Dance West

The incredible Natalie Desch is teaching ballet for Dance West! If you have ever been in Natalie’s class, then you know how caring she is as a teacher and how supportive and encouraging her class environment is. Available for drop in as well as part of the full program.
See dancewestfest.com for more details!

Our next choreographer you have the opportunity to work with during our choreography track is the one and only, Ursula Perry .

Ursula has danced with for the past 13 seasons and will be performing her final bow as a company member in April. But you still have a chance to work with her as a choreographer in the choreography track at Dance West this year. Spend the two weeks creating something new that will be performed on the final showing of TOPOGRAPHY.

Ursula’s tenure at RDT has yielded an ever-enriching understanding of the need to create opportunities for the young and old to heal through movement. The physical being is not only a tool but a storage space for the human story. It is her belief that the power of movement and grit of raw physicality can heal both the body and the mind.

*Choreography by Zvi Gotheiner, Eric Handman, and Shari Lane

For dancers ready to move beyond technique class and into the creative process, the Dance West choreography track offers a chance to collaborate, create, and perform with artists shaping today’s dance landscape.

Train in the morning. Create in the afternoon. Perform at TOPOGRAPHY.

Register now to reserve your place at Dance West 2026.

This year at Dance West, Guest Choreographer Daniel Charon will be creating a new work on participates in the choreography track, to be performed in the final TOPOGRAPHY showcase at the end of the intensive!

This is a rare opportunity to experience the choreographic process firsthand — learning how movement is developed, shaped, and refunded for the stage while contributing your own ideas and artistry!

Hear all about about this year’s Choreography Track From Dance West Directors Lynne Larson and Thom Dancy!

Meet the artists: Dance West 2026

Francesca Romo .romo & Michaela Ellingson join us from for this year’s DANCE WEST! They will be teaching both together and individually a variety of technique-based classes during Block 1 and creative-based classes in Block 2 during both weeks of Dance West.

Contemporary Dance Wyoming (CDW) is a project-based cohort of professional artists creating bold work rooted in process through rigor, embodiment, and community connection. Led by Artistic Director Francesca Romo, who guides the company in its 27th season with a vision centered on curiosity, care, and sustainability. Over more than two decades, CDW has collaborated with artists from major dance companies across the country, toured throughout the Western United States, and performed in New York City. Its work has been described as visually stimulating, highly athletic, and exhilarating.

At its core, Contemporary Dance Wyoming functions as a regional pipeline for contemporary dance—supporting local artists, attracting experienced professionals, and ensuring that dance remains a vital, evolving force in the Intermountain West.

We are excited to have these phenomenal artists joining us for DANCE WEST 2026! Register today to join their classes.