NACHMO Boston 2026

All NACHMO Boston performances are by donation
or pay-what-you-can.

Location

NACHMO Boston’s live performances will take place at
The Foundry, 101 Rogers St, Cambridge, MA

Thursday, April 2nd @ 8pm
Friday, April 3rd @ 8pm
Saturday, April 4th @ 8pm

Accessibility

NACHMO Boston and Monkeyhouse prioritize creating accessible programming whenever possible. We are proud to be part of the Mass Cultural Council’s Card-to-Culture program, providing low to no cost cultural programming across Massachusetts.

All NACHMO Boston performances are pay-what-you-can
The Foundry is accessible to people using mobility devices.
The performances will not include captioning, however, copies of all text will be made available in the online program below.
Accessible seating is available. If floor level seats are required please include that under access needs when purchasing tickets so we can reserve seats for you.

What is NACHMO?

NACHMO (National Choreography Month) seeks to build a connected, active, and inclusive community of dance makers across the world.

We aim to make the creative process more accessible to choreographers of all backgrounds, means, and locations. We build this community by challenging choreographers, dancers, and movement enthusiasts to create new dance works.

We are your choreographic kick in the pants.

Learn more about NACHMO
Learn more about NACHMO Boston
Follow NACHMO Boston on Instagram

Who is NACHMO Boston?

NACHMO Boston is run by Monkeyhouse’s karen Krolak and Nicole Harris along with a team of amazing people.

Mentorship Partner: Simon Montalvo
Performance Team: Simon Montalvo, Claire-Solene Becka
Lighting Design: Elmer Martinez
Photography & Videography: Olivia Moon Photography / halfasianlens
Front of House: Laporsha Dees, Brenna Banister, Cassandre Charles
Technical Staff: Jason Ries

NACHMO Boston wouldn’t be possible without the support of our incredible guest mentors. Their generosity and insightfulness provide our choreographers with invaluable feedback throughout the creation process. Please join us in saying thank you to Kim Holman, Sapna Govindan, Mira Göksel, Elizabeth Mochizuki, Simon Montalvo, Andrea Blesso, Marissa Molinar, and Elmer Martinez for helping us support this year’s NACHMO Boston choreographers!

Thursday, April 2nd @ 8pm

Searching for the Flower Within Me
Choreographed & Performed by Nandita Srayoshi
Music: Carnatic Meets Hiphop by Emcee Deep

Special Thanks to Shubhamani Chandrashekar

Love Your Whiskers Off
Choreographed & Performed by Sophie Nash
Music: Skidamarink as sung by Sophie Nash; “The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams as read by Meryl Streep; Waltz from the “Sleeping Beauty” performed by the Viennese Orchestral Academy; The Air That I Breathe by the Hollies

Duet
Choreographed & Performed by Gavin McDowell
Music: Witness by Lyra Pramuk

i.AM
Choreographed by Sam Noderer
Performed by Anne Muise, Sam Noderer
Music: “Run” by Air

The most special thank you to Annie Muise for your creative partnership and support throughout the rehearsal process, and for bringing my vision to life so beautifully through your movement and artistry. It’s been such a joy developing this concept with you!

transitorily
Choreographed & Performed by Redacted Maxwell

CreativeGround

False Maria
Choreographed & Performed by Juliet (jules) Paramor
Music: Kode9 & The Spaceape

10 Minute INTERMISSION

Interwoven
Choreographed by Shirin Kuppusamy
Performed by Shirin Kuppusamy, Abby Plone
Music: Constellations by Chelsea McGough

Big thank you to my duet partner, Abby, for learning this piece in 2 weeks and for having faith in me. Thank you also to Eliza Owens, who although unable to perform tonight due to injury, was an instrumental part of the rehearsal process. This piece wouldn't exist if it weren't for those who brought enough feelings into my life that I felt moved to create. Thank you also to karen and Nicole for encouraging me to choreograph for NACHMO this year when I wasn't sure if I would.

Even what appears to be the most tightly woven thread eventually comes undone when left to fray. So, next time, we choose stronger thread, paying heed to loose strands.

ONWARDS
Choreographed & Performed by Marina Villeneuve
Music: Ela Minus

Thank you to my partner, Nathan, and to friends and fellow dancers who helped me brainstorm ideas!

Living with ADHD can feel chaotic, overwhelming, exhilarating and exhausting. Hurtling through time and space while trying to find a sense of structure and control. Trying to find a routine and rhythm that can work for you, to which you can keep returning. When all else fails, I try to enjoy small victories and go back to a few strategies that work.

You Will Find Me
Choreographed by Amanda Francis
Performed by Amanda Francis, Augustine Goebel, & Gracie Stevens
Original Score by Amanda Francis

Special thanks to the dancers for their continued support and effort throughout this process.

"You Will Find Me" is a contemporary dance work inspired by the communication methods of different animals throughout our natural ecosystem and how they interact with the electromagnetic field. The piece follows three dancers, each representing a different biome of creatures in the natural world: ground, water, and sky. Despite the innate differences in these creatures, their ecosystems work in harmony, balancing each other with their strengths and habits. Everything happens for a reason in the natural order of things. However, the natural world is always under attack. Whether being hunted or decimated by humans, the innate fear of the ecosystem is the presence of humanity. In this work, while there is a great focus on harmony and coexistence, there is an undertone of despair and determination for our creatures to survive all that faces them.

I can see her, there she goes!
Choreographed & Performed by Carly Lucas
Music: "Butch" by Saint Motel

Special thanks: North End Music and Performing Arts Center

Suddenly I'm back in my childhood bedroom, having a dance tantrum of sorts, wondering who I am and why I feel like this. I think I always knew her. I think I could always see her.

~扇系~ Senkei
Choreographed by Circe Rowan
Performed by Cassandre Charles & Circe Rowan
Music: GACKT - 小悪魔へヴェン (Koakuma Heaven)

Special thanks to my dancers, my teachers, and everyone who provided feedback and encouragement while I chewed my nails off over whether any of my design "worked".

Additional Piece Info

Friday, April 3rd @ 8pm

Going Through the Motions
Choreographed by Cassie Wang in collaboration with Ava Grebe
Performed by Ava Grebe & Cassie Wang
Music: With Flowers by Water Feature

Can you recall the last time you got lost?

Man of the Year
Choreographed by Mykayla RM Cohen
Performed by Molly Berard, Mykayla Cohen, Melissa deFriesse, Megan Hall, Emily Hong, Jennifer Kuhnberg
Music: "Man of the Year" by Lorde

Thank you to my husband for his endless support in all of my creative endeavors and my cast of dancers for embracing the movement and story.

This piece is an exploration of gender expression and fluidity, as well as navigating the complex emotions that come along with it.

Within the Cycle
Choreographed & Performed by Rachel Hackam
Music: She Remembers by Max Richter

A huge thank you to my friends and family for all of their support. And to my teachers, past and present, who have guided me along the way.

This piece explores the start of a new chapter and the habits we pick up along the way.

Punch Drunk Love
Tess Saoirse Dance Company
Choreographed by Tess Saoirse Liddy
Performed by Audrey Abraham, Abigail Dube, Joselyn Gil, Audrey Lehrer, Tess Saoirse Liddy, Mayte Martinez, Eliza Owen-Smith, Laurel Rodriguez Mitton, Annabelle Platt, Abigail Plone, Shawna Upton
Music: Punch Drunk Love by aleksiah

Thank you to the amazing group of TSDC dancers who collaborated on problem solving different aspects of this piece and honoring a work-in-progress process

Some of us are the ones begging friends to go out each weekend, while some of us are the ones being begged. This piece explores the feelings of performing as extroverted, happy, and engaged with your friends, when all you want is to be home in bed with a tub of ice cream. Sometimes doing something in spite of your feelings is just what you need to get out of your funk - other times, rest is the most important thing you can do for yourself. Honor where you are at, always!

Tess Saoirse Dance Company is a performance company for adults of all dance backgrounds and levels in the Massachusetts area. Dedicated to creating an inclusive and harmonious community, TSDC seeks dancers who have yet to find their community and feel they have something to give.

TSDC was founded to create a space for dancers looking to create individualized pieces that reflect their athletic and artistic goals. By opening the space for dancers to share their comfort levels with costuming, physical touch in dance, and/or piece content, TSDC hopes to decrease the spaces where dancers feel as though in order to dance they must compromise their values.

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Of New and Old-time
Alewife Dance Collective
Choreographed by Katie Henry and Sarah Wasserman
Performed by Rachel Bernardo, Erica Drufva, Katie Henry, Georgia Klein, Sarah Wasserman
Music: "Country Life" (Traditional English folk song, performed by The Teacups)

Thank you to our dancers Rachel, Georgia, and Erica!

Sarah's Instagram

Katie's Instagram

To remember, with love
Choreographed & Performed by Shosh Cohen
Music: "Three Worlds: Music from Woolf Works/Orlando: Memory is the Seamstress" by Max Richter and Sarah Sutcliffe; "The Winner Is" by DeVotchKa

A big thank you to my friends and colleagues who continuously support me and our work community- it takes a village. I also want to thank my therapist, friends, and family for providing emotional support and guidance on the tough days. Lastly, I want to thank the seniors that I have the privilege of getting to know and remember. May their memories be a blessing.

Dedicated with love to Linda. Danced for the wise and courageous seniors who inspire me every day. Thank you for leaving me with wonderful memories, lessons, stories, and laughs. It’s a privilege and honor to remember you.

You, beauty
Choreographed & Performed by Megan Hyde
Music by Megan Hyde

Thank you to the artists of Mobius Group whose 2025 program SLAY helped this work first come into being.

This piece is a spell. One part exorcism, one part love letter. It is for me, for the queer people in my life, and for you, beauty, if you would like to receive it.

Born from coming out later in life and navigating internalized homophobia, it reframes beauty from aesthetics to the magnificent resilience of becoming and transforming amidst restriction, hostility, and attempted erasure. It is cast by a shape-shifting, deviant feminine trickster who defies control.

10 Minute INTERMISSION

Becoming Otherwise
Choreographed & Performed by NiFe Lucey-Brzoza
Music by NiFe Lucey-Brzoza

Special thanks to every mentor, inspiration, and friend who has championed my work.

This Butoh based performance draws from the Irish legend of the Púca, a shapeshifting entity with no fixed form, existing in perpetual transformation and appearing uniquely to those it encounters. Neither benevolent nor malevolent, the Púca mirrors the instability and multiplicity of the human condition, emerging when perception loosens, when one is disoriented, unguarded, or outside normative frameworks. Here, the Púca becomes a cosmological figure for nonbinary existence: a body that refuses singularity, coherence, or legibility within binary systems.

Through slow, destabilizing movement and physical ambiguity, the performer inhabits a form that continuously slips between identities, temporalities, and material states. The choreography resists resolution, inviting the audience into uncertainty. Like the Púca’s wild ride, the work offers no fixed meaning, but disorients, carrying the viewer beyond familiar coordinates of gender and self.

In this way, confusion is positioned not as failure, but as an entry point, a threshold for reorienting perception. The nonbinary body is not something to be solved, but something to be met. As in the legend, the audience is left to find their own way back, transformed by proximity to a form that cannot, and will not, resolve.

Kinetic Reaction's Instagram

S=−cT0∫dτdσ(∂τ∂X ⋅∂σ∂X )2−(∂τ∂X )2(∂σ∂X )2
Kinetic Reaction
Choreographed by Katherine Marotta
Performed by Chloe Alsback, Anneliese Day, Daniella Molinaro, Kelsie Shinall, William Williams
Music: Royalty Free Music Arranged by Kate Marotta

Special thanks to Stephen Ursprung, Todd Shanks, and my wonderful cast :)

This piece uses the concepts of theoretical physics String Theory and the Red String of Fate. In theoretical physics, each string has an invisible perfect match known as a "superpartner" which is related to the idea in the red string of fate that there is one perfect match in their life whether its romantic or plutonic.

Katherine's Instagram

15 Months In
Choreographed & Performed by Charis Hall
Audio: Right Before My Eyes (Unpeeled) by Cage the Elephant, edited to include sound clips from Brut America, NBC News, Fox News, ABC News, CNN, Why, America? with Leeja Miller, News Channel 5, MS Now, and the Associated Press

Thank you to everyone at NACHMO Boston, and to Laporsha Dees and Emma Frank for sharing their ideas and perspectives with me.

Content Warning: this piece contains references to sensitive and mature topics such as violence, war, and sexual assault. It includes gunshot and explosion sounds.

YouTube

in the way of
Choreographed by Abigail Panzica & Lucienne Ducharme
Performed by Lucienne Ducharme & Abigail Panzica
Music by Lucienne Ducharme, TAKAAT

Abigail's Instagram

Lucienne's Instagram

Abigail's bio

Are You Sure
Choreographed by Aliza Franz
Performed by Aliza Franz, Isabelle King
Music: undressed by sombr

Wants & Needs
Choreographed & Performed by Dillon Rodgers & Berline Thermidor
Music: I Hope You Find Your Way Home - Tyler the Creator (Edited)

Dillon's Instagram

Berline's Instagram

spill my stars (crush blush yearn burn delulu dance)
Choreographed & Performed by Emma W. Frank
Music: "Dream A Little Dream of Me" by The Mamas & The Papas

Special thanks to all my homoerotic besties <3

Not So Breaking News
Choreographed by Laporsha Dees
Performed by Amma Agyei, Laporsha Dees, Charis Hall, Mayte Martinez, Cesar Urzua
Music: Audrey Lehrer
Main Video Editor: Dalila Muata
Assistant Video Editor: Laporsha Dees

Special thanks to Audrey Lehrer for composing the music for this piece. A huge thank you to Dalila Muata for editing the video for this piece. And a final thank you to my dancers for helping me bring this piece together in under a month.

Saturday, April 4th @ 8pm

the world is on fire and I still have rehearsal, but personally I'm doing really well which feels complicated right now
Choreographed by Miranda Lawson
Performed by Miranda Lawson, Anja Voges
Music: Got a date? - HOYO MIX and Funny Little Man - Aphex Twin edited by Miranda Lawson

c’è il mare
Choreographed & Performed by Olivia Hegyi
Music: Olly

Special Thanks to Nicole Harris

do you see me... can you hear me?
Collective Moments Dance Company
Choreographed & Performed by Kaylee Mahan
Music: Retreat by Chelsea McGough

Thank you to karen and Nicole of Monkeyhouse for all the love and support they flow into this community without them, this company wouldn't be creating so strongly!

Kaylee bio

Collective Moments Bio

Other Side
Choreographed & Performed by Dawn Stitt, Rosevan Vickery, & Tori Casagranda

Special Thanks to: NACHMO, for allowing space to share works in progress; Sasha Peterson, for holding a class space that allowed us to meet and from which the seed for this idea emerged

In Other Side, the dancers/choreographers will perform a score (structure for improvisation) wherein we attempt to perform our original choreography mirrored to the other side of the body (and stage). We have never before attempted this piece on the side we show you this evening. Throughout the piece, you will hear us say selected words:

“POTATO” when one of us feels we have not performed the mirrored movement to our satisfaction
“RHINOCEROS” when one of us feels we need assistance from our colleagues

We may make other non-word sounds. Our bodies will make sounds as we dance (for example, the vibrating sound of feet on the floor; the light rustling of clothing). There is always the possibility that one of us will accidentally say other words. There will be a timer that goes off at 4 minutes and 15 seconds. Other than this, there should be no other sounds or music during the piece.

Dawn's Bio

Exit Director
Choreographed & Performed by Rory Hu
Music: Credit to Sea Eagle Music and Denis Pavlov Music on Pixabay

Special thanks to Nicole Harris for feedback on choreography, as well as Sophia Leng, Harriet Mullins, and Jackson Moore. Also, thank you to the NACHMO team as a whole for setting up mentoring sessions!

I cannot weave--
Novum Dance Collective
Choreographed by Nell Mancini
Performed by Jami Adams, Emmi Small
Music: Honeycrash by Sasami

Thank you to Mass Cultural Council for funding this work

“not one girl I think
who looks on the light of the sun
will ever
have wisdom
like this”
-Sappho

Nell Bio

Novum Bio

Mohiniyattam
Choreographed by Dr. Neena Prasad- Reworked by Gayathri Thampatty
Performed by Gayathri Thampatty
Music: Sri. Changanassery Madhavan Nampoothiri
Special Thanks to Nachmo Boston- Karen Krolak, Nicole Harris, Elmer Martinez

Mohiniyattam- a traditional South India classical dance form , celebrated for its graceful movements and rhythmic footwork, blends pure dance (Nritha) with expressive story telling (Abhinaya). The piece portrays the tender bond between mother Yeshoda and baby Lord Krishna, as she admires his beauty and reflects on his limitless divine powers through subtle expressions. The narrative then transitions into a more energetic segment, depicting Krishna's playful mischief with his friends, including the well known story of him eating mud. When Yeshoda confronts him and asks him to open his mouth, she beholds the entire universe within, realizing his true divine nature.

10 Minute INTERMISSION

Your Productive Day
Choreographed & Performed by Jackson Moore and Harriet Mullins
Music: Lost Caress by Rapoon
Voiceover edited by Jackson Moore. Contributors: Liam Stephan, JP Allard, Toren Anderson, Victoria James, Gus Giampetruzzi, Maxwell McCusker, JJ Livingston, Jude Crisci, Ashton Vertus, Diego Cabrera, Brooks Lytle, Arwen Zhang, Abby Vanden-Eykel, Aisling Kennedy, Nathaniel Holland, Victor Barrera, Jackson Moore, Noah Wood, Harriet Mullins
Special Thanks to Nicole Harris, karen Krolak, and Marissa Molinar

Jackson's Bio

Harriet's Bio

liminal
Choreographed & Performed by Krista Lawson
Music: Day 'n' Nite - Kid Cudi, Conga - Gloria Estefan

Thank you to my sister, Miranda Lawson, and my mentors, Marissa Molinar and Zaquia Mahler Salinas.

JOYBOY
Choreographed by DeVante Love
Performed by DeVante Love & David David Marin Escobar
Music: Drums of Liberation (Overtaken Remix)

The Witness
Exceptional Dance Company
Choreographed by Lindsay Gibbons
Performed by Lindsay Gibbons & Kaylee Mahan
Music: Whispers by Lost Ghosts

Castaway
Choreographed & Performed by Anika Sivarasa
Music: Jacob Collier, Anoushka Shankar, Varijashree Venugopal

Special Thanks to: Subathira Janarthanan, NACHMO Boston

Somewhere out at sea, a girl finds herself stranded on an island, with her calls for help unanswered. After facing thunderstorms and a tempestuous ocean, she realizes that her escape lies within herself...

it's just.
FacePlant
Choreographed by Del Porter and Piper Otis
Performed by Paloma Arena, B Brown, Piper Otis, & Del Porter
Music: Dan Deacon, Weeping Birch
Lighting Designer: Morgen Finn

Special thanks to Richard Sayama, Rachel Bobeck, Dana Mazurowski, Skyler Podziewski, and NSquared Dance; Zackery and Nick Betty-Neagle, would not have made these connections without the passion for dance they have shared over the years.

And a big thank you to our Mothers :) We would not be here with out your love and support.

"The fourth wall is the closest form of reflection. Perception is obscured and clarity can only be found in moments of observation."

Steadfast
Choreographed & Performed by Nikki Gagliano
Music: “I Would Not” by Nearly Oratorio

du(v)et
Novum Dance Collective
Choreographed by Allison Rebecca Penn
Performed by Nicole Koontz
Audio: (He’s My) Dreamboat/Connie Francis; Murmuring, Small Group of Woman (Close Up)/Authentic Sound Effects; Deceit and Betrayal/Audiomachine

A big thank you to Novum Dance Collective for the providing space and resources to create this piece. And to all my supporters ❤️ you know who you are.

Past Work

Allison's Bio

Freedom: By Any Funk Necessary: An Anthology of groove
Choreographed & Performed by Elmer Martinez
Music: Elmer Martinez

Thanks to the great feedback from the NACHMO process and all the groovers