Dance NOW! Miami History
Established in 2000 by founders and Artistic Directors Hannah Baumgarten and Diego Salterini, Dance NOW! Miami represents a dynamic fusion of collaboration and entrepreneurial spirit. Hailing from different continents, the pair united in Miami to forge an organization that now stands at the forefront of the South Florida dance community.
In 2022, Dance NOW! Miami was recognized as "Best Dance Company" by the Miami New Times. The company is in residence at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex, Sanctuary of the Arts and Miami Beach Bandshell, and hosts a diverse array of major projects each year. These include proscenium performances at South Florida’s premiere theaters, featuring original works from Baumgarten and Salterini, created both independently and in collaboration, as well as the Masterpiece in Motion series, which pays homage to the rich history of dance through the reconstruction of iconic works from the 20th and 21st centuries.
Additionally, Dance NOW! Miami offers unique and immersive experiences through its Ekphrasis Project, utilizing unconventional venues such as museums, galleries, and architectural landmarks to create unique performances tailor-made to the hosting venues. Its collaborations extend to over 260 artists and organizations, including prestigious names like New York's Limón Dance Company and Mexico City Ballet, Dança em Diálogos from Lisbon, Portugal as well as Opus Ballet from Florence, Italy.
The company continues to lead and innovate within the South Florida dance community, with notable initiatives such as the Daniel Lewis Dance Sampler, which showcases established Florida-based companies, and New Voices, which provides a platform for emerging contemporary choreographers from around the Nation. Over the years, Dance NOW! Miami has been presented in sixteen states and on three continents, captivating audiences in countries like Brazil, Italy, and Portugal.
Dance NOW! Miami remains deeply committed to education and has positively impacted the lives of over 60,000 children in South Florida through its various programs, including in-school residencies, the World Dance Summer Intensive, the Dance NOW! Youth Ensemble, and community performances at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex.
The Dance NOW! Educational programs are guided by Artistic Directors Salterini and Baumgarten. With over 60 combined years of teaching experience, the two have international reputations as educators across three continents. Both directors continue to teach at public and private institutions around the world and have worked with organizations including the Interlochen Arts Academy and Camp, the Joffrey Ballet School of New York, Florida International University, Mostra Dança, Sao Paolo, the Cincinnati Conservatory, Mercyhurst University, New World School of the Arts and the National High School Dance Festival and others; Baumgarten is a K-12 State Certified teacher and Salterini sits on the Board of the Florida Dance Education Organization.
In 2019, Dance NOW!'s apprenticeship program transformed into the Dance NOW! Youth Ensemble in collaboration with Miami Arts Charter School. This program provides mentoring, performance and scholarship opportunities for highly talented youth; past members have continued their dance education at prestigious institutions such as the AILEY/Fordham program, New World School of the Arts, Juilliard, SUNY Purchase and the Boston Conservatory and are now working professionally with organizations such as Nai Ni Chen, Jennifer Muller/the Works, Dallas Black Dance Theater, Ballet Hispanico 2, Buglisi Dance, Holland America and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines; some have even returned to Miami dance with the company and others are directors, teachers and choreographers in their own right.
During the COVID-19 crisis, DNM led the dance community with the release of the Covid(eos), a series of dance video shorts, relevant to the moment and providing new content for its audiences while continuing its artistic mission, and the company continues to create dance films alongside its in-person dance events.
Critics have described Dance NOW! as "...unabashed beauty... (Annie Hollingsworth, Artburst), "...carnal and courageous, with an impressive range of movement and motion," (Mia Leonin, Miami Art Guide), "...not only elegant and fierce, but dedicated to its community; a mature, exciting and bounds-breaking company." (Miguel Estefan, Miami Art Guide) with "...enough original vision here to make Dance NOW! worth watching more than ever...." (Jordan Levin, Miami Herald) . It is clear that Dance NOW! Miami's artistry and impact know no bounds.