Founded in Washington, D.C., EXHALE Dance Company is a 501(C)(3) non-profit and is a new kind of professional home for newly graduated dancers — created by a dancer, for dancers.
We are the first professional company dedicated exclusively to new graduates — dancers within their first two years out of college — who are ready to transform their training into artistry, and their passion into a career.
At EXHALE, we believe every dancer deserves the chance to breathe, move, and become. Our multidisciplinary repertory — spanning modern, contemporary, jazz, ballet, hip-hop, and African dance — reflects both the diversity of today’s dance landscape and the shared language of movement that connects us all.
EXHALE isn’t a school. It isn’t an apprenticeship. It’s a real professional company — a launchpad where newly graduated dancers earn a living doing what they love, while building the confidence, experience, and community to thrive in the professional world.
OUR PURPOSE
Pathways: Launch professional careers for dancers within two years of graduation.
Sustainability: Provide paid opportunities that honor both artistry and livelihood.
Expression: Present original works across styles, cultures, and voices.
Community: Connect dancers, audiences, and the D.C. arts ecosystem in a shared creative journey.
OUR PROMISE
To every dancer who has ever wondered what comes next after graduation — Breathe, Move, Become….
This is your next step.
This is your home.
This is EXHALE.
EXHALE Dance Company exists to bridge the space between training and artistry — giving newly graduated dancers aprofessional home to breathe, move, and become. Founded by a dancer, for dancers, we provide a launchpadfor artists within their first two years out of college to transition fromstudent to professional through performance, collaboration, and community. Our multidisciplinary repertoire — spanning modern,contemporary, jazz, ballet, hip-hop, and African dance — celebrates thelanguage of movement as expression and connection. EXHALE is where youngartists find their voice, take up space, and learn that their art has purposeand power beyond the classroom.
Our vision is to redefine what it means to “make it” in dance.
We envision a world where new graduates don’t struggle in silence or disappear from the stage, but instead exhale — stepping into their artistry with confidence, mentorship, and opportunity.
Through professional training, original works, and meaningful community engagement, EXHALE Dance Company will become a national model for cultivating the next generation of dance innovators — rooted in the belief that every dancer’s story matters.
From the heart of Washington, D.C., we aim to be a force that lifts artists, expands access to dance, and transforms uncertainty into artistry — one breath, one body, one performance at a time.
