Dance NOW! Miami was founded by Diego Salterini and Hannah Baumgarten through a chance encounter at a South Florida dance collective. The two quickly became dance partners and creative collaborators. Described as “...carnal and courageous…… with an impressive range of movement and motion”, (Mia Leonin, Miami Art Guide) the work bridges the directors' diverse backgrounds in ballet, modern dance and jazz, creating poetic narrative and theatrical artistry filled with fierce athleticism, featuring world-class performers and collaborators. The artistic mission of the company is to develop contemporary modern dance-theater that articulates the international cultural life of South Florida, reflecting the region's multi-ethnicity. The Ensemble's goals are to choreograph and perform high quality dance, build community, promote diversity, and through teaching and outreach, help audiences gain a deeper understanding of the creative process in dance.Dance Now!'s collaborative international style has received critical and popular acclaim both at the local and the national level. The company's work has been presented nationally and internationally by Ballet Estable del Teatro Colon, Teatro José Francisco Saybe San Pedro Sula, Scottsdale's Carefree Music Festival, Scottsdale Center for the Arts, Pima Center for the Arts in Tucson, Art and Culture Center of Hollywood, Florida Dance Festival, Dance Gallery Festival of New York, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Cincinnati Conservatory and Central Florida Community College, among others. The directors have created 11 full-length evenings of dance and over 50 shorter works, working both individually and collaboratively as well as presenting the work of guest choreographers Michael Uthoff, Tandy Beal, Tauna Hunter, Josée Garant and Colleen Farnum. The company founded the EKPHRASIS PROJECT, creating site-specific work in museums and galleries, and has pioneered cultural initiatives such as the Miami Dance Festival and Miami Open Stage. The company has long standing commitment to Arts Education with an 11-year history of residency and outreach in public schools and colleges throughout the U.S.Dance NOW! has garnered awards such as: Best Experimental Dance Company, Best Dance Piece, Best Choreographers (Miami Sun Post), Top Ten Dance Events of the Year (Miami Herald) and the 2010 Miami ArtZine Visionary Award.