Who We Are
The Exchange Choreography Festival's mission to facilitate collaboration of ideas and people in the choreographic process. It is our belief that people furthering dance for dances’ sake is not enough. Dance should further people and relationships between people, therefore fueling the generative nature of ideas.

Our History
EXCHANGE premiered in 2009 as an adjudication series of curated concerts. The weekend included adjudicated feedback, workshops on choreography and performance, as well as opportunities to dance jam with other new artists.

​In 2011 & 2012, the festival refined its vision moving from an adjudicated style to a round-table style of engaging artists in dialogue about what processes went into the creation of work presented as well as ideas about movement and embodiment. Still offering various workshops on choreography, performance and technique vocabularies, EXCHANGE moved toward creating an atmosphere of exploration about process and methods as well as toward an energy of speaking with fellow artists about ideas and what exactly sparked the development of the dance works artists are currently interested in making. 

We continue to refine this process, designing each year's festival as a unique experience of work, discussion and presentation. 

In 2016 & 2017, the festival recreated the festival model entirely to host a choreographic educator.  Richly experienced in the field, Featured Artists come to the festival for a concentrated time of dialogue about dance-making, engagement, and seeing connections with festival participants. 

​2018 & 2019 brought a new conference-style festival model where presenting artists could show their work in 1 of 3 informal showings at a state-of-the-art venue. While the stage is distilled to one, simple lighting look, the performances still have a professional feel where artists can present their work to an intimate audience followed by a simple Q&A. The festival also features round table discussions and networking events. Because the festival runs tandem with Summer Heat International Dance Festival, we are able to host a master class and/or lecture from well-known, international artists and take advantage of tickets to their festival performances throughout the weekend. 

2020 has shaken us with a world-wide COVID-19 pandemic, but we are fortunate in this country to have a myriad of technology at our fingertips already integrated into most of our lives. So, we will be moving the festival online for the first time in our history. While we hope and, arguably, need to meet face to face in the field of dance, there may be some elements that feel very affirming and find their way into future festivals. We're ready move and shift and pivot our way there.