Dawson Walker

2025 Riverside Dance Festival Residency, 2024 World Premieres, Fall 2023 Creative Residency

Dawson Walker is a dedicated professional with a passion for contemporary movement, creation, and interdisciplinary dance theatre performance. With 17 years of training, he has honed his expertise in contemporary, ballet, jazz, and modern. As a pre professional, he studied under the direction of Dmitri Kulev and Jessie Riley performing works by Brett Easterling, Spenser Theberge, Micaela Taylor, Lucy Vallely, and Corey John Snyde. After completing his education at Orange County School of the Arts he studied abroad at Nuova Officina de la Danza in Italy, training and working with notable artists such as Tom Weinberger, Ella Rothschild, Bryan Arias, Jonathan Frederickson, Micheal Getman, Doug Letheren, and Matan David.

Since then Dawson has become a performing resident artist with Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Company, being involved in works by Jamila Glass, Spenser Theberge, Mario Glez, Myles Lavallee, Idoia Rodriguez, and Jillian Meyers. Additionally, Dawson has toured with Micaela Taylor’s TL Collective performing her astounding work “Blue Nav”. In 2025, he attended Springboard Danse Pittsburgh, dancing in works by Laja Field and Bryan Arias.

@dawsonwalkurr
*Photo by Megan Kyle Allen

After 20 years of artistic creation and community engagement, L.A. Contemporary Dance concludes its journey as an organization as of January 9, 2026.

Founded to showcase dance in Los Angeles, LACDC evolved into a home for collective artistry where performances were crafted by choreographers and dancers alongside playwrights, composers, designers, filmmakers, photographers, stage managers, technicians — an incredible team whose imaginative work gave shape and emotional depth to our repertory. These collaborations brought contemporary dance to life in ways that were bold, explorative, expressive, and accessible.

Through live events, digital experiences, and educational programming, LACDC cultivated environments rooted in curiosity, belonging, and learning without judgment. The organization consistently asked how contemporary dance might better reflect and serve the community around it, valuing discovery over mastery and process alongside performance.

This vision was made possible thanks to the creativity and leadership of our Artistic Directors, Executive Directors, Managing Directors, and Company Staff:

Artistic Leadership

Kate Hutter Mason — Artistic Director & Co-founder (2005–2015)
Genevieve Carson — Artistic Director (2016–2020)
Jamila Glass — Artistic Director (2021–2025)

Executive & Managing Leadership

Michelle Jolly — Executive Director & Co-founder (2005–2009)
Lauren Dragicevich — Managing Director (2009–2013)
Eva Angeloff — Managing Director (2013–2018)
Napoleon Gladney — Executive Director (2019–2025)

We are profoundly grateful to all who have left their fingerprints on the organization. This work would not have been possible without the support of our board members, donors, producers, presenters, community partners, volunteers, students, audiences, friends, and family — all who believed in this work. You made it possible.

While LACDC as an organization is closing, the values we cultivated continue forward through the relationships formed here and in all of you.

To anyone considering starting a company or pursuing a dream project — do it. Start now. Don’t wait for the opportunity; be the opportunity. We need your voice and creative work more than ever.

Thank you for being part of this extraordinary journey.

L.A. Contemporary Dance
(2005–2025)