Welcome to
Connec(TX)ions Dance Festival!
Connec(TX)ions Dance Festival (CTXDF), hosted by East Side Performing Arts, is a week long celebration of professional dance performance and training in Texas (June 2-7, 2025).
CTXDF offers a six-day intensive workshop for Pre-Professional, Professional, and Adult Beginner dancers.
The festival culminates with two nights of performances by Texas-based dance companies.
We invite you to join us as we CONNECT, support other artists, and grow together in this immersive dance experience.
PROGRAM
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FRIDAY, JUNE 6
ESPA Professional Training Program (Austin)
Without Sinking
Choreography by Sean Aaron Carmon
Performers: Emery Crouse, Gabrielle Thomas, Ava Wilbanks, Lilah Scimone, Chloe Byman, Sio Fitzgerald, Audrey Roberts, Cora Zieske, Elizabeth Falkin, Sophia Tissembaum
Music: “Nanou2” by Aphex Twin
Program Notes: The East Side Performing Arts Professional Training program dancers are thrilled to perform an original contemporary work, Without Sinking, by Resident Choreographer, Sean Aaron Carmon, as well as the Aurora's Dream excerpt from the iconic classical masterpiece- The Sleeping Beauty.
Temple of Fine Arts TX (Austin)
Shadaksharam - Glory of the six-faced child-God
Choreography by Sivakami Sreenivasan
Performers: Sivakami Sreenivasan, Deepti Pant, Varshini MaheshPrabhu Anandalakshmi, Aidan DeWitt, Trisha Govind, Krishna Adhyavaru
Music: “Shadaksharam” Composed by Shri Madurai R muralidharan
Program Notes: This piece is a mesmerizing composition on Lord Muruga in his various forms - the one with a beautiful hue of vermillion, who takes flight on his divine vehicle, the peacock. Born on 6 lotus blooms, from the sparks of Shiva’s third eye, He is the beautiful six-faced child-god to whom devotees surrender.
konverj/Austin (Austin)
Dummy Suite
Choreography by Jordan Miller
Performers: Penelope, Elaine, & RachelC
Music: “Only Ever Us” by Paul Wiancko
Program Notes: Dummy Suite is a love letter to the quirky, independent, and exhausted femmes who move through the world with honesty and grit. At its core, this work critiques the ballet world’s enduring muse archetype—where only the ethereal, silent, and infantilized woman is deemed worthy of inspiring others. Dummy Suite reclaims that narrative, offering space for duality, complexity and self-definition.
Dance Waterloo (Austin)
this and yap (excerpt)
Choreography by Morgan Teel
Performers: Jess Gray, Taylor Dominique, Hayley Miller, Tikiri Shapiro, Lilly Wylde, Marilyn Connelly, Eileen Klugh, Daniela Vargas, and Heather Meeboer
Music: “Ripples, The Wing Thing, and The Paperwork Explosion” by Raymond Scott
Program Notes: This dance delves into the ritualistic and performative nature of shopping—a cherished bonding experience with my mom since childhood. Everyday gestures are reimagined as exaggerated, abstract movements, infused with a playful yet fragmented energy. The choreography captures the chaos, repetition, and delight of consumption, blurring the line between function and fantasy to offer a whimsical reflection on the act of acquiring and desiring.
INTERMISSION (20 minutes)
Sea Legs Dance (Austin)
How People Leave (Excerpts)
Choreography by Tikiri Shapiro
Performers: Tikiri Shapiro & Aidan DeWitt
Music: "Remember When" & "Awakening" by Bruno Le Roux
Program Notes: Inspired by the poem “The Uses of Sorrow” by Mary Oliver.
Spaces of Fontana (Austin)
Masculus
Choreography by Evelyn Joy Hoelscher
Performers: Connor Timpe & Matthew Sommers
Music: “Clogs, Jason Garrels” & Poem by Lucas Jones
Red Nightfall Dance Theatre (Austin)
Alone, Together.
Choreography by Dorothy O’Shea Overbey
Rehearsal Director: Jessica Siclari
Costumes: Dorothy O’Shea Overbey
Performers: Cellise Brown, Rachel Culver, Elaine Fields, Kanami Nakabayashi, Tikiri Shapiro, Jessica Siclari
Music: “Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92: II. Allegretto” Ludwig van Beethoven
Program Notes: How do we learn to move beyond our own reflections to truly see those around us?
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SATURDAY, JUNE 7
ESPA Professional Training Program (Austin)
The Sleeping Beauty Excerpts- Aurora's Dream- Act II
Set by Kelly Yankle after Marius Petipa
Performers: Emery Crouse, Gabrielle Thomas, Ava Wilbanks, Lilah Scimone, Chloe Byman, Sio Fitzgerald, Audrey Roberts, Cora Zieske, Elizabeth Falkin, Sophia Tissembaum
Music: “Excerpts from The Sleeping Beauty, Aurora's Dream” Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky
BHumn Arts Ensemble (Austin)
every, four. years.
Choreography by Cheryl Copeland
Performers: Alli Gamero and Mina Wares
Music: Djrum
DeCruz Ballet (San Antonio)
Entropy
Choreography by Hannah Knorr
Performers: Eleanor Brooks, Lily Fuori, Nicole Larson, Zoe Leffard, Brianna Raymond, Amina Sinayoko
Music: "Fixated” by Christophe & “Filippi Patterns” by Christophe Filippi & “Strung Out” by Travis Lake & “Classical Cello Solo” by Rafael Krux & “Drum Message” by Christophe Zurfluh
Mira Cook (Austin)
Man and his Cymbals
Choreography by Mira Cook in collaboration with Michael Scott
Performers: Mira Cook, Michael Scott, Connor Timpe
Music: "Scheherezade" by Panda Bear
Program Notes: This piece is composed of improvised movements. We took influence from the book "Man and His Symbols" by Carl Jung, in creating the movement score.
TY&CO (Austin)
I Am What I Am/That's Entertainment
Choreography by Ty Graynor, Amanda Mullen, & Sydney Galier
Performers: Ty Graynor, Amanda Mullen, Sydney Galier, Kanami Nakabayashi, Hayley Miller, Juniper Darrow, Ripley Mayfield, Desiree Kostelnik
Music: Music by Lady Gaga, Jerry Herman & Douglas Hodge. Scissor Sisters
INTERMISSION (20 minutes)
TY&CO (Austin)
KIKI
Choreography by Ty Graynor, Amanda Mullen, & Sydney Galier
Performers: Ty Graynor, Amanda Mullen, Sydney Galier, Kanami Nakabayashi, Hayley Miller, Juniper Darrow, Ripley Mayfield, Desiree Kostelnik
Music: Music by Lady Gaga, Jerry Herman & Douglas Hodge. Scissor Sisters
Broadly Speaking Dance Collective (Austin)
Gotta Get...............................................................that.
Choreography by Broadly Speaking Dance Collective
Performers: David Cruz, Andie Duong, Ginnifer Joe, Sarah Mendez, and Claire Wood
Music: "Boom Boom Pow" by Black Eyed Peas
Mei/Co. Dance (College Station)
In-between
Choreography by Meggie Belisle & Ty Graynor
Performers: Connor Timpe & Meggie Belisle
Music: “Enigma for the Night” by Jocelyn C Chambers
Program Notes: In-Between was inspired by the experience of dancers not dancing. It reflects the displacement experienced when we feel outside of who we are or where we believe we are meant to be. This work was created as an acknowledgement to those who are currently on the sidelines: Your value has never changed and you are seen.
Wild She Dances (Houston)
Llorando
Choreography by Bethany Logan
Performers: Bethany Logan
Music: Originated as "Crying" by Roy Orbison, sung in Spanish as “Llorando” by Meli Gonzales (as arranged in the feature film "Mulholland Drive”)
Program Notes: “Llorando” is an excerpt from evening-length immersive performance, “SOM” (2024).
Ventana Ballet (Austin)
Sophisticated Ladies
Choreography by AJ Garcia-Rameau
Staged by Navaji David Nava
Performers: AJ Garcia-Rameau, Kanami Nakabayashi, Rachel Cox Culver, Rachael Hanlon, Hannah Requa
Music: “Sophisticated Lady” by Duke Ellington & “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” by Jimi Hendrix, arranged for string quartet & performed by Invoke
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Special CTXDF thanks to Alejandro & Construction Crew, Stephen Pruitt, Art Seen Alliance, and ALL of the ESPA Volunteers!
DONATE TO ESPA!!! Contribute to the Capital Campaign!
CTXDF FAQs
Q: WHERE IS CTXDF?
CTXDF is hosted by East Side Performing Arts (ESPA)! It's our GRAND OPENING of the space we JUST finished building last week. ESPA Address: 979 Springdale Rd, Ste. 815. We are located where Springdale and Airport meet, behind Austin Bouldering Project, Bambino, and East Side Paddle Club, just across the hall from Ground Floor Theatre. You can park (free) in our parking lot. Enter the parking lot near Black Feathers Vintage and drive around to the back of the building. Head up the stairs towards Ground Floor Theatre. Make a right and walk past Kore Kollective pilates studio. We are at the end of the hall on the left!
Q: Where can I purchase tickets to the shows?
https://ctxdf2025.eventbrite.com
Q: When are the shows?
Show 1: Friday June 6th @7pm (Doors at 6:30pm)
Show 2: Saturday June 7th @7pm (Doors at 6:30pm)
Q: Are the Friday & Saturday shows the same?
NO! They are completely different shows, featuring various dancers and companies across Texas! Check out the lineup at www.eastsideperformingarts.com/CTXDF (scroll to the bottom of the page)
Q: Where is the CTXDF class schedule?
www.eastsideperformingarts.com/ctxdf
Q: Where can PRO Dancers register for class?
CTXDF 2025 PRO Single Class Pass ($10 per class)
CTXDF 2025 PRO 5-Class Pass (Buy 4, Get 1 Class Free!)
CTXDF 2025 PRO Full-Week Pass (Save 25%; equivalent to 5 free classes!)
Q: Where can PRE-PRO Dancers register for class?
CTXDF 2025 Pre-Pro Single Class Pass ($35 per class)
CTXDF 2025 Pre-Pro Single Day Pass (25% off; save $35)
CTXDF 2025 Pre-Pro Full Week Pass (45% off; save $378)
Q: Where can Adult Beginners register for class?
CTXDF 2025 ADULT LEISURE SERIES CLASS ($15 per class)
Q: Can Pro dancers take Pre-Pro classes?
Yes, Pro & College-level dancers can take Pre-Pro classes! Use code CTXDFPRO to register for Pre-Pro Single Class Passes
Q: Can College-level dancers take Pro classes?
Yes, College-level dancers can take Pro classes!
Q: How do I apply for a work-trade opportunities?
We are seeking to fill a few positions for CTXDF! In exchange for each job listed on the CTXDF Work-Trade Call, we'd love to offer you a single-class pass to be applied to CTXDF! Simply email ctxdancefest@gmail.com with (1) some brief info about your experience, (2) which class you're interested in attending, (3) which job(s) you'd like to tackle!
Q: What facilities and services are on site?
We have water fountains and full bathrooms onsite in the back hallway, as well as a private shower. (Please bring your own towel and toiletries.) At this time, we do not have a refrigerator or microwave available for use. Our neighboring businesses offer a selection of coffee, drinks, pizza, sandwiches, and more!
Q: I'm a performer, what do I need to know?
Here is a copy of the CTXDF 2025 Tech & Show Schedule. Your call time is 5:30pm day-of show. AJ is leading a warm-up class at 4pm, if you'd like to join. Class will cover components of ballet, contemporary, modern, and floorwork.
Let us know if we missed anything!