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2026 Dance Forum
When: Friday, January 9, 2026, 9am-11am EST (doors opened at 8:30am for networking and conversation)
Where: New York Hilton Midtown | 1335 Avenue of the Americas at 54th St. | Trianon Ballroom | 3rd Floor |Â NY, NY 10019
Cost: Free for attendees and open to all.
Registration is required in advance. APAP Conference registration is NOT required.
About the 2026 Dance Forum
Join Dance/USA and colleagues across the ecosystem for a morning of connection, conversation, and collective learning. This year’s Forum will center dialogue around presenting and touring dance, inviting participants to share what’s top of mind and exchange insights with peers. Open to all dance professionals, the Forum is part of the Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP) pre-conference events. Registration is free and open to both APAP attendees and the broader ecosystem.
This year’s Forum will center dialogue around presenting and touring dance. In a format titled Dance Success Stories, produced by the Dance Managers Collective, moderators Lisa Mount and MK Wegmann will lead panelists in sharing inspiring stories from their work in the dance ecosystem.
Our panelists include:
Danae Rees (Artist)
Adrienne Petrillo (Funder)
Aisha Ahmad-Post (Presenter)
Mark Fitzgerald Wilson (Presenter)
Disability Access
- ASL interpretation will be provided.
- Accessible restrooms are located next to the event space.
- All amplified audio at the 2026 Dance Forum will be recorded so that transcripts can be made publicly available following the event. Transcripts in English and Spanish are our way of connecting with those who can not be there in person. We understand that this is not an all-encompassing solution, but we do hope to continue offering transcripts as one option in a varied selection of many access options.Â
Health Protocols
In partnership with APAP, we asked that all attendees take personal responsibility for their own health and consider the well being of others by taking appropriate measures. Learn more about the APAP|NYC Health and Safety Protocols.
Questions? Contact us!
About our Dance Forum 2026 Speakers
Lisa Mount (Moderator), Director, Artistic Logistics
Lisa Mount refuses to specialize. As the Director of Artistic Logistics she works as a facilitator in the arts and cultural sector. Recent and current clients include the Exploratorium, the Goodman Theatre, Signature Theatre DC, the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Cleveland Public Theatre, The New Harmony Project, the National New Play Network, Dance/USA, and the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies. As an independent artist she produces, directs, and appears in contemporary performance work, including the acclaimed community story plays under the Headwaters banner at the Sautee Nacoochee Cultural Center. Before embarking on her consulting career in 1997, Lisa was the Managing Director of 7 Stages theater in Atlanta. She has served on the board of Alternate ROOTS since 1991.
MK Wegmann (Moderator), MK Arts Co
MK Wegmann (MK Arts Co) is a lifelong New Orleanian who has been active in the arts and culture community throughout her life and work. She has 50+ years of experience in presenting and producing for non-profit visual and performing arts organizations and is an advocate for social and racial justice. She served as Director of the Contemporary Arts Center for its first fourteen years, and continues to volunteer and is currently co-chair of its 50th Anniversary committee. From 1992-99 she served as the Managing Director of Junebug Productions. In 2000, the National Performance Network moved its offices to New Orleans, and she served as President and CEO until her retirement in 2016. Since retiring she consults with arts organizations in the visual and performing arts, and independently produces and presents work.
Aisha Ahmad-Post (Panelist), Executive Director, The Robert and Judi Newman Center for the Performing Arts
Aisha Ahmad-Post is the Executive Director of the Robert and Judi Newman Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Denver, where she has raised the organization’s profile as a thought leader in interdisciplinary and international programming. Prior to joining the Newman Center, Ahmad-Post was the inaugural Director of the Ent Center for the Arts at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Previously, she was the Producer of Public Programs for The New York Public Library and has also held positions in artist management at Columbia Artists Management, Inc. and Barrett Vantage. She earned her Bachelors and Masters of Music at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music and is an alumna of the Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP) Leadership Fellows program. She was appointed to the Denver Commission for Cultural Affairs by Mayor Michael Hancock in 2021 and elected to the APAP Board of Directors in 2023.
Adrienne Petrillo (Panelist), Interim Director of Program Strategy, New England Foundation for the Arts
Adrienne Petrillo joined NEFA in 2001 and has held many roles within the New England program area. Currently, Adrienne serves as Interim Director of Program Strategy and Senior Program Director, Regional Grants and International Exchange. In this capacity she oversees the New England grants and initiatives program area which includes multiple grantmaking programs, partnerships with other regional arts organizations, as well as services that support New England’s performing artists and presenting organizations, such as the Idea Swap. Additionally, she directs Center Stage, an international exchange program with the U.S. Department of State, which brings performing artists from abroad to engage with communities throughout the nation. She holds a B.A. in theater studies with a concentration in arts management from Emerson College and a certificate from the Institute for Curatorial Practice in Performance at Wesleyan University.
Danae Rees (Panelist), Executive Director, AXIS Dance
Danae brings many years of experience across a variety of dance sectors. She has provided dance instruction, training and program management to public schools, studios, universities, and dance organizations in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Prior to joining AXIS, as Executive Director for The Dizzy Feet Foundation (now American Dance Movement), Danae oversaw the foundation’s grants which provide greater access to dance for young people in underserved communities nationwide. Overseeing Dizzy Feet’s annual National Dance Day celebration, a day dedicated to celebrating dance and it’s many benefits, she produced national events to include both live (The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The Music Center, Segerstrom Center for the Performing Arts & Others) and online participation, reaching millions of dance enthusiasts across the US.
Mark Fitzgerald Wilson, Executive Director, Zoellner Arts Center at Lehigh University
Mark Fitzgerald Wilson is the Executive Director of Zoellner Arts Center, where he has strategically expanded its reach beyond its walls. Under his leadership, Zoellner Arts Center has presented pioneering programs such as vertical dance company Bandaloop, virtual reality installation Traveling While Black, and is working with community partners to bring Carnegie Hall’s Well-Being Concerts & Lullaby Project to the Lehigh Valley. Mr. Wilson currently serves on the board of the Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP) and as Co-Chair for the 2025 & 2026 Conference Planning Committee. APAP plays a pivotal role in shaping national conversations in the performing arts field. He is also the past Secretary of the Board for Pennsylvania Presenters. Before his leadership roles, Mr. Wilson began his career as a professional opera singer, bringing his passion for the arts from the stage to the heart of arts administration.