Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre announces Rooted & Rising: 26th Season Gala on Saturday, February 28, 2026 at 7PM (6PM for VIPs) at Amanda Selwyn Dance Studio, 412 Broadway, 2nd Floor, New York, NY, 10013. Tickets start at $125 and can be purchased at https://amandaselwyndance.networkforgood.com/events/89584-rooted-rising-season-gala.

Rooted & Rising is an intimate studio evening featuring performances from Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre, including excerpts of the developing work Exposed and performances by students from Lower Manhattan Community School, Notes in Motion school partner. The gala will also include hors d’oeuvres, a dance party, and live music — all in celebration of the power of dance to inspire, connect, and transform.

This year’s gala honors Celeste Terry and Deaveida Daniel, Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent, respectively, of District 18 Brooklyn, and Stephanie Seaton, Principal of District 13 Pre K Center Brooklyn. The presentation to the honorees will be followed by a live auction.

Exposed explores a raw relentlessness human drive to climb — physically, emotionally, and spiritually, and the vulnerability, vision, and courage required to transcend and rise. The dancers move from being constrained and hidden in a maze of obstacles to an unburdening, soaring with a potential of growth.

The Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre creates dynamic dance theatre that activates emotional expression. Through an interplay of athletic and articulate motion, they present theatrical and immediate works that engage audiences from start to finish and beckon a response of thought, feeling, and soul.

Notes in Motion, a vendor of NYC Department of Education, offers inclusive in-school, after-school, and community programs that teach dance styles including ballet, modern, jazz, African dance, Latin dance, hip hop, tap, musical theater, and more. Dance programs are united by Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre’s singular approach to dance education, The Movement Exchange Method, which combines technical skill-based instruction with creative expression, fostering self-discovery, risk-taking, and individual leadership. Notes in Motion provides access to the art form of dance to inspire the next generation of dance appreciators. In the last three years, the dance education programs have grown from 87 programs and 45 school partners per year to 163 programs and 75 school partners. This year, Notes in Motion brought dance to 21,000 students and delivered 6,700 program sessions throughout NYC. Programs directly benefit underserved communities who have historically faced a lack of arts education.

Amanda Selwyn (Artistic Director/Choreographer) founded Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre/Notes in Motion in 2000 and in 26 seasons, has directed over 130 productions, developed a network of artists, and created Notes in Motion’s dance education program. Amanda recently taught workshops and residencies at Peridance, Hofstra University, NYU, SUNY New Paltz, BMCC, Baruch, New Women, NY, the NY Gender Conference, and Temple University. Her work has been presented twice on Jacob’s Pillow Inside/Out, at Tribeca PAC, American Dance Guild Festival, DUMBO Dance Festival, APAP, COOL NY, Wassaic Dance, WestFest, Movement Research, Dixon Place, NYU’s Women and Theater conference, Dance Teacher Summit, and Pushing Progress. Amanda led workshops at 3 Face to Face conferences. Grants: NYSCA, Harkness Foundation, Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, Hyde and Watson Foundation, Friars Foundation, Dizzy Feet Foundation, Bronx Arts Council, DCLA, NYC Council, Manhattan Borough President, Met Life, City National Bank, Credit Suisse, and Bossak/Heilbron Foundation. Amanda participated in the Choreographer’s Lab program at Jacob’s Pillow. She has a 500-hour yoga teacher’s certification and teaches yoga privately and at Crunch Gym. She holds a Master’s degree from NYU Tisch and a B.S. from Northwestern University in theatre, women’s studies, and dance.

Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre/Notes in Motion programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. The company is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

#