On a bitterly cold Veterans Day, Exit12 Dance Company made history as the first dance company ever to perform at the 106th Annual New York City Veterans Day Parade, the largest Veterans Day event in the United States. Performing We Are America before thousands lining Fifth Avenue, Exit12 brought movement, meaning, and emotional resonance to a national moment of remembrance and reflection during a year that commemorated the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, and Navy.

Sunday November 2, 2026 marked the powerful Columbus debut of Everett’s Peace, expanded and reimagined in collaboration with the exceptional artists of Columbus Modern Dance Company (CoMo Dance) as part of LoCoMotion 2025, a first-of-its-kind bus tour bringing contemporary dance into unexpected public spaces across the city.

As one of seven featured choreographers, our Artistic Director Roman Baca premiered the newest iteration of Everett’s Peace within the tour’s centerpiece event at the National Veterans Memorial and Museum (NVMM). Audience members began their journey at the Columbus Main Library before traveling together by bus to performances at East Market, the Lincoln Theatre, the NVMM, and the Grange Insurance Audubon Center.

Life gets heavy. Sometimes you have to take a knee, reset, breathe. But you can’t stay down forever. You stand, you carry, you keep moving. That’s healing. That’s resilience.

That’s the message I took to the United Nations last month when my contemporary dance company, Exit12, was honored to present at the General Assembly’s Healing Arts Week Research Symposium, Re-Imagining Health Through the Arts in New York. Exit12 uses movement workshops, performances, and presentations to help heal the veteran and military-connected community, educate civilians, and advocate for veteran issues.

Exit12 Dance Company completed a deeply impactful and community-centered artistic residency and performance tour in Missoula, Montana, presented in partnership with Westside Theater, Red Willow, and Rocky Mountain Ballet Theater. Rooted in our mission to use dance to spark dialogue about war, peace, and shared humanity, this residency brought together veterans, service members, military families, Indigenous community members, students, local artists, and Missoula residents for a transformative week of movement, storytelling, and performance.

Exit12 Dance Company traveled to the Lebanon VA Medical Center to facilitate an Exit12 Movement Workshop in collaboration with the recreational therapy team, followed by a small performance for veterans and staff. The program engaged 20 veteran participants, many of whom are long-term residents at the VA and several of whom were wheelchair users.

The workshop was designed to foster connection, expression, and community through movement, with exercises emphasizing mirroring, trust, teamwork, and creative participation. 

The performance component offered the veterans and staff an opportunity to experience professional dance while reflecting on shared humanity, camaraderie, and resilience.

On May 30, 2025, Exit12 Dance Company partnered with the Intrepid Museum to present our third annual Stories of War—a compelling evening of dance, music, and storytelling held in honor of Memorial Day. The performance was the culmination of an eight-week movement workshop series with a diverse group of veterans, military-connected individuals, and artists. Through collaborative creation, participants translated their experiences of war, service, transition, and healing into powerful artistic expression.

Exit12 Dance Company held a powerful three-day workshop with DC-based veterans & military-connected individuals, culminating in a performance at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., in partnership with the Daughters of the American Revolution, CreatiVets, the Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP), and renowned tenor & veteran Jesús Daniel Hernández with guitarist Michael Bard. The event had over 500 RSVPs and nearly 300 audience members in-person, including military families, veterans, civilian supporters, and key representatives from national veteran service organizations and institutions. This project was a remarkable example of community collaboration, artistic excellence, and the healing potential of storytelling through dance.

After Action Report on Exit12 Dance Company's Trip to Cuba with Ballet Beyond Borders and Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba

January 6-12, 2025

In 2022, Exit12 received an inaugural Creative Forces Community Engagement grant to support its workshop series. In 2023, this program culminated in a public performance on the Intrepid Museum in New York City, housed on the WWII aircraft carrier Intrepid. Participants showcased what they learned to a thrilled audience of friends, family, and supporters. The first-hand stories of the veterans shared here show how the arts can be a powerful tool for healing and transformation.