Aishwarya Madhav presenting ‘Brahmanjali’
Alex Schmidt presenting ‘Cold Case (an excerpt)’
Bruised Pear Dance Project presenting ‘Swimming in the Sky’
C+C Dance Co. presenting ‘Golden Hour’
Krista Jansen presenting ‘Off the Cuff’
Melissa Stephanie presenting Choreomania (working title)
Umami Playground Dance Inc. presenting ‘XXXXL’
Yaroque Dance Theatre presenting ‘b,roke’

Aishwarya Madhav
Aishwarya Madhav is an Indian classical dancer and educator. Trained from the age of six in Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi, she began her solo performance debut at nine.  Since then, she has widely performed across India and the US, independently and with dance companies such as Jiva Performing Arts, at venues like 92Y, Lincoln Center, Drive East, Battery Dance and other dance festivals. Aishwarya has also conducted dance workshops for students at the American Ballet Theater, 92Y, exposing them to the technique and discipline of Indian classical dances. She currently performs and teaches in New York City.
Photo: Bhagavaturu

Alex Schmidt
Alex Schmidt began training at Next Generation Ballet and graduated from the Alonzo King LINES Ballet training program in 2017. She lives in New York City as a dancer, choreographer, and teacher. She dances with Michiyaya Dance, Valleto, and Michelle Thompson, and co-founded TWO IN SEVEN BILLION. Currently, she’s working on a new evening-length “Cold Cases,” set to premiere in December. Academically, Alex earned her Master’s in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College in 2023.
Photo: Julia Asher

Bruised Pear Dance Project
Nadia Benes, Emma Hansen, and Olivia Kleven are freelance dancers and choreographers hailing from Sacramento, Salt Lake City, and Seattle.  Following their graduation from LimónPro/Launch in 2023, Bruised Pear Dance Project was born, and has since presented work at Greenspace, Triskelion, More Fish – Show & Tell, Dance Astoria, and BLOOM Emerging Artist Festival.
Photo: Olivia Kleven

C+C Dance Co.
Claire Wagner attends Marymount Manhattan College, pursuing a degree in Dance Studies and a Business Management minor. She values storytelling and authentic expression most in the creative process and has performed works by Heather Beaster, Dawn Marie Bazemore, Bella Maisonet, Gina Menichino, and more.
Photo: Claire Wagner

Krista Jansen
As Nina Simone sets up and then tears down “My Baby Just Cares for Me” to make a playground of Bach-like references, we begin a six-person conversation being ignored. White shirts are worn, discarded, and traded, used to play and care for each other, and build a flinging, flying, solo.
Photo: Eric Bandiero

Melissa Stephanie
Melissa Stephanie Nuñez is an emerging contemporary dance choreographer born, raised, and based in New York City. She began studying dance at Marymount Manhattan College in the fall of 2022, studying classical and trains in various styles of dance such as Ballet, Modern, Jazz, and Street Styles. Melissa has performed in works and showcases such as Choreographer’s Carnival Ball, Sybarite, Fertile Ground, and performances with Marymount Manhattan College. Melissa has presented her own works in recreational, competitive, collegiate, and professional settings throughout New York City, such as Antology33 and Sybarite Productions, and is excited to expand her choreographic creativity to other audiences.
Photo: Jordan Kaya

Umami Playground Dance Inc.
Umami Playground Dance Inc. takes inspiration from everyday life. This piece celebrates oversized clothing, often loved by dancers for its comfort and flow. Using its playful, wiggly texture, the work explores creativity, movement, and the joy of making mistakes, bringing a fun, flowing energy to the stage.
Photo: Sean Chee

Yaroque Dance Theatre
Yaroque Dance Theatre is a project based company in New York City founded by Shelby Green in 2024. The company fuses various dance styles with diverse mediums, including drag, clowning, and mime, to create innovative, multidisciplinary works. Yaroque has premiered performances at The Chain Theatre in New York City, presented three works with the Royal Conservatoire of Dance in The Hague, and showcased dances films at festival all around the world.
Photo: SJ Gray (@CameraTheGray)

8 in Show is made possible, in part, with private funds from the Harkness Foundation for Dance, The Jerome Robbins Foundation, The Mertz Gilmore Foundation, and public funds from the NY State Council on the Arts with the support of Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the NY State Legislature.