Sept 8 - 11 | Oakland, CA
Discovery
Where Bold Ideas Find Their Champions
Right alongside showcasing and exhibiting, Discovery Sessions are at the heart of the WAA conference. These are matchmaking sessions between creators with bold visions and the collaborators who can make them real.
Pitch NOW, WAA 2025; credit: Farah Sosa
Why Discovery Matters
Discovery Sessions aren't about gatekeeping innovation; they're about opening doors. When you attend, you're not just a buyer in a marketplace. You're a potential collaborator, co-creator, and champion for work that pushes the field forward.
Discover More at WAA
We don't separate "emerging" artists from "established" ones. We don't create a VIP section for commissioners versus regular presenters. Everyone sits in the same room, faces the same opportunities, and has equal access to the bold ideas being shared.
Submit a Discovery Session Idea
Submissions for Discovery Sessions open open Feb 16. More details about the application process will be released in the near future. Stay informed — sign up for our newsletter.
Watch Past Sessions
Past pitch sessions have covered everything from ice skating ballets to AI-powered dance archives, from Indigenous festivals to all-Black cowboy musicals. Here are the two 2025 video pitch sessions introducing the community to 12 projects:
Amplified!
Affordable Excellence
Amplified!
Premium Excellence
Also in 2025, the following six projects were pitched at the 2025 conference:
Pitch NOW | New & Out-of-the-box Works
3/5 Proclamations, presented Kevin Ward, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC)
A modular dance-theater work envisioned and choreographed by Charles O. Anderson, in collaboration with DCDC. This reframing of Shakespeare’s The Tempest as a metaphor for liberatory practices rooted in Black resilience and cross-community solidarity, historically and contemporaneously.
In Remembrance, We Breathe, presented Lucy Yao, chromic duo
This performance explores themes of loss and adaptation through an AR Soundwalk that transforms community trails and parks into spaces for reflection, connection, and remembrance. Through interviews, rituals, and music, it uplifts the voices of dementia patients and caregivers, offering connection and healing.
“Onirica” by fuse*, presented Laura Colby, Elsie Management
At the intersection of dreams and artificial intelligence, "Onirica” is a mesmerizing dance performance combining a stunning projected video design for a cinematic experience. AI prompts the video to respond dynamically in real-time to the dancer's movement, their action captured by a sensor-equipped camera.
The Hip-Hop Orchestra Experience, presented Christopher Nicholas
The Hip-Hop Orchestra Experience brings its core team to each location to collaborate with local orchestras, dance companies, and rappers, creating region-specific versions of its signature blend of underground hip-hop and orchestral performance.
Turtle Island, presented Sonia Kozlova Clark, Unicycle Productions LLC
A large-scale open-air telling of the Iroquois Creation Story by G. Peter Jemison (Seneca, Heron Clan), Plasticiens Volants (France) & Skywoman Iroquois Dance Theater. Designed for family-friendly public spaces. Through the lens of Indigenous cosmology, this production honors Indigenous narratives addressing themes of balance and ecological awareness.