Welcome to the 21st anniversary of the National Choreographers Initiative! We are excited to be here sharing the joy and creative process of dance with you. Thank you for joining us and supporting the artists and their collaborations.
Over these 21 years, NCI has hosted 84 choreographers (37women), 185 dancers from 60 different companies, and showcased new works – 36 of which have been produced by companies throughout the United States. We have raised $2.6m in support of the creative process.
When I first began the initiative, I wanted to create a laboratory that would foster the development of new works without the strict deadlines and expectations of a premiere.
This project is made possible through the vision and commitment of the NCI Advisory Committee. The partnership with Irvine Barclay Theatre has been central to the success of NCI, as they act as our fiscal agent and present the Discovery showing. We are also grateful to UC Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts - Dance Department, which provides the studio space for our rehearsals. And thanks to the Claire Trevor School of the Arts - Props Department and South Coast Repertory.
NCI Discovery showing features new work from four innovative choreographers – Natasha Adorlee, Glenn Edgerton, Makino Hayashi and Morgan Sicklick – created during a three-week intensive process with 16 professional dancers from 13 different companies. I hope you will engage in the creative process and join our discussion at the conclusion of the showing.
I extend my sincerest thanks to all of the individual donors who contribute to this project! We could not do NCI without your continued support and involvement!
Thank you for joining us and for supporting dance!
NCI DISCOVERY '25
21st Anniversary
Molly Lynch: Artistic Director
Monique L’Heureux: Production Director/Lighting Designer
Kaity Kistler: Costume Coordinator
Brooke Lester: Assistant & Social Media
Skye Schmidt Varga: Photographer
Terry Gordon: Videographer
Choreographers
Natasha Adorlee, Glenn Edgerton, Makino Hayashi, Morgan Sicklick
Dancers
Brooke Gilliam, Amelia Grubb, Elizabeth Kanning, Alyssa Manguiat, Darcy McLoughlin, Gabrielle Mengden, Rachele Perla, Emily Speed
Nicolas Bierwagen, Julian Goodwin-Ferris, Logan Hillman, Isaac Jones, Sean Sessions, Hunter Solomon, Spencer Wetherington, Nathan Young
PROGRAM
You Never Know
Choreographer: Glenn Edgerton
Music
Max Richter: “Beginnings and Endings,” “Wershe & Son,” “I Will Not Forget You”; Vicente Avella: “Infrared”; Message To Bears: “Closed Doors”
Dancers
Brooke Gilliam, Elizabeth Kanning, Alyssa Manguiat, Darcy McLoughlin, Rachele Perla, Emily Speed, Nicolas Bierwagen, Julian Goodwin-Ferris, Isaac Jones, Sean Sessions, Hunter Solomon, Spencer Wetherington
‘past’ unfinished love letter
Choreographer: Makino Hayashi
Music
Robert Bush: “Between Worlds”
Dancers
Amelia Grubb, Logan Hillman, Gabrielle Mengden, Nathan Young
-INTERMISSION-
Armor Off
Choreographer: Morgan Sicklick
Music
human gazpacho: “Dusty Cartridge”; Sergey Cheremisinov: “Crystal Echoes,” “Lavender”; Kirk Osamayo: “Autumn Leaves,” “Polaroids,” “Melancholy Fear,” “Shooting star”
Dancers
Spencer Wetherington
Amelia Grubb, Logan Hillman, Elizabeth Kanning, Rachele Perla, Sean Sessions, Emily Speed
The Word Was Made Flesh
Choreographer: Natasha Adorlee
Music
Ben Frost: “All That You Love Will Be Eviscerated”; Rival Consoles “Unfold”; Souad Massi: “Raoui”; Ran Bagno: “Masculine”; Samuel Barber: “Agnus Dei”
Dancers
Brooke Gilliam, Alyssa Manguiat, Darcy McLoughlin, Gabrielle Mengden, Nicolas Bierwagen, Julian Goodwin-Ferris, Isaac Jones, Hunter Solomon, Nathan Young
We carry grief in our bones.
Ancestral, unspoken, alive.
It speaks in breath, in touch, in the way the body yields or resists.
Still, we move. Not to resolve, but to listen.
To trace where it lives and maybe, for a moment offer it back to the earth.
Love is made flesh. Grief is made flesh. Resistance is made flesh.
Q & A with Molly Lynch, Natasha Adorlee, Glenn Edgerton, Makino Hayashi, Morgan Sicklick
Sophie Cripe, chair
Ellen Breitman
Bobbi Cox
Diane Diefenderfer
Gale Edelberg
Joanne Keith
Diane Silber
Jenny Szabo
Lynn Weiser
National Choreographers Initiative 2025
Molly Lynch, Artistic Director
The National Choreographers Initiative would like to thank the following individuals for their support of the 2025 project:
Honorary Producer
Bobbi Cox
Michelle Rohé
Richard and Elizabeth Steele
Endowment Fund
Choreographer Sponsor
Terry Causey
Sophie and Larry Cripe
Judi Gorski
Joanne and Dennis Keith
Barbara Roberts
Diane Silber
Dancer Sponsor
James Carter
Janet and Henry Eggers
Artistic Sponsor
Alan Andrews and Molly Lynch
Betsy Andrews and Alex Moad
Ellen Breitman and Brien Amspoker
Laurie and Bart Brown
Diane Diefenderfer and David Hanlon
Gale Edelberg and Bob Butnik
Mary and Andrew Franklin
Janice Hobbs
Nancy and Ned Kriz
Kathryn Lynch and Robert McDonnell
Rachelle Menaker and Eddie Schuller
Marica Pendjer and John Miller
Andrew Rose
Sally Anne and Don Sheridan
Jenny Szabo
Paula Tomei and David Emmes
Lynn Weiser and Mike Tompkins
Patron Sponsor
Dr. Michael Bear
Stacie Brandt
Beverly and David Carmichael
Gillian Finley and Robert Labaree
Chuck Johnston
Dr. Burton Karson
Rosalyn Laudati and James Pick
Sharon McNalley
Margi and John Murray
Diana Putz
Kim Smith
Karen and Gary Thorne
Dance Shoe Sponsor
Diane and Dennis Baker
Victoria Barrett
Darci Bodin
Bronny Daniels
Ivar Roth, Concierge Podiatry & Spa
Katy and Jack Schoellerman
Joseph Sheridan
Ann and Richard Sim
Linda and Steve Weitz
Dance Partner
William Bardens
Joy Dittberner
Roberta L. Fox
Mrs. Denis Gray
Carol Hamilton
Mike Kerr and Jenny Backhaus
Maurice and Alexandra Mandel
Edward McPherson
Rita Mitchell
Mitsuhiko and Reiko Nakano
Dr. Janice Gudde Plastino
Robbie Prepas
Paula Reiter
Robert Strang
Barbara Tingley
Mary Vensel White
Update as of 7/14/25
DONATE TODAY
Please consider making a donation to support the work of the National Choreographers Initiative. We need your contributions to support the dancers and choreographers involved in the project. Be an angel to the arts-dance! Thank you!
Send your donation to: NCI 3334 E. Coast Hwy #276, Corona del Mar CA 92625
2024 Choreographers
Charles Askegard
Cherice Barton
DaYoung Jung
Donna Salgado
2023 Choreographers
Kristopher Estes-Brown
Ye Li
Ian Schwaner
Carrie Ruth Trumbo
2022 Choreographers
Emily Adams
Leiland Charles
Jennifer Hart
Gina Patterson
2021 Choreographers
Sean Aaron Carmon
Mari Meade
Katarzyna Skarpetowska
Eva Stone
2019 Choreographers
Julia Feldman
Alan Hineline
Alex Ketley
Tom Mattingly
2018 Choreographers
Kevin Jenkins
David Justine
Ilya Kozadayev
Mariana Oliveira
2017 Choreographers
Suzanne Haag
Robert Mills
Penny Saunders
Christopher Stuart
2016 Choreographers
Tom Gold
Nicole Haskins
Stepanie Martinez
Ben Needham-Wood
2015 Choreographers
Nicolas Blanc
Norberto De La Cruz
Jimmy Orrante
Sarah Tallman
2014 Choreographers
Barry Kerollis
Gabrielle Lamb
Philip Neal
Garrett Smith
2013 Choreographers
David Fernandez
Susan McCullough
Kitty McNamee
Petr Zahradnicek
2012 Choreographers
Melissa Barak
Thang Dao
Darrell Grand Moultrie
Wendy Seyb
2011 Choreographers
Brian Enos
Heather Maloy
Peter Pucci
Paula Weber
2010 Choreographers
Anne Marie DeAngelo
Helen Heineman
Peter Quanz
2009 Choreographers
Sidra Bell
Deanna Carter
Rick McCullough
Olivier Wevers
2008 Choreographers
Amy Seiwert
Edmund Stripe
Emery LeCrone
Ma Cong
2007 Choreographers
Melissa Barak
Frank Chaves
Edwaard Liang
Jerry Opdenaker
2006 Choreographers
Ron De Jesus
Graham Lustig
Charles Moulton
Gina Patterson
2005 Choreographers
Val Caniparoli
Christopher d'Amboise
William Soleau
Luca Veggetti
2004 Choreographers
Ann Marie DeAngelo
Peter Pucci
James Sewell
Lynne Taylor-Corbett
Public Partners
City of Irvine and UC Irvine
Official Health Care Partner
UCI Health
Corporate Sponsor
Haskell & White LLP
$100,000+
Paul and Bonnie Lubock
$50, 000+
Tom and Mayumi Adams
Thomas Rogers and Sally Anderson
Worah Family Foundation
$25, 000-$49, 999
Clifford and Jennifer Cheng
Gerrit and Amy Cole Foundation
The Hiland Foundation
Bill and Carolyn Klein
The Richard and Elizabeth Steele Fund
Judy and Wes Whitmore
$10, 000 -$24,999
Gregory Bates and Joann Leatherby
Eugene and Carol Choi
Paul and Anne Devore
Farhang Foundation
David and Trudi Gartley
Mike Gordon
Haskell & White LLP
Harason Horowitz
Mark Chapin Johnson Foundation
Terry and Judy Jones
Mike Kerr and Jenny Backhaus
Jerry and Whitney Mandel
Goran Matijasevic
William and Janice Parker Family Fund
William and Pat Podlich
Robert E. Romney
Richard and Cheryll Ruszat – Montessori Schools of Irvine
Mary Watson-Bruce
Greg Zaret
$5, 000 - $9, 999
Stephen and Mary Auerbach
Robert and Lillyan Cendejas
Rohit Deshpande and Anita Watumull
Gary Fabian and Deb Solon
Chuck and Janet Henze
Jack and Joy Kayajanian
Robert Kazer and Jill Richter
Ken and Chantelle Labowe - Labowe Family Foundation
Josh Martin, Emerald Real Estate Partners, and Tom Politowski
Natalie Miles
Tom Newmeyer
Andrei Olenicoff Memorial Foundation
James and Lynn Payne
Jill M. Prentice
Christopher and Lynne Ramsey
Salwa Rizkalla
Adreana Souleles
Craig and Kirsten Springer
Alexander and Sachiyo Stimpson
Andrew Vollero
Ms. Renee Walter
Brian and Beth West
$2,500 - $4, 999
Terri Beber and Terry McDonald
Ellen Breitman and Brien Amspoker
Terry Causey
Alice and Dennis Creighton
Albert and Anne Encinias
Arlene and Steven Fienberg
Douglas and Kathleen Forde
Greg and Sumie Haase
Michael and Charisse Lyseight
Patricia M. McIntyre Foundation Fund at the Chicago Community Foundation
Mark J. Nielsen
Marcia Novegrod
Arthur Ong and Ginger Sun
Bill and Joyce Perrone
Ron and Jan Redmond
Bob and Jo Anne Simon
Eric and Donna Stovner
Robert Zasa and Judy Amiano
$1,000 -$2,499
Beth and Michael Adler
Charlotte W. and Richard D. Alexander Charitable Foundation
Scott and Katherine Arbuckle
Diane and Dennis Baker
Brad Crosley
Gail Doe
Jeanne Egasse and Boyd Philpot
Francis and Ruby Foo
David and Judy Fukuda
Stanford Gertler
Gary Good and Jackie Charnley
Roger and Patt Grable
Mary Graham
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Rachel Levin
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Janis and Dave Murray
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Arkady and Ella Serebryannik
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$500 -$999
Mark Achong
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Paul Schmidhauser and Cindy Hughes
Kris and Geraldine Shah
Richard and Ann Sim
Gary and Melanie Singer Charitable Fund
Dorothy J. Solinger
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Daniel and Jeanne Stokols
Sullivan Family
Kim Tang
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Alvin Umeda
Jeanne Villacorte
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Carl and Deborah Weinert
Mark and Lou-Ann Weltman
Hemantha and Sophie Wickramasinghe
Jim and Sandra Williams
Dexter and Gisele Winzey
Kelley Yasbek
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$100-$249
Brian and Gloria Abrams
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Hoku and Kalani Aichele
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Melissa Beck and Daniel Pugh
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Stephen and Susan Billard
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