Backhausdance was founded in 2003 and with hard work, talent and persistence, Artistic Director/Choreographer Jennifer Backhaus and everyone involved has cultivated Backhausdance into a dynamic and highly professional company. The concert at the Martha B. Knoebel Dance Theatre on Saturday, March 28, 2026 featured four very highly skilled works by four choreographers, each presenting the audience with their own unique vision. Those dance artists were Zak Ryan Schlegel, Tommie-Waheed Evans, Megan Doheny & Ilya Nikurov, and Jennifer Backhaus & Amanda Kay White.
Backhausedance in “Four Winds” by Zak Ryan Schlegel – Photo by Adrien Padilla.
Zak Ryan Schlegel is currently the rehearsal director and performer with Shen Wei Dance Arts, creative director of cross-genre salon CONGRESS (Legalizedance) and educator at The Joffrey Ballet School, Zeitgeist Dance Theatre and CLI Conservatory. Looking at who Schlegel is working with, his dance titled “Four Winds” (2026) was a total surprise. Throughout the entire piece, four dancers who began lying on the floor in what resembled a stationary caterpillar, moved in close proximity and completely connected either by physically touching or movement theme-wise.
The dance was everything our current world is not. “Four Winds” was serene, connected, focused, and working toward the common good of everyone involved. Each movement related to the next, helped expand that person’s environment without ever losing their original relationships. It was everything one wished our world could be.
My only complaint with “Four Winds” is that it felt unfinished; like Schlegel had more to say but for some reason chose to remain silent.
The dancers included Kira Bartoli-Lemon, Katie Natwick, Kaitlin Regan, and Zachary Medina.
The very powerful music for “Four Winds” was composed by Kelly Moran. The appropriate but ill-fitting costumes were designed by Jennifer Deck and the sometimes stark but mysterious lighting was designed by Stacy Fireheart.
Backhausedance in “Everywhere, But Here” by Tommie-Waheed Evans – Photo by Adrien Padilla.
Los Angeles-born, queer Black dancemaker, Tommie-Waheed Evans took the audience in the opposite direction with his 2022 work “Everywhere, But Here”. The piece was high energy, dancers almost constantly shifting formations and keeping this review alert for what came next. Group sections worked independently of solos; dancers filling the stage working in duets, trios, and more, with different but totally relatable movement phrases. Amid all this movement, my eye was constantly drawn to Samantha Waugh who possessed a very strong stage presence on top of her beautiful dancing.
Evans has a great sense of space, time, and dynamics, and his unison work was spot on—sometimes with a brief phrase moving in canon only to return to unity. I was reminded of my time in New York City during rush hour. Hundreds of people walking on the streets, each going to their separate destinations alone or in small groups while never crashing. Some head down into the subway, others streaming out of that same set of stairs, moving as one, but alone.
“Everywhere, But Here” made me very happy that I was there.
The extremely talented dancers were Samuel DeAngelo, Anne Elise Garrison, Mo Goodfellow, Sophia Lang, Zachary Medina, Dakota Merritt, Katie Natwick, Kaitlin Regan, Kyle Schrader, and Samantha Waugh.
The music for “Everywhere, But Here” was a mixture of different songs, beginning and ending with I Only Have Eyes for You by The Flamingos. The costumes that gave each dancer their individual look were designed by Elizabeth Cox, and Stacy Fireheart again excelled as Lighting Designer.
Following intermission, Fireheart’s lighting transported the viewer to yet another world. “Never Enders” (2026) was created by Megan Doheny and Ilya Nikurov, former dancers with Israel’s renowned Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company (KCDC) for a total of 9 seasons and currently creative partners of Outrun The Bear.
“Never Enders” was also very high energy at times and the choreography was filled with wonderful lifts, groupings and movement surprises. But here, there was definitely a clearer sense of emotional connection between the characters—someone not feeling a part of the group, while another person attempted to create a wedge between relationships. A clear sign of strong coaching and discussion between creators and performers was evident. While the dancers were busy accomplishing the intricate and physically challenging choreography, their personas remained rock solid.
Another strong element of this work was the original score composed by Dylan Tedaldi with the same title, “Never Enders,” along with “Spiegel im Spiegel” by Arvo Pärt and Derek Gripper. Each score aided the viewer’s ability to envision the various environments created by Doheny and Nikurov.
Although the costumes were designed to look like street clothes, designer Jennifer Deck’s chosen color palette was beautifully thought out and they appeared comfortable to dance in.
The cast of “Never Enders” included Samuel DeAngelo, Anne Elise Garrison, Mo Goodfellow, Sophia Lang, Kyle Schrader, and Samantha Waugh.
Backhausedance in “Multitudes” by Jennifer Backhaus and Amanda Kay White – Photo by Adrien Padilla.
Jennifer Backhaus & Amanda Kay White’s multi-layered “Multitudes” (2026) was the perfect closer for the evening. When one might think that the dancers were worn out (especially since they also had a matinee performance) they burst forth with fresh energy and their signature clarity of movement execution.
“Multitudes” shifted through several worlds and the gorgeous costumes by Jennifer Deck and lighting by Stacy Fireheart changed with and reflected each situation. In a video before the work began, Backhaus stated that she and White decided to take movement from earlier pieces and rework them to fit this dance. Although I have seen several concerts of Backhausdance, I did not pick out recognizable sections, making it seem like a new work.
What Backhaus and White did, however, was create a powerful combination of pure movement blended with emotions, situations, individuality, and wonderful choreography that showcased the diverse talents and personalities of their dancers.
Those very talented performers were Kira Bartoli-Lemon, Samuel DeAngelo, Anne Elise Garrison, Mo Goodfellow, Sophia Lang, Zachary Medina, Dakota Merritt, Katie Natwick, Kaitlin Regan, Kyle Schrader, and Samantha Waugh.
If you missed this performance, Backhausdance will perform it again on April 18, 2026 at the L.A. Dance Project studios, 2245 E Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90021. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit Backhausdance’s Events page.
Written by Jeff Slayton for LA Dance Chronicle.
Featured image: Backhausedance in “Never Enders” by Megan Doheny and Ilya Nikurov – Photo by Adrien Padilla.
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Fabulous review! Fabulous company! Thank you!