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25 to Watch Live 2025: A Night of Electric Talent—and Community

May 1, 2025

On April 28, Dance Magazine’s third annual 25 to Watch Live provided a burst of springtime energy as artists from a range of genres and locations gathered for an evening of dance and community. The James and Martha Duffy Performance Space at Mark Morris Dance Center in Brooklyn, New York, bubbled with excitement as friends, colleagues, mentors, and dance enthusiasts witnessed a unique performance showcasing 13 of our 2025 “25 to Watch” picks.

Tap dancer and Trinity Irish Dance Company member Francisco Lemus kicked things off with his Sentimientos Divididos, a fiery blend of tap and Irish hard shoe, with live accompaniment by fiddler Jake James. Then, Circle O founder and artistic director Kayla Hamilton, with longtime collaborator Nicole Y. McClam, guided the audience through a disability-aesthetic–centered movement practice using audio description, and BalletMet’s Miguel Wansing Lorrio whirled and eddied through the “Autumn” solo from Edwaard Liang’s Seasons. Choreographer and dancer Genna Moroni, who is also artistic director of Los Angeles–based G.U.M. Collective, presented her THAT’S LIFE (a solo from her evening-length calling from the void), danced with abandon by Aika Doone; freelance dancer Rachel Lockhart shed light on her versatility in her and Starla Edwards’ If The Walls Could Speak; and independent choreographer Julia Antinozzi’s Movements for Five, performed by Sienna Blaw, Paulina Meneses, Dasol Kim, and Kelsey Saulnier, offered a reflective slice of postmodernism.

  • Francisco Lemus balances for a moment on the tops of his Irish hard shoes, his arms pumping with momentum as he does speedy footwork. He wears a white shirt and black slacks.
    Francisco Lemus in his Sentimientos Divididos. Photo by Emma Zordan.
  • Nicole Y. McClam holds papers and microphone as she describes Kayla Hamilton's dancing onstage. Hamilton moves forward, pushing outward with her arms with palms flexed and facing out.
    Kayla Hamilton and Nicole Y. McClam in Hamilton’s Untitled. Photo by Emma Zordan.
  • Miguel Wansing Lorrio does a lofty sauté onstage, one leg lifted gently in a low arabesque. He throws his arms upward in a "V" and his costume, tan shorts and a rust-colored flowy top, shimmers.
    Miguel Wansing Lorrio in the “Autumn” solo from Edwaard Liang’s Seasons. Photo by Emma Zordan.
  • Aika Doone moves forward on forced-arch, bending back at the hips slightly as she extends her arms front-side with her wrists rotated up. She wears a long white, uneven dress that billows around her.
    Aika Doone in Genna Moroni’s THAT’S LIFE (from Moroni’s calling from the void). Photo by Emma Zordan.
  • Rachel Lockhart wears a velvety red jumpsuit onstage, standing wide-legged as she pushes outward with her arms, palms flexed to the sides.
    Rachel Lockhart in her and Starla Edwards’ If The Walls Could Speak. Photo by Emma Zordan.
  • In dim lighting onstage, four dancers form a tableau while dancing. One dancer extends her arm upward, lunging sideways, while another kneels and reaches up and to the side with her arm. The remaining two dancers are caught just as they transfer their weight to walk backward after progressing forward.
    Sienna Blaw, Paulina Meneses, Dasol Kim, and Kelsey Saulnier in Julia Antinozzi’s Movements for Five. Photo by Emma Zordan.

A string of self-choreographed pieces followed: Philadelphia Ballet corps member Mayfield Myers danced with sparkling lightness in her Dvořák Divertissement; freelance contemporary dancer Kendall Ramirez shared an intimate study of grief and change in their time surely, a mother; Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Isaiah Day slinked, pounced, and tore through space in his Longcat; and Jasmine Hearn, an independent dancer and choreographer, tapped into legacy and collective memory in their haunting Spirit: we’re on the way. Then, Pacific Northwest Ballet corps member Melisa Guilliams vividly conjured the Capulet ball in Juliet’s variation from Jean Christophe-Maillot’s Romeo et Juliette, and Whim W’Him’s Kyle Sangil seamlessly blended breaking with contemporary in his Pagbabago. Contemporary dance troupe Primera Generación Dance Collective capped off the night with their electrifying Accumulation (a condensed section from their evening-length NOStalgia POP), danced with zest and pure joy by PGDC members Alfonso Abraham Cervera, Irvin Manuel Gonzalez, and Rosa Rodriguez-Frazier, with guest artist Elizabeth Villalobos.

  • Mayfield Meyers does a piqué arabesque en pointe wearing a dark blue costume, a short dress with jewels at the top.
    Mayfield Myers in her Dvořák Divertissement. Photo by Emma Zordan.
  • Kendall Ramirez balances on one leg on relevé, the other tucked up in a parallel passé. Their back arm reaches up as their other bends up and in, fingers resting gently on their mouth.
    Kendall Ramirez in their time surely, a mother. Photo by Emma Zordan.
  • Isaiah Day planks on the floor, one leg tucked up in a rotated passé, his leg parallel to the floor, as he arches up with his chest.
    Isaiah Day in his Longcat. Photo by Emma Zordan.
  • Jasmine Hearn sweeps in a loose renversé, arms flowing around their head. Their light yellow dress billows in the air.
    Jasmine Hearn in their Spirit: we’re on the way. Photo by Emma Zordan.
  • Melisa Guilliams does a sweeping arabesque en pointe, arms lifted in a high first arabesque. She wears a glimmering gold dress that flows with her movement.
    Melisa Guilliams in Juliet’s variation from Jean Christophe-Maillot’s Romeo et Juliette. Photo by Emma Zordan.
  • Kyle Sangil balances on one bent leg on forced arch, his other leg extended in a loose parallel attitude straight out from his hip. He reaches in the other directions with his arms as they push down.
    Kyle Sangil in his Pagbabago. Photo by Emma Zordan.
  • Four dancers in bright, peppy street clothing dance together in a close clump onstage. Their faces are expressive, and two crouch down as the other two stand.
    Irvin Manuel Gonzalez, Elizabeth Villalobos, Rosa Rodriguez-Frazier, and Alfonso Abraham Cervera in Primera Generación Dance Collective’s Accumulation (from their NOStalgia POP). Photo by Emma Zordan.

The ethos of the night was best described by former Dance Theatre of Harlem artistic director Virginia Johnson after the performance: “It feels like a new age is dawning.” Thank you to everyone who joined us for 25 to Watch Live and made the event possible, including sponsors Gibney Company, Jacob’s Pillow, Philadelphia Ballet, University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and University of Southern California Glorya Kaufman School of Dance.

25 to watch Aika Doone Alfonso Abraham Cervera circle o Dasol Kim edwaard liang Elizabeth Villalobos Francisco Lemus Genna Moroni gum collective Isaiah Day Jake James jasmine hearn jean-christophe maillot Julia Antinozzi Kelsey Saulnier Kendall Ramirez mark morris dance center Melisa Guilliams Nicole Y.McClam pacific northwest ballet paulina meneses Primera Generación Dance Collective Rosa Rodriguez-Frazier Sienna Blaw Starla Edwards trinity irish dance company whim w'him