Laguna Dance’s ‘Love Letters’ Signals a New Chapter for the Organization
- Kaitlin Wright
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
The 2026 festival brings nationally recognized companies, local artists and emerging voices together as the organization redefines its role in Orange County’s cultural landscape.
When Laguna Dance returns to the Laguna Playhouse Feb. 13-15 with its 2026 festival, “Love Letters,” the weekend brings together nationally recognized dance companies, local artists and emerging voices for three nights of performance centered on connection, intimacy and exchange.
Curated by executive and creative director Jodie Gates, “Love Letters” arrives as Laguna Dance marks more than two decades of presenting work in Orange County. Founded in 2005, the organization has steadily evolved from a once-a-year festival into a platform that blends presentation, education and appreciation – core pillars that now shape its programming year-round.
“I feel a fierce momentum and a cultural renaissance,” Gates said. “It feels organic, as though the stars are aligning. I’m really focused on thinking the long game. Laying the groundwork. That’s what I’ve done my entire life post-performance and it feels like the right time to do it.”
Twenty Years In: Building a Culture, Not Just a Festival
That long-term vision has been present since the earliest days of the Laguna Dance Festival. Gonzalo Garcia, now artistic director of Miami City Ballet, performed in the festival’s inaugural year and returned in a subsequent year to dance with Misty Copeland.
“What stayed with me from the very beginning was the sense of community the festival created,” Garcia said. “The diversity of styles and dancers and human beings involved and the opportunity for audiences to see and grow with the festival.”
For Doug Wilson, a longtime supporter of Laguna Dance and an advocate for arts organizations in Laguna Beach, that sense of proximity has become central to the organization’s identity.
“What’s unique is the intimacy,” Wilson said. “You’re not just watching dance, you’re close enough to feel it. And having an artist like Jodie creating original work here, in a small venue, is something we don’t really have elsewhere in Orange County.”
PHOTO 1: A dancer with Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, which opens Laguna Dance’s “Love Letters” festival with a program spanning works by Paul Taylor, Rennie Harris and Ray Mercer. PHOTO 2: Kynetiqs dancers Renee Kester and Rauf Yasit. Photos courtesy of Laguna Dance
A Curated Conversation Across Generations and Styles
Rather than presenting a single aesthetic or genre, “Love Letters” brings together works that span generations, cultures and movement traditions. Dayton Contemporary Dance Company anchors the weekend with a rare West Coast appearance, performing Paul Taylor’s “Esplanade,” Rennie Harris’ “Jacob’s Ladder” and “Mental,” a recent work by Ray Mercer exploring themes of mental health.
“All of the pieces are very different,” said DCDC Chief Executive and Artistic Director Debbie Blunden-Diggs. “They stretch our dancers and our audiences and that’s important.”
Alongside DCDC, the festival features an evening devoted entirely to duets, spanning Miami City Ballet’s “Diamonds” duet from Balanchine’s “Jewels,” The Joffrey Ballet’s “Round of Angels” and “Delicate Balance,” a contemporary duet choreographed by Gates and performed by BalletX dancers, alongside performances by local companies Ballet Orange County and Kynetiqs.
For García, whose company is represented by two of its dancers, the programming reflects a larger value.
“I value how important it is to give platforms to so many different choreographers and artists with an equal voice on the same evening,” he said. “That feels relevant in the world and in the dance world as well.”
The weekend concludes with a community-centered matinee highlighting local and culturally diverse traditions, including Backhausdance, the Chinese Dance Company of Southern California and choreography by Azuki Umeda and Rauf “RubberLegz” Yasit.
PHOTO 1: Ballet OC's Mate Szentes lifts Jaime DeRocke in “Pitseleh” by Ally Helman. Photo by Jack Hartin. PHOTO 2: Backhausdance will perform on Sunday, Feb. 15 during Laguna Dance’s “Love Letters” festival at the Laguna Playhouse. Photo courtesy of Laguna Dance
Demystifying Dance Through Access and Education
Beyond performance, “Love Letters” underscores Laguna Dance’s expanding commitment to education and access. Free events throughout the weekend invite audiences into the creative process, including an onstage rehearsal with Dayton Contemporary Dance Company and preview performances for second grade students from the Laguna Beach Unified School District as part of a curriculum embedded in their school year.
“I think demystifying dance is imperative,” Gates said. “People don’t want to feel uneducated when they walk into a theater. Watching rehearsal, seeing how work is made, it changes how you experience the performance.”
Wilson sees that approach as essential to sustaining audiences long-term. “When people understand how much goes into the work,” he said, “they connect to it differently. That’s how you build a culture around the arts.”
The Next Generation, Already on Stage
The festival also highlights Laguna Dance’s commitment to artist development through its scholarship programs. Among this year’s emerging artists is Emily Okamoto, a Juilliard senior who grew up in Irvine. She will perform her graduation solo during the festival.
“Being invited into this professional festival environment as a student is such an honor,” Okamoto said. “It feels like I’m bridging that gap between school and the real world. Between training and actually doing this for a living.”
As Laguna Dance looks ahead to future initiatives, including the launch of its new Summer Stage Festival later this year, “Love Letters” stands as both a celebration and a statement of intent. More than a weekend of performances, it reflects an organization thinking long-term about artists, audiences and the evolving role of dance within its community.
Laguna Dance’s ‘Love Letters’
When 7 p.m. Feb. 13 - Dayton Contemporary Dance Company 7 p.m. Feb. 14 - “Heart 2 Heart” 3 p.m. Feb. 15 - “Sunday Funday: The Best of SoCal Dance”
Where: Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach
Tickets: $25, students; $75, general
Contact: lagunadance.org
