Carmel Dance Festival’s fellowship program wraps up with two days of performances.

Professional contemporary dance is not necessarily what Monterey County is known for. Such a niche form of art tends to thrive in larger, more urban settings. But the Carmel Dance Festival fellowship program for emerging choreographers and dancers has been successful since 2021, largely thanks to Lillian Barbeito, founder of both the festival and the professional dance group Ballare Carmel, of which she is the artistic director.

While the hard work of the choreographers and the dancers takes place in the privacy of secluded spaces, indoor and outdoor, the community can enjoy the fruits of these labors. In this case it’s a two-day showcase, the culmination of the Dance & Choreography Fellowship Program.

The group of three choreographers, 20 dancers and guests gathers for nine days to rehearse intensively. They come from all over the world. Each of the choreographers – in this case Leandro Damasco Jr., Rachel Harris and Hassan Syed – create a piece under guidance of an invited mentor. This year that mentor is New York City–based choreographer Sidra Bell, who will also be creating her own work.

While the dancers apply to the program each year, the choreographers are selected by a committee. Barbeito believes that relying on nominations is the way to go.

“That’s what it takes to make it in the arts,” she says, emphasizing that an ability to pitch and get endorsements is a big part of the program – which also comes with six hours of rehearsals each day. “These are the voices that represent the next generation of dance artistry,” she adds, describing the selected choreographers.

Each show starts with a screening of an award-winning dance film, By The Sea, brought by Edd Arnold of Tanztheater Wuppertal in Germany. (Arnold also choreographed the finale piece in the program.)

In addition to three pieces created by the program’s choreographers, the audience will see Bell’s dance, performed by Ballare Carmel (the dancers come from New York City and the Bay Area) and a number pitched by one of the young dance fellows, Merel Bastiaans from the Netherlands.

Carmel Dance Festival’s 4th Annual Dance & Choreography Fellowship Showcase - 7:30pm Saturday, Jan. 3; 2pm Sunday, Jan. 4. Hidden Valley Music Seminars, 104 W. Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley. $40/suggested donation; $100/VIP. carmeldancefestival.org/fellowshipshowcase.