CELEBRATING ST. LOUIS’ VIBRANT DANCE COMMUNITY

St. Louis Dance HQ’s Blog is a compilation of writings and performance reviews from a variety of St. Louis based dance writers. If you’re interested in sharing your writing on our blog, please email stlouisdancehq@gmail.com.

Meet Our Contributors
Holidays in STL: Dancer Roll Call
Colin Ellis Colin Ellis

Holidays in STL: Dancer Roll Call

The magic of the Holiday season has just begun in St. Louis. With many fun and festive times ahead, Saint Louis Dance HQ would love to share with you how some of the dancers from around the St. Louis area celebrate during this time of the year and where you can see them perform.

Read More
HQ Review: STAGED presented by Karlovsky and Company Dance

HQ Review: STAGED presented by Karlovsky and Company Dance

On November 21-22, 2025, Karlovsky and Company Dance showcased 5 pieces, each created by a different choreographer: Corpus Missa, Last Train Home, Catching, How Come We Never Talked About It, and Seeing You, Seeing Me. With the collaboration of nine company artists, twelve guest artists, three musicians, and one set designer each piece was filled with a unique voice and powerful emotional resonance.

Read More
HQ Review: Washington University Dance Theatre presents “Something is Happening”

HQ Review: Washington University Dance Theatre presents “Something is Happening”

On November 14, 15, and 16th, WashU’s WUDT performed their annual concert, this one entitled Something Is Happening, at Edison Theater. The talented students had the amazing opportunity to work with choreographers Elinor Harrison, Liz Lloyd, David Marchant, Ron K. Brown, and Xi Zhao. The dancers performed in works of many different genres including classical/neoclassical ballet, contemporary, West African and modern dance influences. 

Read More
HQ Review: Saint Louis Dance Theatre’s Love Languages Fall Series

HQ Review: Saint Louis Dance Theatre’s Love Languages Fall Series

On Saturday, November 15, 2025, Saint Louis Dance Theater (STLDT) celebrated its 15th season by hosting its “Movers and Shakers Ball: Cristal Anniversary” gala. Many donors, dancers, and patrons came adorned in glittery themed formal wear. The night began with champagne toasts, a buffet, and a cocktail hour. The audience was already buzzing with excitement for what STLDT has to offer when the performance began for the first installment of their Love Language season, aptly titled Fall Series

Read More
HQ Review: SIUE presents Timeless Reflections Fall Dance Concert

HQ Review: SIUE presents Timeless Reflections Fall Dance Concert

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville presented their fall dance concert, Timeless Reflections at Dunham Theatre in Edwardsville, IL, featuring choreography by Carly Vanderheyden, Maria Majors, Kristin Best-Kinscherff, Geoff Alexander, Omar Olivas, Lindsay Hawkins, Snack Break Movement Arts, and Brenda Serrata Tally.

Read More
HQ Review: Webster’s New Works Concert
Webster University, Performance, HQ Review Adriana Britto-Pereira Webster University, Performance, HQ Review Adriana Britto-Pereira

HQ Review: Webster’s New Works Concert

On November 6th through the 7th, Webster University's dance department performed original choreography at their annual New Works Concert. The talented BFA students learned challenging choreography from both alumni and faculty, with styles such as jazz, contemporary, and modern being highlights of the show.

Read More
HQ Review: Chew+Spit presents WHATEVERFEST!
chew+spit, SpaceStation Residency, HQ Review Will Brighton chew+spit, SpaceStation Residency, HQ Review Will Brighton

HQ Review: Chew+Spit presents WHATEVERFEST!

Since its inaugural performance in January 2025, chew & spit – a dance residency created by Marlee Doniff and sponsored by Space Station Dance Residency – has sought to actively lower the stakes of performance by creating a space that prioritizes process over product. That essence of low-stakes performance billowed through every aspect of chew & spit’s first annual fundraiser event, Whateverfest, presented on Saturday, October 18, at Webster University’s Department of Dance. A myriad of mismatched living-room lamps framed the makeshift performance space and offered a soft, homey glow that, along with the steady patter of rain on the roof, wrapped the afternoon in a sense of warmth and community.

Read More
HQ Review: Saint Louis Ballet presents Take Five…More or Less
Performance, HQ Review, St. Louis Ballet Adriana Britto-Pereira Performance, HQ Review, St. Louis Ballet Adriana Britto-Pereira

HQ Review: Saint Louis Ballet presents Take Five…More or Less

Red, orange, blue, and purple leap out onto stage as Henri Matisse-inspired costumes paint their way into live performance danced by Saint Louis Ballet. On October 11th and 12th, Saint Louis Ballet debuted Take Five…More or Less, a captivating show featuring three unique works by both guest artists and faculty.

Read More
HQ Review: Webster BFA Concert
Webster University, Performance, HQ Review Josiah Gundersen Webster University, Performance, HQ Review Josiah Gundersen

HQ Review: Webster BFA Concert

80s rock and roll, a disappearing moon, a thunderstorm, a trickle of laughter, a prop gun, and the indecisiveness of being a libra. All disparate elements that collectively contribute to the daring artistry of Webster University’s BFA concert “The Paradox.” Featuring three works by BFA candidate Ally Lamkie, as well as four works by recent Webster alumni, “The Paradox” is a fitting title to illustrate how these imaginative works existed beside each other. At times dramatic absurdity took hold as comedic expressions were undercut by tensions of seriousness. Elsewhere, the ecstasy of dance reigned supreme as the electricity of movement bounced from one dancer to the next. Though containing a hodgepodge of dance theatricalities, this concert’s contradictory features depicted the reality of existing in an illogically serious world.

Read More
Behind the Movement: MADCO “SETs” the Stage with its 50th Anniversary Performance
MADCO, Before You Go St. Louis Dance HQ . MADCO, Before You Go St. Louis Dance HQ .

Behind the Movement: MADCO “SETs” the Stage with its 50th Anniversary Performance

Behind the Movement: MADCO “SETs” the Stage With its 50th Anniversary Performance. This weekend, The Modern American Dance Company (MADCO) celebrates that legacy with SET: The Legacy Concert. The performance will bridge the company’s past and its present. In rehearsals leading up to opening night, the studio has been buzzing with energy! Alumni have visited, stories have been shared, and dancers have been connecting with the roots of the work they now carry forward.

Read More
HQ Review: Space Station Dance Residency
Melissa Miller Melissa Miller

HQ Review: Space Station Dance Residency

Space Station, an annual dance residency showcasing experimental works, featured seven choreographers and six new pieces this year, including two guest artists from out of state. The 2025 edition had a special focus on audience participation, deployed in a variety of ways by the evening’s artists. In a pre-show video, viewers were even given instructions on how to decline performer interactions—simply by shaking our heads. 

Read More
HQ Review: Saint Louis Dance Theatre presents Norbert De La Cruz III’s world premiere “THE NORTH STAR”
Saint Louis Dance Theatre, HQ Review Josiah Gundersen Saint Louis Dance Theatre, HQ Review Josiah Gundersen

HQ Review: Saint Louis Dance Theatre presents Norbert De La Cruz III’s world premiere “THE NORTH STAR”

There is a gnawing tension that aches within the body of Norbert De La Cruz III’s newest work “The North Star.”  De La Cruz’s previous work for Saint Louis Dance Theatre, “Cloud 9,” found the dancers of this company in an ethereal world, emulating utopia amongst the clouds of COCA’s Catherine B. Berges Theatre. While their gaze still reaches towards the heavens, in “The North Star” the dancers have fallen from the clouds, finding themselves among the debris of this earth. The sun is dimmer, the stakes are higher, yet this community of dancers continues to resonate amongst the residue of this newly inhabited world.  

Read More
Before You Go: Second Annual St. Louis Contemporary Dance Festival presented by RESILIENCE Dance Company
St. Louis Dance HQ St. Louis Dance HQ

Before You Go: Second Annual St. Louis Contemporary Dance Festival presented by RESILIENCE Dance Company

Returning for a second year, the St. Louis Contemporary Dance Festival is an annual event hosted by RESILIENCE Dance Company connecting contemporary dance-makers across the country for performance, exchange, and dialogue. This two-day event includes four master classes and two evening performances at the Center of Creative Arts (COCA).

Read More
Before You Go: American Natya Festival presented by Soorya Performing Arts
Before You Go, Soorya Performing Arts Samanvita Kasthuri Before You Go, Soorya Performing Arts Samanvita Kasthuri

Before You Go: American Natya Festival presented by Soorya Performing Arts

The 16th American Natya Festival is a three-day long Indian classical dance festival hosted by Soorya Performing Arts, a not-for-profit dance organization based in St. Louis, dedicated to the education of the Indian classical arts of Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Carnatic music, and Mrudangam. This year's festival will occur from June 13-15, at Clayton High School, and will showcase a variety of artists representing Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kuchipudi, Andhranatyam, Odissi, and more! 

Read More
HQ Reveiw: Ballet 314 presents THE ACCUSED
HQ Review, Ballet 314 Colin Ellis HQ Review, Ballet 314 Colin Ellis

HQ Reveiw: Ballet 314 presents THE ACCUSED

For their final production to wrap up their 6th season, Ballet 314 presented The Accused at the Skip Viragh Center of the Arts. The night was a triple bill with The Lark Ascending, Envy of Angels, and the headliner, The Accused.  The three pieces presented did not have a general theme that created a tether between each piece. But that did not matter as they were strong as standalone pieces, highlighting different strengths of the dancers.

Read More
HQ Review: Dancers Making Moves inaugural event “Living Gallery”
HQ Review, Dancers Making Moves Melissa Miller HQ Review, Dancers Making Moves Melissa Miller

HQ Review: Dancers Making Moves inaugural event “Living Gallery”

Dancers Making Moves, a project conceived and spearheaded by Carly Vanderheyden, describes itself online as “a multimedia series capturing the essence of a dancer through photography, videography, movement, and storytelling.” The project began after Vanderheyden received an artist grant from the Regional Arts Commission and used the funds to create a platform and support system for a selected group of performing artists. It culminated in an evening-length experience of dance viewing, wherein the twenty-four artists involved were spotlighted as valuable members of our vibrant dance community. 

Read More
HQ Review: STLDT’s Trainees present their (Em)Power Spring Concert
HQ Review, Saint Louis Dance Theatre Melissa Miller HQ Review, Saint Louis Dance Theatre Melissa Miller

HQ Review: STLDT’s Trainees present their (Em)Power Spring Concert

Spearheaded by STLDT’s Director of Education Brandon Fink, Saint Louis Dance Theatre’s Spring Trainee Concert was performed at Nerinx Hall in collaboration with the Nerinx Hall High School Dance Department. The evening’s performance consisted of seven pieces by six different choreographers. Though each piece offered unique insight into this particular group of dancers, the standout works of the evening were Murmuration by Brandon Fink, Meld by Jorrell Lawyer-Jefferson, and IAN/IVE by Hui Cha Poos and the dancers. 

Read More