Head across the lake for a contemporary dance festival not to be missed.

Chop Shop: Bodies of Work will be held at the Meydenbauer Theatre in Bellevue on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 12 at 3 p.m. Presented by StoneDance Productions, this contemporary dance festival is in its fifth year and is held specifically for the Eastside. The festival offers master classes and lectures by the artistic directors and choreographers, and free community outreach programs.

This year the festival is hosting 11 performers, each of whom bring their own style of contemporary dance to the mix:

• In 2004, award-winning choreographer, dance mentor and principal dancer Sarah Slipper founded the Northwest Dance Project (NWDP) in Portland, Ore. The NWDP will present “A Short History of Walking” by award-winning Portuguese choreographer André Mesquita.
• Donald Byrd is the Artistic Director of Seattle’s Spectrum Dance Theater and serves on the Board of Trustees for Dance Theater Workshop in New York. Most recently, Byrd was awarded a Mayor’s Arts Award in 2011 for his contributions to the City of Seattle, and was selected among the first group of Fellows to the American Academy in Jerusalem.
• Adam Barruch serves as the Artistic Director for Adam Barruch Dance, and will present “folie á deux” at the festival this year. Barruch studied at The Juilliard School and has performed professionally on Broadway, as well as in film and television.
• Choreographer, performer and dance educator Ellie Sandstrom is the Artistic Director of SANDSTROMMOVEMENT, which will present “the Series For” at the festival. Sandstrom studied at Cornish College of the Arts and was named a “Spotlight Award” winner by Seattle Magazine.
• Bellingham Repertory Dance (BRD) was established in 2005 by a group of accomplished dancers who wished to bring vibrant contemporary dance to Bellingham. BRD will perform “Politics, Religion, Sex” at the festival this year.
• MOVE: the company was founded in 2005 by its current Artistic Director, Josh Beamish, and has performed all across North America. The group will perform an excerpt from Beamish’s “Allemande” at the festival.
• The Stone Dance Collective was formed by its current Artistic Director, Eva Stone, in London in 1993, and became a permanent part of the Seattle area in 1995. This year, Stone will perform a new work called “Pinata” for the festival.
• Jason Ohlberg has been making dances for 15 years, and formed his own company called “Same Planet Different World Dance Theater” in Chicago. Ohlberg will perform his new work, “Apocalyptic Lullaby,” for this year’s festival.
• Seattle native Penny Hutchinson helped found the Mark Morris Dance Group and is a 1990 recipient of the New York Dance and Performance BESSIE Award. Hutchinson will perform “Alien Dances” at the festival this year.
• Formerly known as Phffft!, Khambatta Dance Company (KDC) was formed by Cyrus Khambatta while he studied at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. KDC will perform “Centrifugal Force” at the festival.
• Created in 1997, BodyVox is led by Emmy Award-winning choreographers and Artistic Directors Jamey Hampton and Ashley Roland. This year BodyVox is performing “Advance” and “Deere John” at the festival.

Tickets are available online and range from $15 to $25. The show is intended for guests as young as 8 years old.

Chop Shop: Bodies of Work at Meydenbauer Theatre | Feb. 11 at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 12 at 3 p.m.