Moved by War to

Heal , Educate & Advocate

"an unusual union of dance and topicality..." New York Times

PERFORMANCE

Exit12's signature full-length evening performances weave together veteran storytelling with concert dance that takes the audience through the military experience, exploring war, humanity, homecoming, and family. 

WORKSHOPS

Exit12's workshops and programs are designed to bridge gaps that often exist in our segmented world through shared movement, transforming traumatic experiences into expressive choreographic themes.

LECTURES

Exit12’s lectures communicate the transformative power of art, inspire with incredible stories, educate through contemporary and historical themes and connect with the military experience.

Mission

Exit12

Heals Educates Advocates

Exit12 is a contemporary dance company committed to creating and performing works of high cultural significance that inspire conversations about world differences and the lasting effects of violence and conflict on communities, families, and individuals.

Through movement workshops, performances, and presentations, Exit12 heals the veteran and military-connected community, educates civilians, and advocates for veterans issues.

Co-founded by US Marine Iraq War Veteran and his professional ballerina wife, Exit12 Dance Company began as a way for its founders to process their personal military experience through choreography. Today, Exit12 investigates the military experience by exploring the service member, the family, the perceived enemy, shared humanity, homecomings, and trauma.

Performances

Exit12 performances: Human impact of war - on stage.

Exit12's signature approach to public performance weaves together veteran storytelling with concert dance that takes the audience through the military experience, exploring war, humanity, homecoming, and family.

A unique element of Exit12’s work is the opportunity for workshop participants to share elements of their stories through live performance. The military-connected professional dancers then act as creative vessels to carry the more challenging participant experiences that still must be communicated to educate the audience and advocate for the veteran community.

Exit12 has performed at Walter Reed Military Medical Center, West Point Military Academy, Lincoln Center, Stanford University, The Dibden Center For the Arts, The Landon School, Nashoba Regional High School, EKU’s Military Arts Symposium, at the James J. Peters VA Medical Center in New York City, and performs yearly on the deck of the USS Intrepid in honor of Memorial Day.  

Programs

Repurposing movement; transforming trauma.

Exit12's workshops and programs are designed to bridge cultural gaps and connect participants through shared movement, to transform traumatic experiences into expressive choreographic themes, and to inspire participants to push beyond their comfort zones.

Our veteran-civilian movement workshops workshops engage participants in creative movement expression and teamwork that improves self-esteem, social connectedness, resilience, and reintegration into civilian life.

Workshops may lead to a public performance or an informal showing with group participants..

Company

EXIT12's artists are unique in their passion for social impact and are committed to the mission of connecting with the human spirit through art.

EXIT12's artists have performed on the steel deck of the USS Intrepid Air, Sea, and Space Museum, on the concrete stage at Eastern Kentucky University, in front of audiences committed to art and healing at Walter Reed Military Medical Center, for the next generation of leaders at West Point Military Academy, on many stages including Lincoln Center in NYC, and in classrooms and lecture halls of elementary schools, high schools, and universities.

Photo and Video Gallery

Learn more about Exit12 through:

Photos

of Exit 12 in action from leading photographers in the field

Video

of choreography, collaborations, and performances

Media

interviews, news spots, and mini-documentaries

Press

Exit12 Dance Company has been profiled by The Village Voice, The New York Times, CNN, The Daily Beast, NBCUniversal, The National Endowment for the Arts Quarterly Magazing, Pointe Magazine, NPR’s All Things Considered, American Public Media and Reuters.

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