Check out the recap video of AADF2025 Community Showcase below!

Marlene Baldonado is a Filipino-Mexican American dancer based in San Diego. She is trained in ballet and contemporary dance and is part of the growing K-pop dance community. Marlene has worked with San Diego Dance Theater (SDDT) as a finalist for their Young Choreographers Showcase and Prize (2022) and as a dancer for their annual Trolley Dances (2022 & 2025). Marlene is part of SDSU based K-Pop dance teams serving as a director for KASA Ignite and a member of XCENTRIC!SD. She is a certified K-pop Creator through Oniz Lab in Seoul, South Korea.

IG: @mar.lena_dncer @mar._.mochimolala

Based in San Diego, CA, CYPHERST8 is a collective of artists who share a love for Hip Hop Culture and Breaking. They honor and pass down traditions while continuously sharpening their artistic skills and knowledge. They are known for representing their community in the spaces they teach, connect, and compete in on a global and local level. They believe that the energy brought into a battle and the cypher, is the same energy that is brought into all areas of life, this is the essence of CYPHERST8.

est. 2007

“The Cypher Never Ends”

P.S. They are celebrating their crew anniversary on October 11, 2025PM at the Emo Brown Art Department in Chula Vista.

IG: @CYPHERST8

Inscript is an open-level, open-style team rooted that creates genre-fluid works exploring identity and language centering on overlooked stories backed by interdisciplinary research. Our dancers come from diverse training backgrounds ranging from years of training to first time on stage, united by a worldly curiosity and a commitment to explore - every rehearsal is a pedagogical experiment and a collaborative dialogue of the bodies. From margins to movements, made for those written out and rewriting. If you’ve ever felt in-between, Inscript is the place for you to find your in-group.

IG: @inscript_dance

Lynch Dance Institute provides high-quality dance education with developmentally and age appropriate curriculum and high value for your investment. We have established a culture of care for mind, body, and soul through an encouraging community, student-focused teachers, discipline, commitment, hard work, and the celebration of success and accomplishment.

Joyce Lien Kushner is on faculty, teaching Contemporary and Dance Composition to youth and teens. We are delighted to have our Contemporary 4 students perform their piece from this year's Spring Concert.

www.lynchdance.com

IG: @lynchdanceinstitute

Matthew Manuel is a Filipino-American studying at CSULB as a BFA dance candidate after graduating with an AA in dance from SD Mesa College and attending SD City College. His dance journey began with Michael Jackson impersonation at 5 and later learned modern and ballet from SDSCPA. Matthew has also learned other styles such as hip hop, freestyling, West African dance techniques, breaking, and more. He’s performed works by Paul Taylor, dr. grace jun, and Blythe Barton for SD Trolley Dances. He’d like to thank all of his dance teachers and family for helping him create who he is today.

IG: @matttchuuuuuu

Yaman Kalyan Pattanaik is an Odissi and Indo-Contemporary dancer and  performer based in Southern California with 23+ years of formal  training. She holds a Visharad Purnam (Bachelor’s) in Odissi from ABGMM, Mumbai. Yaman has trained under Guru Smt. P. Sudharani, Guru Shri Ramesh Chandra Jena, and currently continues under Guru Shri Pabitra Kumar Pradhan at Ishwara Dance Academy, California. She has performed at events like Vibrant Gujarat, DAIICT, NIFT, Lotus Festival, Irvine Global Festival, and World Culture Film Festival LA. She also teaches with Rangeela Dance Company and works professionally as a Solution  Architect at Niagara Bottling LLC.

linktr.ee/yaman_pattanaik

IG: @yaman_pattanaik

YT: @ypattanaik

Xingjian Dance Studio, founded in 2003 by renowned dancer and educator Ms. Xingjian Liu, is the only studio in San Diego offering comprehensive instruction in Chinese dance, ballet, contemporary dance, musical theater, hip hop, dance training and conditioning. With a team of highly skilled professional instructors, Xingjian Dance Studio has won numerous top awards at regional and national dance competitions, and recognized as the "Best Dance Studio of the Year" and "Best Contemporary Dance Team" for consecutive years. Xingjian Dance Studio is actively involved in community events, committed to promoting and preserving Chinese culture while nurturing a new generation of outstanding dance talent.

xingjiandancestudio.com

IG: @xingjiandancestudio