Welcome! We invite you to move through our site and see all the opportunities NCCAkron creates for artists to engage with one another, their communities, the city of Akron, and the national dance ecosystem.
The National Center for Choreography - Akron (NCCAkron) supports working dance artists as they experiment, engage in the creative process, and advocate for their work and for the field.
Photo credits: Above video contains images courtesy Dale Dong Photography, Mike Crupi, and Jonny Riese
NCCAkron is turning 10!
​Thrilled to celebrate 10 years as a national hub for dance research and development, NCCAkron has redefined what it means to support artists—working with 800+ choreographers from 100 U.S. cities as they explore, experiment, and shape the future of the art form. We are launching our 10th anniversary with a 18-month celebration filled with public events, research and development residencies, and convenings on both the national and regional levels.
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Join us in celebration as we reflect on our journey and embrace the opportunity to explore, experiment with, and deepen our understanding of dance.
2025 Knight Choreography Prize Recipients
NCCAkron announces choreographers Alice Sheppard (New York, NY/Los Altos, CA) and Laurel Lawson (Atlanta, GA) of disability arts company Kinetic Light as the latest recipients of the Knight Choreography Prize. Made possible by Knight Foundation, this award is designed to support the artistic experimentation and career longevity of choreographers in the United States.
Each year NCCAkron awards a living choreographer or artist collaborative whose body of work is distinguished not only for their artistry but also for their originality of thought and impact. The award celebrates choreographers who provide significant contributions to the dance field, expand audiences for dance, and ensure the artform has a prominent place in U.S. culture.
Image Description: A moment from DESCENT. Laurel Lawson, a white person with very short cropped hair, balances above Alice Sheppard with arms spread wide, wheelchair wheels spinning. Alice, a multiracial Black woman with coffee-colored skin and short curly hair, opens her arms wide to receive Laurel in an embrace. Photo by BRITT / Jay Newman.
OUR IMPACT
NCCAkron aims to foster geographic equity and to fulfill our potential as a national center. We commit to supporting a stronger, more visibly connected network focused on research and development across the dance ecosystem.
