Christin Hanna is the Artistic Director of the Lake Tahoe Dance Collective and in 2013,along with Constantine Baecher, launched the Lake Tahoe Dance Festival. The Collective’s mission statement reads “To promote classical, modern and contemporary dance of the finest quality in the Lake Tahoe area through performance, education and outreach, enriching the community as a whole and as a cultural destination.” That goal has been reached as the Collective’s Lake Tahoe Dance Festival will present its 14th annual festival July 21-24, 2026, featuring artists from New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Broadway, Boston Ballet, Houston Ballet, and more.
The festival begins with an opening night gala in Incline Village followed by Kings Beach Community Night, Tahoe City Community Night, and a closing night gala in William B. Layton Park. For more information and to purchase tickets, click HERE
Artists featured at the 2026 Lake Tahoe Dance Festival include Sierra Armstrong and Andrew Robare (American Ballet Theatre); Lia Cirio and Paul Craig (Boston Ballet); Taylor Stanley, Indiana Woodward, and Daniel Ulbricht (New York City Ballet); Stephen Hanna (New York City Ballet/Broadway); and Melody Mennite (Houston Ballet). See bio information below.
Amber Neff and Dwayne Brown – Lake Tahoe Dance Festival 2025 – Photo by Jen Schmidt.
SPECIAL PROGRAMS:
Opening Night Benefit Gala
Tuesday, July 21, 2026 at 5pm at Private Residence, Incline Village
Celebrate the 14th Annual Lake Tahoe Dance Festival at the Opening Night Benefit in Incline Village—an elegant lakeside evening featuring a live performance, abundant wine, and plentiful hors d’oeuvres by celebrated chef Alex Tolger, with opportunities to support this beloved nonprofit organization. Seating provided.
Kings Beach Community Night
Wednesday, July 22, 2026 at 6pm at Kings Beach State Recreation Area
Lake Tahoe Dance Festival believes strongly in making sure that the finest in dance is accessible to the whole community. Join Community Night in Kings Beach, where all tickets are just $35!
Tahoe City Community Night
Thursday, July 23, 2025 at 6pm at William B. Layton Park, Tahoe City
Bring your friends & family, a picnic blanket or chair, and enjoy this evening of dance and community in Tahoe City, tickets only $35!
Closing Night Gala
Friday, July 24, 2026 at 6pm at William B. Layton Park
The Lake Tahoe Dance Festival’s Closing Night Gala celebrates bringing the finest in Dance to the shore of Lake Tahoe! Artists from New York City Ballet, Broadway, Boston Ballet and more grace the stage following the pre-performance reception with food, wine, and silent auction. In addition to our stage performance, artists from AkaMya Culture Group will share native dances of celebration and community on the shore of Lake Tahoe.
Amber Neff and Dwayne Brown – Lake Tahoe Dance Festival 2025 – Photo by Jen Schmidt.
The Gala Performance Program Includes:
The Leaves Are Fading by Antony Tudor
Dancers: Sierra Armstrong & Andrew Robare
This delicately nuanced pas de deux is a reflection on love and the bittersweet beauty of the passing of life. As Summer drifts into Autumn we are reminded of the many seasons of our own lives, and how the melancholic beauty of falling blossoms and fading leaves can be seen as a greater metaphor of the infinite nature of life itself.
Shadow Lovers by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa
Dancers: Stephen Hanna & Melody Mennite
Shadow Lovers is choreographed by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and set to music by Henry Purcell, with costumes by Mark Zappone. The work explores themes of loss and grief, tracing how the absence of a loved one endures even as grief itself evolves over time, revealing a shifting emotional landscape shaped by memory and presence.
Rubies (Excerpt – Pas de Deux) by George Balanchine
Dancers: Indiana Woodward & Daniel Ulbricht
Choreographed by George Balanchine as part of his landmark 1967 ballet Jewels, Rubies is set to the electrifying score of Igor Stravinsky and embodies a bold, distinctly American energy—playful, jazzy, and sharply modern. At its center, the pas de deux captures this spirit with virtuosic technique and syncopated musicality, blending classical precision with a flirtatious, offbeat edge. Created for iconic dancers such as Patricia McBride and Edward Villella, it offers a dynamic portrait of partnership that is both dazzling and delightfully irreverent.
Indiana Woodward and Daniel Ulbricht – Lake Tahoe Dance Festival 2025 – Photo by Jen Schmidt.
Sarong Paramaribo by Lester Horton
Dancer: Kristina Berger
Premiered in 1950 in Los Angeles, Sarong Paramaribo is a striking solo by Lester Horton set to music by Les Baxter. Performed here by Kristina Berger, the only remaining artist from this direct lineage, the work continues through her stewardship as it has been passed down by earlier generations of influential dance artists. The costume, reconstructed from the original design by Donald Martin, reflects this lineage and preserves a key visual element of the ballet’s history.
Herman Schmerman (pas de deux) by William Forsythe
Dancers: Lia Cirio & Paul Craig
An excerpt from Herman Schmerman highlights the distinctive voice of William Forsythe, whose innovative approach to choreography has expanded the boundaries of classical ballet. The work reflects his signature style, combining technically demanding movement with a sense of energy, wit, and playfulness. The ballet is set to “Herman Schmerman” by Thom Willems and is punctuated with dancers in vibrant yellow Versace costumes.
“I first heard that phrase [‘Herman Schmerman’] used by Steve Martin in the film Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid. I think it’s a lovely title that means nothing. The ballet means nothing, too. It’s a piece about dancing that will be a lot of fun. It’s just…talented dancers dancing around—and that’s good, isn’t it?” –William Forsythe
Apollo (pas de deux) by George Balanchine
Dancers: Taylor Stanley & Indiana Woodward
The Apollo pas de deux is an iconic, neoclassical duet choreographed by George Balanchine in 1928, set to Igor Stravinsky’s score. It features Apollo and the muse of dance, Terpsichore, in a “conversation” known for its intricate, mirrored movements and a famous “swimming” lift, showcasing a young god’s discovery of art and love.
AkaMya Culture Group Offering (Friday only)
Artists: Sage Romero, Caitlin, and Kaelene
AkaMya Culture Group Artists Sage Romero, Caitlin Ashmore, and Kaelene Ashmore will share hoop dance and songs in honor and respect of the WaSheShuItDeh place and people. Their offering is shared in recognition of this land and its ancestors, with the intention of opening the space in a good way.
Taylor Stanley – Lake Tahoe Dance Festival 2025 – Photo by Jen Schmidt.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Lia Cirio was the co-founder of Cirio Collective, where she serves as the Assistant to the Artistic Director, as well as a dancer. In 2018, Cirio made her choreographic debut with Sta(i)r(e)s during BB@home: ChoreograpHER. In 2019, she choreographed Lenore for the second ChoreograpHER installment, as well as …the peppermint wind for Boston Ballet School’s Next Generation. She choreographed Chesire for Ballet Academy East in New York City and will be choreographing world premieres for Festival Ballet Rhode Island and Boston Ballet’s mainstage ChoreograpHER program in 2022. At 16, Cirio was invited by Mikko Nissinen to join Boston Ballet II. She was promoted to Boston Ballet’s corps de ballet in 2004, to second soloist in 2006, and to soloist in 2007. To read Cirio’s full biography, click HERE.
Paul Craig joined Boston Ballet II in 2007, was promoted to corps de ballet in 2008, and to second soloist in 2014. He was promoted to soloist during the 2015–2016 season and to principal dancer in 2017. His Boston Ballet repertoire includes August Bournonville’s Pas de Six, Val Caniparoli’s Lady of the Camellias (Gaston), Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot’s (adapted by Larissa Ponomarenko) Giselle (Hilarion), John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet (Paris, Tybalt) and Onegin (Prince Gremin), Ivan Liška’s Le Corsaire(Konrad), and Leonid Yakobson’s Vestris. To read Craig’s full biography, click HERE.
Stephen Hanna was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He entered the School of American Ballet (SAB), the official school of New York City Ballet, in the fall of 1992. Mr. Hanna became an apprentice with New York City Ballet in 1997, and later that year he joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet. Mr. Hanna was promoted to the rank of soloist in February 2004, and in January 2005, he was promoted to principal dancer. In 2008, Stephen appeared in the original Broadway cast of Billy Elliott the Musical, and has since appeared in On the Town, An American in Paris, and most recently Hello, Dolly! on Broadway, as well as in The Piano Upstairs with Alessandra Ferri. Find out more about Hanna at his Instagram page.
Stephen Hanna and Melody Mennite – Lake Tahoe Dance Festival 2025 – Photo by Jen Schmidt.
In September 2009, Taylor Stanley became an apprentice with New York City Ballet (NYCB), joining the corps de ballet in 2010. They were promoted to soloist in 2013 and principal dancer in 2016. Taylor received the Mae L. Wien Award for Outstanding Promise in 2009 and the Janice Levin Award in 2011–2012. Since joining NYCB, Taylor has originated roles in works by Justin Peck, Alexei Ratmansky, Peter Martins, and Christopher Wheeldon, and has danced featured roles in classics by George Balanchine (Apollo, Agon, Serenade, Jewels, Square Dance) and Jerome Robbins (Opus 19/The Dreamer, The Goldberg Variations, Moves, N.Y. Export: Opus Jazz). To read Stanley’s full biography, click HERE.
Daniel Ulbricht became an apprentice with New York City Ballet in December 2000, and in November 2001 he joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet. In January 2005, Mr. Ulbricht was promoted to the rank of soloist and principal dancer in May 2007. During his time there, he has danced featured roles in a number of Balanchine, Robbins, Martins, and Wheeldon ballets including George Balanchine’s Prodigal Son, Tarantella, Stars and Stripes, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Mozartiana, Nutcracker, Symphony in 3, and The Steadfast Tin Soldier; Jerome Robbins’ Fancy Free, Interplay, Suite of Dances, and Four Seasons; and Peter Martins’ Jeu de Cartes, Hallelujah Junction, Eight More, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, and Romeo + Juliet, among many others. To read Ulbricht’s full biography, click HERE.
Melody Mennite, a Santa Cruz native, trained at Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy. She joined Houston Ballet at 17 and was promoted to Principal in 2008, retiring after a distinguished 23-season career. Melody performed leading roles in classical and contemporary works by Balanchine, Kylian, Wheeldon, Tharp, and Forsythe, and originated numerous roles by Stanton Welch and others. She is also an accomplished choreographer and co-founder of REACH, a project supporting arts education through new choreography. Melody teaches at Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and continues to choreograph and teach nationwide. To learn more about Mennite, click HERE.
Indiana Woodward was born in Paris, France and began her dance training at the age of ten at the Yuri Grigoriev School of Ballet in Venice, California. Ms. Woodward began studying at the School of American Ballet (SAB), the official school of New York City Ballet, during the 2010 summer course and enrolled as a full-time student that fall. In August 2012, she became an apprentice with NYCB and joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet in December 2012. Ms. Woodward was promoted to principal in October 2021. Ms. Woodward is a recipient of the 2016 Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award and the 2016 Clive Barnes Foundation Award. In 2010, she won first place in the Bolshoi Ballet Academy Summer Intensive in New York City and was invited to perform at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy gala in Moscow. To learn more about Woodward, click HERE.
Kristina Berger is an internationally acclaimed dancer, teacher, and choreographer with more than 30 years of experience performing and teaching around the world. A former scholarship student at The School at Jacob’s Pillow, she later returned as a performer and assistant to legendary director Milton Myers. Her career spans an extraordinary range of work, from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus to Principal Dancer with The Erick Hawkins Dance Company, performances of Lester Horton works on stages including Jazz at Lincoln Center and The Kennedy Center, and appearances with Molissa Fenley & Company, The Washington Opera Ballet, and The Ballery Ensemble in Berlin. She was also the first Western woman to perform the virtuoso solo “Hanuman The Monkey King” in Bali, Indonesia and internationally with BALAM Dance Theatre and Semara Ratih. You can follow Berger on her Instagram page.
For more information about the Lake Tahoe Dance Festival and to purchase tickets, please visit their website.
Written and compiled by Jeff Slayton for LA Dance Chronicle with information from Michelle Tabnick Public Relations.
Featured image: Melody Mennite and Stephen Hanna, Lake Tahoe Dance Festival 2025 – Photo by Jen Schmidt.
