The 2026 Dance On GATHERING celebrates aging through dance, creativity, and community across generations.
May 15-16, 2026
This year’s Dance On Gathering opens on Friday, May 15, 2026 with SPARK: Where Creativity Meets Community, a celebratory evening featuring the Dance Exchange Co|Lab program Sanctuary and honoring longtime collaborator Martha Wittman.
On Saturday, May 16, participants will engage in MOVE, MAKE, and GATHER sessions exploring creative practice, community connection, and the 40-year legacy of Still Crossing.
2026 Dance On Gathering Schedule
IN PERSON ONLY:
Dance On Gathering Kick-Off
Friday, May 15 @ 7:30pm ET
Tickets:
- included with full Gathering registration
- $25 Gathering participant ticket option - for this event only with Gathering registration
- $75 Supporter ticket option / pay-it-forward option - for this event only
Kick off the 2026 Dance On Gathering withSPARK: Where Creativity Meets Community, a celebration of those who ignite change. This opening evening honors longtime Dance Exchange collaborator Martha Wittman, this year’s Catalyst Awardee, and features a special performance of Sanctuary, a new Co|Lab work created with guest choreographer Lauren DeVera in collaboration with Co|Lab participants.
Co|Lab brings artists and community members together through embodied practice, dialogue, and reflection to create an original performance work rooted in questions of community, identity, and social relevance.
Join us in celebrating Martha Wittman’s extraordinary lifetime of artistry, teaching, and mentorship as we open the Dance On Gathering with an evening of performance, connection, and celebration.
MOVE - Saturday, May 16 @ 11:00am - 12:00pm ET
with Lauren DeVera
Class fee:
- included with full Gathering registration
- $15 Gathering participant ticket option - for this event only
Join us for a joyful movement class for all ages and abilities led by Lauren DeVera, Co|Lab guest choreographer and founder of The Lion’s Den DMV. Known for her warmth and contagious energy, Lauren invites participants into an embodied experience that opens the Dance On Gathering Saturday program and offers a glimpse into the creative process behind Sanctuary, a new Co|Lab performance project.
This session draws from the themes and movement practices of Sanctuary, centering breath, presence, and connection through guided movement and creative inquiry. Together, we begin the day grounded in our bodies and community, stepping into shared dancing and reflection that sets in motion a day of creativity, exchange, and collaboration.
MAKE - Saturday, May 16 @ 12:30 - 2:30pm ET
with Luisa Aviles, Judith Bauer, Cassie Meador, and Martha Wittman.
Class Fee:
- included with full Gathering registration
- $25 Gathering participant ticket option - for this event only
Join us for a special MAKE session marking the 40th anniversary of Still Crossing, a landmark work in Dance Exchange’s legacy choreographed by Liz Lerman. Led by Cassie Meador, Martha Wittman, and partnering artists, this workshop invites participants into embodied and creative exploration inspired by the evolving life of this work across time and communities.
Still Crossing has long asked: What do we carry with us when we cross into new places, identities, and ways of belonging? How do movement, memory, and story help us understand migration, place, and connection?
Through guided movement, reflection, and creative inquiry, participants will engage Dance Exchange’s collaborative practices of making dances as a way of listening, learning, and building community across generations.
Together, we will explore the themes and creative lineage of Still Crossing as we celebrate its continued evolution and relevance today.
ONLINE ONLY:
GATHER - Saturday, May 16 @ 4:00 - 5:15pm (via zoom)
with Liz Lerman, Cassie Meador, Vincent Thomas, and Martha Wittman.
Session Fee:
- included with full Gathering registration
- $15 Gathering participant ticket option - for this event only
Join us for a special GATHER session in conversation with Liz Lerman, Founder of Dance Exchange and choreographer of Still Crossing, as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of this landmark work.
This online gathering offers a rare opportunity to be in dialogue with Liz Lerman as we reflect on the evolution and ongoing life of Still Crossing—a work that has unfolded through intergenerational and community-based practice over nearly four decades.
Since its premiere in 1986, Still Crossing has invited people across differences of age, culture, identity, and lived experience to explore questions of migration, belonging, memory, and place. As the work has traveled across communities, it has continued to be shaped by those who have performed and engaged with it.
Together, we gather stories, reflections, and lived histories that illuminate the enduring role of dancemaking in connecting people across time and experience.
FAQs
Who should attend the Dance On Gathering?
If you’re interested in dance, aging, or creative aging, you’ll find a workshop that moves your body and sparks your interest. At this year’s Gathering you might find...
An older adult who has just started to bring dance into their life—or one just interested in the idea.
An older performer who began dancing at age 7 and another who began at 70!
A caregiver hoping to move and connect with their aging family member.
An artist working to create connection among older adults.
A local leader or city official cultivating creative health aging initiatives in their community.
A healthcare professional interested in the latest research and best practices in creative aging
Do I need to be a dancer to participate?
Not at all! The Gathering creates connections between older adults, artists, leaders in creative aging, and more—whether you call yourself a dancer or not. People of all ages, abilities, backgrounds, and experience with dance are welcome.
Is the Dance On Gathering accessible?
We're striving to make the Dance On Gathering as accessible as possible. ASL interpretation will be available by request no later than 5 days prior to the event. If ASL interpretation would support your participation or if you have other accessibility needs, please email Creative Producer Stephen Clapp at stephenc@danceexchange.org.
Can’t make it to the Gathering?
Celebrate from afar by making a donation to support our Dance On programming.