-to bring dance to the public by situating it in unexpected locations for unsuspecting audiences creating the opportunity for serendipitous exchanges with a broader audience.

 -to expose experimental dance to a broader audience outside the theater.

-to foster a collective of performing artists interested in working collaboratively

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the modern dance awareness society reimagines how dance meets the world.  

Founded in 1998 by Despina Stamos and Wen-Shuan Yang, the society emerged from a shared realization: beyond the theater’s walls, modern dance felt distant—even irrelevant—to most people’s lives. Determined to bridge this divide, Stamos and Yang began creating work in everyday spaces—places where movement could unfold organically, beyond the traditional performer/spectator divide.  

By shifting dance out of the theater and into the world, they invite active, unexpected encounters. Environments transform as the “kinesthetic volume” turns up—architecture becomes a partner, passersby become collaborators, and the line between artist and audience blurs. Here, dance is no longer something to watch, but something to experience, influence, and co-create.  

At its core, the society asks:                                                                                         What happens when dance leaves the stage and enters the spaces where life actually happens.