International Women’s Day Dance Festival
March, Annually
Through four days of performances, free classes, and discussions held at venues throughout Los Angeles and online, MashUp’s annual International Women’s Day Dance Festival (IWDDF) celebrates women’s achievements in dance and the arts and envisions a more equitable future. Purposefully aligned with the global International Women’s Day campaign theme, the festival provides a rare opportunity for 20-30 female-identifying and nonbinary dance professionals a chance to present and discuss their work; facilitates thoughtful, timely dialogue on gender issues; connects young artists with female artistic leaders; and inspires broad action towards greater gender equality
Save the date for next year’s International Women’s Day Dance Festival March 7-9, 2025!
Learn More about the Festival
Since 2017, MashUp’s annual International Women’s Day Dance Festival (IWDDF) has served as a core component of MashUp’s mission to uplift womxn artists and build community through dance by showcasing work from a robust roster of womxn dance artists and womxn-led companies while advocating for greater gender equality in the dance industry and beyond. Embracing the belief in the power of dance and the arts to help educate and enrich societies, bring communities together, initiate important conversations, and build greater cultural understanding, the festival aligns itself with the theme set by the official International Women’s Day (IWD) campaign, a global celebration that recognizes “the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women” and “marks a call to action for accelerating women's equality.”
In 2017, MashUp Contemporary Dance Company moved in as company-in-residence at the newly opened Frogtown Creative Studios near the LA River, giving space for the company to host the very first International Women's Day Dance Festival event. Aiming to showcase work by some of the strongest and most talented women in the LA dance industry and to celebrate the many female-identifying artists in the LA dance community, the one-day event featured master classes and a showcase with choreography from Denna Thomsen, Mackenzie Martin, Kate Hutter Mason, and more! The MashUp team knew something special had been started, but had no idea how much the festival would grow in the years-to-come.
Since its founding, the International Women’s Day Dance Festival has gathered over 1,500 participants to witness work from over 100 women dance artists, offered 40 free or low cost classes taught by women master teachers, and hosted discussions, performances, dance film screenings, and more featuring women artistic leaders from over 18 LA-area dance companies.
Looking forward, MashUp’s goal is to establish the Festival as a premiere national event for witnessing and celebrating work by up-and-coming womxn choreographers and convening LA Dance Industry professionals for key dialogue and action on issues of equity, particularly related to gender, in both the nonprofit and commercial sectors.
Since the International Women’s Day Dance Festival began, over 100 female-identifying choreographers have presented work in the festival! Below are participating artists from past festivals…
2017
Sabrina Phillip, Kate Hutter, Ami Mattison, Denna Thomsen, Jasmine Albuquerque, Juliette Irons, Mackenzie Martin
2018
Mayann Chavez, Nicole Hagen, Monia Ashibi, Madeline Hamill, Tawnya Kuzia, Lydia Purves-Ware, Hannah Vincent, Erica Klein, Cat Cogliandro, Renee Baldwin
2019
Kelela Rose Batinga, Jia Huang, Rochelle Mapes, Ami Mattison, Leah Lagrange, Sadie Yarrington, Nicole Hagen, Eileen Crowe, Cristina McKeever, Stephanie Heckert, Carissa Songhorian, Renee Baldwin, Tawnya Kuzia, Riley Roberts, Kiera Breaugh, Genevieve Carson, Ally Pawlowski, Madeline Hamill, Lauren Slack, Jana Taylor, Juliette Irons, Jessie Levine, Mackenzie Martin, Maryann Chavez, Cat Cogliandro, Nina McNeely, Debroah Brockus, Jessie Lee Thorne, Debroah Rosen, Sophia Stoller
2020
Nicole Hagen, Stephanie Heckert, Renee Baldwin, Mackenzie Martin, Maryann Chavez, Hannah Miller, Thuy Wyckoff, Diana Schoenfield, Azuki Umeda, Gianna Burright, Madison Hicks, Rebecca Wright, Sammi Waugh, Taylor Urwin, Paige Amicon, Teresa Barcelo, Genevieve Carson, Brynn Cohen, Boroka Nagy, Marissa Osato, Ana Maria Alvarez, Mallory Fabian, Megan Kenson, Genevieve Zander
2021
Amy O'Neal, Annie Grove, Azuki Umeda, Britt Whitmoyer Fishel, Charlotte Katherine Smith, Charly Santagado, Deborah Brockus, Genna Moroni, Hilary Thomas, Jessie Lee Thorne, Maritza Navarro, Natalie Allen, Waeli Wang, Kate Mason, Tess Hewlett, Madi Hicks, Julienne Mackey, Danielle Yasuda, Maraya Rae, Nicole Hagen
2022
Charly Santagado, Haley Rae Bergeson, Jamison Curcio, Jordan Ryder, Kayla Aguila, Kelsey Ang, Leah LaGrange, Mackenzie Martin, Madison Hicks, Nicole Closson, Pritha Kundu, Riley Roberts, Annie Grove, Azuki Umeda, Boroka Nagy, Eli Dewitz, Haley Andrews, Hannah Huang, Stephanie Mizrahi, Taylor Unwin, Taryn Vander Hoop, Stephanie Heckert, Gianna Burright, Leah Hartleym, Chloe Erlandson, Anna Bauer, Ashley Tomaszewski, Haley Kostas, Nicole Hagen
2023
Jordyn Santiago, Stephanie Heckert, Sarah Rodenhouse, Laura Karlin, Jessie Lee Thorne, Aisha Reddick, Ashley Tomaszewski, Azuki Umeda, Chelsea Roquero & Krystal Masteller, Madison Moser, Meredith Cabaniss, Nicole Hagen, Rosalynde LeBlanc, Tess Hewlett, Rosanna Tavarez, Toogie Barcelo, Charly Santagado, Julia Lawton, Leah Lagrange, Mackenzie Martin, Madison Olandt & Derion Loman, Margaret Canady, Dana Wilson, Jillian Meyers, & Megan Lawson, Victoria Brown, Carissa Songhorian, Marissa Osato
