About Us

Hello! We are so glad to have you in our LDC Community!

Lawton Dance Collective was founded in September 2024 by Julia Lawton, alongside a group of eight passionate female dance artists: 

Sarah Baghdadi, Erica Caruso, Isabella Gamba, Abby Garcia, Katie Jaffie, Casey Leyden, Emelia Sikorsky, and Alex St-Onge. 

Built on the belief that art flourishes in spaces where kindness, generosity, and love are at the forefront, 

LDC is committed to a creative practice that emphasizes community and care. 

Since its inception, Lawton Dance Collective has performed over thirty times throughout New York City and beyond. 

At Lawton Dance Collective, we believe that the creation of new art is essential.  It is an opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue, 

consider multiple perspectives, embody universal human truths, and practice empathy. 

Our process is research-driven, emphasizing connection to other forms of art. We often explore literature, poetry, and 

visual artwork as inspiration for our work.  As a women-led company, those inspirations are often female artists, and our work frequently 

investigates a range of female experiences. Our practice is highly collaborative, with conversation as a central part of generating material. 

In addition to the development of new work, we value the opportunity to perform our repertory, each time discovering something 

new as we present it in new locations and for new communities. 

In an effort to give back to our NYC dance community, LDC offers low-cost classes and workshops.

 In 2025, we developed our LDC Curates Program, a community initiative aimed to support and uplift the work of other emerging artists.  

We are extraordinarily grateful for the love and support we have received from our growing community. We are excited to continue creating and sharing together. We invite you to learn more about our dancers and our work below.

Photo by Cassie Dietrich