About the NEW dance Pieces featured in MOSAIC 2026:
“ExoFormata”
Rising from primordial darkness, bodies tear through their exoskeletons and erupt in a tempest of gnashing teeth, feral instinct, and the ruthless pull between fight and flight.
Company: Upside Dance Company
Premiere: December 2025
Choreographed by Tanya Knippelmeir in collaboration with dancers
Music: Taiko Stomp by Christophe Zurfluh, Tracked by Christophe Filippi, Permuto by Thomas Azier
Music editing: Courtney Jansen Selby
Dancers: Gianna Davy, Melissa Emilie Paris, Courtney Jansen-Selby, Tanya Knippelmeir, Allison Low, Stella Ramirez, Nina Saraceno & Jordan Tauzer-Pardo
Special thanks to Original cast who were instrumental in the creation of this piece: Julian Arango Hernández, Audrey Borloz, Gabriel Chavez Rizo, Courtney Jansen Selby , Reyna Padilla , Stella Ramirez, Nina Saraceno, Kian Reagan-Caer, Bri Holmes
“Kickturn”
(Definition-Lifting the front wheels to pivot 180 degrees on the back wheels to change direction)
Colliding two seemingly distant worlds — the grounded intimacy of Argentine tango and the airborne risk of skateboarding culture — this work unfolds within an imagined urban skate park. Against a shared concrete landscape, the piece explores rhythm, rebellion, partnership, and survival through a cast of characters who circle one another, collide, and ultimately connect.
UPside Dance Company World Premiere! March 2026
Choreographed by: Tanya Knippelmeir, in collaboration with UPside Dancers
Music: Cafe Dominguez by Angel D'agostino, Cuatro Estaciones Portenas: Otorno by Astor Piazzolla and Radek Baborak Orquestrina, Gopher Mambo by Yma Sumac and Rico Mambo Orchestra, 'Libertango' by Astor Piazzolla and The Swingle Singers
Music Editing: Courtney Jansen Selby
Dancers: Melissa Emilie Paris, Clover Geis, Laura Haugen, Courtney Jansen-Selby, Allison Low, Eva Millen,
Erin Meyers, Isaac Knolly, Stella Ramirez, Gabrial Rizo, Nina Saraceno, Greta Schoenberg & Jordan Tauzer-Pardo
Special Thanks: Zak Childers for all the skateboards!