National Choreographers Initiative to Close After 35 Years

In 1989, Molly Lynch established the Pacifica Choreographic Project while leading Ballet Pacifica in Orange County, California, providing a platform for choreographers to explore their creativity. After stepping down in 2004, she relocated the project to Irvine, California, and rebranded it as the National Choreographers Initiative (NCI). This initiative showcased four choreographers and 16 dancers from across the United States at UC Irvine's studios and the Irvine Barclay Theater. Lynch joined UC Irvine as a dance professor in 2006. NCI, which took place annually in July except for 2020, is set to wrap up after its 2025 edition. The concluding event, The Last Dance, will occur on July 25, featuring returning choreographers. Lynch attributed the closure to escalating costs and a decline in donor support, highlighting the necessity for new ventures.