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Small Plates Choreography Festival

@smallplatesdance

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Applications are open
Small Plates NYC
November 13&14 2026
Judson Memorial Church

Deadline: August 1
Notification: September 1

smallplatesdance.com/nyc

#choreography #choreographyfestival #choreographicopportunity #emergingartists

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4 months ago

POV you’re watching backstage in the tech rehearsal for “Chasing Smoke” at @smallplatesdance Choreography Festival

Dancers @eunwon91 @romanaldrete @nicholas.cowden
Courtesy of the Washington Ballet
Costumes @elevedancewear
#deannastanton #deannastantonchoreography #ballet #dance #fyp

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4 months ago

Grateful for the opportunity to work with this incredible cast in the staging of “Chasing Smoke” for @smallplatesdance Choreography Festival

Dancers @nicholas.cowden @romanaldrete @catherinemdoherty @eunwon91 courtesy of @thewashingtonballet
Footage from the tech rehearsal
Costumes @elevedancewear
#deannastanton #deannastantonchoreography #ballet #dance #fyp

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4 months ago

Small Plates NOVA
What an inspiring weekend!!
#dance #smallplateschoreographyfestival #choreography #performance #festival

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4 months ago

Today's the day! @smallplatesdance Choreography Festival opens tonight in Falls Church, VA! Merde to my beautiful cast 🖤

Dancers @catherinemdoherty and @romanaldrete courtesy of @thewashingtonballet
#deannastanton #deannastantonchoreography #ballet #dance #fyp

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4 months ago

I first created “Chasing Smoke” in Austin, TX on this amazing cast, and once it was accepted by @smallplatesdance I restaged it in DC for the festival! Restaging a work is such a fun process, and I was so blessed to have two inspiring groups to work with both times! Thank you dancers for bringing new beauty to my movement ❤️‍🔥

Dancers @_megkataoka @colincc152 @colinheino courtesy of @balletaustin and @eunwon91 @nicholas.cowden @romanaldrete courtesy of @thewashingtonballet
#deannastanton #deannastantonchoreography #ballet #dance #fyp

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4 months ago

Our duet “We hold us” was selected to be performed at RADFest in Michigan, Small Plates Choreography Festival in Virginia, and OhioDance Festival in Columbus, OH!

If you’re interested in learning more and/or supporting the cost of travel and housing as we take on these incredible performance opportunities, you can click the link in my bio, the link below, and/or message me🫶🏼✨

https://gofund.me/c13b8c27a

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5 months ago

In this heartfelt episode of the Dance Maker podcast, host Beth McKee Elliott speaks with Jeanna Vance, executive director of Open Sky Arts Collective, about her choreographic work A Distant Welcome. Jeanna shares her journey from classical ballet to community-centered dance, and how faith, vulnerability, and dreams shape her creative process. They discuss the emotional and spiritual depth behind her piece, the power of collaborative rehearsal, and the importance of authenticity in both dance and life. This episode is a rich exploration of how choreography becomes a vessel for connection, longing, and transformation.

Please visit our website, ⁠www.smallplatesdance.com⁠ for open applications, links to purchase tickets and to donate.

Join our email list at https://tinyurl.com/spcfjoin to receive notices about new podcast episodes, application deadline reminders, and announcements about new shows and events.

Photo: Beth McKee Elliott @embodiedthreads

Music: Foundations, Shimmer, Matthew Wigton, A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTION

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7 months ago

In this episode of the Dance Maker podcast, host Beth McKee Elliott speaks with 17-year-old choreographer Alexandra Bark about her journey into dance-making through the Barefoot Dance Center in the Hudson Valley.

Alex shares how she gained confidence over time and developed her voice as an artist, culminating in her piece Peapod, a duet exploring the emotional complexities of mother-daughter relationships during her mother’s health challenges. They reflect on the value of youth choreography, the power of dance as a vulnerable, expressive medium, and the importance of expanding opportunities for young choreographers.

The episode highlights Alex’s thoughtful, mature artistic process and her aspirations to continue creating and dancing in college and beyond.

Alex also shared her thoughts about being part of Small Plates Choreography Festival on our blog. You can read inspiring testimonial HERE.

Alex will be performing and presenting work at the Barefoot Dance Center’s 22nd Annual Student Dance Concert on Saturday, May 31st, 2025 at The Quimby Theater on SUNY Ulster’s campus. The concert showcases original works by Barefoot Dance Center students and professional choreographers in a community-centered, celebratory environment. The concert is open to the public and tickets are available HERE.

Please visit our website, ⁠www.smallplatesdance.com⁠ for open applications, links to purchase tickets and to donate.

Join our email list at https://tinyurl.com/spcfjoin to receive notices about new podcast episodes, application deadline reminders, and announcements about new shows and events.

Photo: Brian Wolfe www.instagram.com/brianarmoured212

Music: Foundations, Shimmer, Matthew Wigton, A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTION

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8 months ago

The Dance Maker Podcast | EP 23 - Body, Birth, and Becoming: Judy Kurjan-Frank on Dance as Healing

In this moving episode of the Dance Maker podcast, host Michele Painter speaks with choreographer and movement educator Judy Kurjan-Frank about her deeply personal solo work, Birth Plan / Dear Child, performed at the 2024 Small Plates Choreography Festival. Judy shares how becoming a mother of three—especially the birth of her third child—inspired the movement, themes, and emotional layers of her choreography. Through collaborative creation, recorded poetry, and embodied memory, she explores how dance can serve as both expression and healing during transformative life experiences. The conversation touches on unlearning ballet habits, reconnecting with selfhood in postpartum life, and the universality of love conveyed through movement.
You can find out more about Judy on IG @judeschmoods.

The recorded poetry was written by Claire Taylor.

Visit www.smallplatesdance.com⁠ for open applications, links to purchase tickets and to donate.
Join our email list at https://tinyurl.com/spcfjoin to receive notices about new podcast episodes, application deadline reminders, and announcements about new shows and events.

Photos: Matt Kelley (Judy Kurjan-Frank) and Brian Wolfe www.instagram.com/brianarmoured212

Music: Foundations, Shimmer, Matthew Wigton, A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTION

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8 months ago

In this episode of the Dance Maker podcast, host Michelle Painter interviews Audrey Baran, a Filipino American choreographer and founder of Baran Dance, a Charlotte-based contemporary dance company.

Join our email list at https://tinyurl.com/spcfjoin to receive notices about new podcast episodes, application deadline reminders, and announcements about new shows and events.

Photo: Brian Wolfe www.instagram.com/brianarmoured212

Music: Foundations, Shimmer, Matthew Wigton, A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTION

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8 months ago

The Dance Maker Podcast | Ep 22

Creating Through Impasse: Meredith Barnes on Dance, Friendship, and Healing
In this episode of the Dance Maker podcast, host Beth McKee Elliott speaks with choreographer Meredith Barnes about her journey as a dance artist, educator, and founder of DanceArtTheater.

Learn more about Meredith and DanceArtTheater at www.dancearttheater.com

Photo: Brian Wolfe www.instagram.com/brianarmoured212
Music: Foundations, Shimmer, Matthew Wigton, A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTION

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9 months ago