Sam Amey

Sam Amey | Photo by Cathryn Farnsworth

2025 Riverside Dance Festival Residency

Originally from Kansas City, Missouri, Sam Amey is someone who has been captivated by art as a means of expression since childhood. Her journey began inside her home where she would playfully dance, sing, and perform to explore different facets of herself. She trained at Priscilla and Dana’s School of Dance and joined pre-professional dance companies Artist Revealed and Defy Dance, where her love deepened for the art’s capability to ignite authenticity in herself and others.

During her time at USC Kaufman, Sam engaged with various street and concert styles that emphasized play in her movement. She performed works by renowned choreographers, Kyle Abraham, Bret Esterling, Peter Chu, d. Sabela Grimes, and Micaela Taylor. To enhance her craft, Sam attended the B12 Performance Workshop with Akira Yoshida and Lali Ayguade’s company workshop, broadening her perspective of how dance can exist within the mundane.

Sam finds peace in capturing feelings through movement and aspires to stay open to experiences beyond dance to draw inspiration. For her, the stories we tell through movement are what makes dance a powerful medium for connection. As she grows older in herself and in this form, she hopes to keep a childlike curiosity alive.

Currently, Sam is intrigued by the interplay between the abstract and the real, seeking simplicity and depth in movement that resonates with audiences. She strives to bridge the gap between performer and viewer, creating art that reminds us we are not alone, while exploring the multiplicity of our identity through artistic expression.

@samameyy
*Photo by Cathryn Farnsworth

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)