IMPRESSIONS: Laura Kaufman and Rachel Thalman's Woman in Motion presents “Five Years in Motion”

header dancer photo credits (l to r): Taylor Habershaw, Mary Kate Hartung, Colby Marie, and Mallory Pettee in Sara Edwards' "Two Seconds to Midnight"

Artistic Direction by Laura Kaufman and Rachel Thalman

Choreography: Nick Korkos, Rachel Thalman, Katie Drablos, Jen Dillow, Mindy Moeller, Lauren Lovette, and Sara Edwards

Music: Jane Antonia Cornish, Bryce Dessner, Australian String Quartet, The Wailin’ Jennys, vaultboy, Leon Bridges, Hauschka, Alan Baylock Jazz Orchestra, and Florence + The Machine

Dancers: Austin Braxton-Smith, Emily Cardea, Taylor Habershaw, Mary Kate Hartung, Laura Kaufman, Mae Mara, Colby Marie, Mallory Pettee, Dana Tagliaferro, and Rachel Thalman

Videography: Jacob Hiss, Holly Roberts, John-John Roque, Javi Alvarez, Grace Copeland

Collaborator: Francesca Endres

Woman In Motion – a female-led, project-based dance company founded in 2022 in New York City – celebrated its fifth anniversary on February 9^th, 2026 with an exhilarating evening of eight dance works titled “Five Years in Motion.” The program was presented at The Ailey Citigroup Theater under the direction of co-founders Laura Kaufman and Rachel Thalman.

In a welcome speech, Kaufman and Thalman expressed their utmost gratitude for their dance artists, collaborators, and supporters over the past five years. The co-founders explained that Woman in Motion exists to uplift “artistry, resilience, and collaboration,” while centering women, emphasizing that the company “creates space for each individual artist to express their truest selves…[and that] authenticity is [the] magic.” In closing, this line stuck with me: “In a world that often feels fractured, dance reminds us of our shared humanity… this beautiful, ephemeral art form matters.”

Woman In Motion in Katie Drablos’ “Heaven is Here"; Photo: Jason Chuang 

“Five Years in Motion” demonstrated Woman in Motion’s commitment to commissioning a wide array of choreographic voices while giving us a glimpse into the company’s expansive repertoire. In addition to the eight featured dances, the evening included a “Woman in Motion Celebration Video” that shared rehearsal and performance highlights throughout the company’s history. “Five Years in Motion” carried us through dynamic, expressive worlds in multiple movement styles, including contemporary ballet, pointe, jazz, and contemporary dance.

Joy was the throughline of the program. In each work, whether harmonious, theatrical, sharp, or stormy, the performers committed to the maximum of each moment. I was blown away by the ten artists – Thalman, Kaufman, Austin Braxton-Smith, Taylor Habershaw, Mary Kate Hartung, Emily Cardea, Colby Marie, Mallory Pettee, Mae Mara, and Dana Tagliaferro – for their expressivity and command.

Taylor Habershaw, Mary Kate Hartung, Colby Marie, and Mallory Pettee in Sara Edwards' "Two Seconds to Midnight"; Photo: Jason Chuang 

Two trios embed the program with fire and yearning. The first, Thalman’s swift “The Source,” employs partnering rotations and rapid movement in tandem with Bryce Dessner/Australian String Quartet’s charged score to create a world of anticipation. Later on the program, Katie Drablos’“Deeper Well” makes use of weight sharing, runs, and sharp gestures that meet the song’s—The Wailin Jenny’s “Deeper Well”—emotion, but without melodrama.

Jen Dillow’s “Loved Me Fast, Killed Me Slow” was another standout work, and the evening’s first solo piece, danced by Hartung, who makes this technically challenging contemporary solo look effortless. Hurtling across the stage, she executes multiple rotations on one leg with ease and tosses herself into floating jumps and rolls to the floor, all the while offering a wistful sincerity in her dancing. Hartung’s mastery of musicality shines in this solo, as she billows from rapid, vigorous movements to sustained suspensions.

 

Rachel Thalman in Lauren Lovette’s “Rhythm of Lines"; Photo: Jason Chuang 

Two duets carry us through contrasting relationships in pairs. First is “Grace” by Mindy Moeller. Performed by Braxton-Smith and Habershaw, the dance begins in silence as the duo circles each other in what appears to be a face-off – and ends in embrace. The piece, which features music by Leon Bridges, feels like a coming together moment as it makes use of both unison and counterpoint in an ongoing movement conversation on forgiveness and understanding. Later in the evening, Lauren Lovette’s “Rhythm of Lines” was danced en pointe by Kaufman and Thalman. The pair’s slicing, angular movement vocabulary echoes the animated plucks and driving, whimsical pulse of Hauschka’s instrumental score. Lovette’s choreography employs a sweeping use of the space with swift footwork and buoyant jumps, contrasted by calm moments of counterbalance. 

  Nick Korkos’ "Continuum"; Photo: Jason Chuang

The evening’s group works emphasize Woman in Motion’s crisp unity while showcasing each dancer’s individuality. This is evident in Nick Korkos’ regal work “Continuum,” a fluid, balletic piece for six. Braxton-Smith, Cardea, Hartung, Kaufman, Mara, and Pettee oscillate between sustained and spritely qualities before creating a unison rippling adagio doused in amber light. In contrast, Sara Edwards’ explosive quartet, “Two Seconds to Midnight,” brings us into a jazzy world, melding theatrics, rock-and-roll, and sassy confidence. Fan kicks, claps, turns, and body rolls are some of the many robust movements in this work, which could have been a finale in of itself. Instead, Katie Drablos’ “Heaven is Here” closes the night with a joyous, full company ensemble work danced to an array of selections by Florence + The Machine. While the performers offer us generous energy throughout the program, I feel it especially poignantly here. Through Drablos’ direction, the performers create an exhilarating scene that leaves us bouncing and clapping along with the artists. 

The entertaining and exciting show brings us to our feet with thunderous applause. Congratulations to Woman in Motion on their five-year anniversary! I look forward to experiencing more work by this thrilling company in the future.