to distributed leadership.

In 2023, NCCAkron hosted the then-current Bridge Life Arts leadership (Hope, Cherie, and Rebecca Fitton (.fitton) for a creative residency to explore how distributed leadership practices might inform artistic authorship. Since then, Hope has successfully transitioned out of BLA leadership.
More recently, Hope has served as a transformational Thought Partner for slowdanger (Pittsburgh, PA/College Park, MD | ) through the Creative Administration Research program. She has also led sessions and served as a guest speaker for our CAR National Summit Convenings.

💫 As part of our Anniversary, we’re sharing stories of artist residencies, collaborations, and research from the past decade—just a glimpse of the 800+ artists from 100 U.S. cities who have shaped our first 10 years.

NCCAkron's 10th Anniversary celebration continues with more public events. 🎬NCCAkron invites the community to explore th...
07/18/2026

NCCAkron's 10th Anniversary celebration continues with more public events. 🎬

NCCAkron invites the community to explore the intersection of dance and film, with a focus on how the screen shapes creative process, access, and the economics of producing dance. Join us for Studio to Screen with choreographer Pioneer Winter (Miami, FL | ). This special event features screenings of “Gimp Gait: A Solo for Two” and “Birds of Paradise”. In between the screenings, NCCAkron Executive/Artistic Director Christy Bolingbroke (Akron, OH | ) will engage Pioneer in a conversation exploring his craft on and off the screen with regard to movement, representation, and access.

Studio to Screen with Pioneer Winter
Thursday, August 13, 2026
6:00–7:00pm
Summit Art Space: Art After Hours
140 E Market St. (3rd floor)
Akron, OH 44308

FREE

RSVP> https://www.eventbrite.com/e/studio-to-screen-with-pioneer-winter-tickets-1993831121557

07/16/2026

Join us in Baltimore for Making Moves: DMV on Thursday, August 6 at 7:00pm at Red Emma's Bookstore. This free event brings together arts leaders from across the D.C., Maryland, and greater Virginia area to discuss the often invisible labor and creative processes behind arts administration. Through storytelling and lived experiences we will explore sustaining creative work through adaptive thinking.

Speakers will include Ryan Johnson and Quynn Johnson of Sole Defined (Washington, D.C. | ), C. Brian Williams of Step Afrika! (Washington, D.C. | ), Mallory Miller (Washington, D.C. | ) Tariq Darrell O'Meally of Blacklight (Largo, Maryland | ) and slowdanger (MD/PA | ) with contributing author and moderator Christy Bolingbroke (Akron, OH | ).

Making Moves: DMV
Thursday, August 6, 2026
7:00pm – 8:00pm
Red Emma's Bookstore
3128 Greenmount Ave
Baltimore, MD, 21218

FREE! RSVP> https://www.eventbrite.com/e/making-moves-dmv-tickets-1992768524300

What becomes possible when Black male choreographers are working in community, not isolation?BLKmenMOVES was a 2020–2021...
07/08/2026

What becomes possible when Black male choreographers are working in community, not isolation?

BLKmenMOVES was a 2020–2021 Dancing Lab centering creative development and networking among Black male choreographers across the U.S.

The initial idea emerged in 2019 through conversations between NCCAkron Executive/Artistic Director Christy Bolingbroke and the late choreographer, director, and professor Marcus White. While serving as NEFA panel advisors, they connected around the need for spaces dedicated to these choreographers, particularly those who are often the one — or the few — in their home communities.

That seed of conversation blossomed into this much-needed Dancing Lab.
Residency participants included dancemakers Jean Appolon (Boston, MA | ), Kevin Lee-Y Green (Wilmington, NC | ), and Dominic Moore-Dunson (Akron, OH | ).

Tragically, Marcus passed away suddenly in May 2020, just one week after first meeting with all three artists. Charles O. Anderson (Columbus, OH), a fellow choreographer and academic, graciously stepped in to facilitate and mentor the cohort.

Over the following year, the cohort was managed by NCCAkron’s first graduate assistant and current board member DeMarcus Akeem Suggs (Memphis, TN | ) and convened virtually to build a network of collegial support and offer critical feedback on one another’s choreographic work. Their connections with each other, and with NCCAkron, continue today.

BLKmenMOVES is just one of the many ways connections, community, longevity, and legacy carry the dance field forward.

💫 As part of our Anniversary, we’re sharing stories of artist residencies, collaborations, and research from the past ten years — just a glimpse at 800+ artists from 100 U.S. cities.

What is an NCCAkron Dancing Lab?“I accepted my role at NCCAkron in June 2016 but would not be officially starting until ...
06/23/2026

What is an NCCAkron Dancing Lab?

“I accepted my role at NCCAkron in June 2016 but would not be officially starting until September. In the meantime, an NEA grant application was due. I wanted to create something new. That’s when I reached out to BODYTRAFFIC and pitched my idea for a Dancing Lab.” ~ Executive/Artistic Director Christy Bolingbroke.

Co-founded by Tina Finkelman Berkett & Lillian Barbeito, BODYTRAFFIC is based in Los Angeles, CA. Christy worked with them during her time at ODC Theater in San Francisco. At ODC, Christy attests, “They were one of the hardest working companies I had seen. They completed a new commission with Kyle Abraham, taught two additional rep pieces to dancers, and gave 4 sold-out performances.”

Christy asked Tina & Lillian if they would be interested in developing something new at NCCAkron. Together, they decided to focus on female choreographers.

Enter Dancing Labs – a space for rigorous play and positive failure.

In 2017, we co-designed a national nomination process for stakeholders in the dance field. With 45 female choreographers nominated, all were invited to apply, and a panel selected finalists: Kimberly Bartosik (Brooklyn, NY); Helen Simoneau (Winston-Salem, NC); and Kate Wallich (Los Angeles, CA). They came to Akron for a week of experimentation, collaboration, and professional development with BODYTRAFFIC.

While on the ground BODYTRAFFIC also taught NCCAkron’s first class for UA students.

Christy notes, “This very first Dancing Lab also embodies the fact that challenges in our field are longstanding. Did we solve the lack of visibility for female choreographers? Absolutely not. But we created space for connection, exploration, and seeded future possibilities.”

The company recently announced that after two decades, they will cease operations this summer. We celebrate BODYTRAFFIC’s 20 years of impact on our field.
💫 As part of our Anniversary, we’re sharing stories of artist residencies, collaborations, and research from the past decade — just a glimpse at 800+ artists from 100 U.S. cities.

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Guzzetta Hall, 228 E Buchtel Avenue #398F
Akron, OH
44325

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