Resilience Dance Company Stl

RESILIENCE Dance Company (RDC) is a nonprofit, contemporary modern dance company with a mission is to create exceptional dance experiences that fuel human connection. RDC’s work is rooted in building healthy, sustainable dance spaces that put artists first and enable curiosity, play, and creative risk taking. Since 2019, RDC has engaged artists and strengthened communities through performance, education, and outreach programs. 

Last season, RDC reached 1,807 audience members and 135 dance students across 144 zip codes. We hired 44 paid artists and danced in 16 performances. We are a growing, local nonprofit increasing our impact every season. Read on to learn more about how RDC creates positive, equitable environments that nourish dance artists and the communities they serve.

A Message from Emily Haussler - Founder and Director

"Artists are the lifeblood of a community—they keep it vibrant, moving, and alive. Like blood flowing through the body, dance artists carry stories, questions, and shared experiences that speak to our humanity. RESILIENCE Dance Company is one of the hearts that keeps this community beating. We nurture dance artistry in St. Louis and connect diverse audiences with exceptional dance experiences that fuel human connection.

Donations to RDC flow directly back into the community as jobs, accessible performances, affordable youth programs, community collaborations, and professional development—building a more positive, sustainable arts ecosystem. In our 2024/2025 Season, RDC created paid work for 64 dance artists (including 32 dancers) and reached over 2,600 audience members through performances across St. Louis, from COCA to public libraries to the Missouri History Museum.

We’re proud to amplify the voices of St. Louis artists and foster connections across communities. Now more than ever, dance holds the power to remind us of our shared humanity. I invite you to make a critical donation and become part of the movement that keeps this vital work alive."

Testimonials

"In every way, Entry Points is an unrelenting scream. A scream of joy, a scream of thirst, and a scream of triumph. For its first mainstage production on an elevated proscenium stage, Resilience delivered an evening of visionary artistry and rigorous physicality that not only parades the immense growth of its own company, but continues the rocketing forward of Saint Louis’s dance scene as a whole." -Will Brighton for St. Louis Dance HQ

"I find Resilience Dance Company to be one of the most exciting things to happen to St. Louis' dance community in years. Their research-based movement approach and embrace of improvisation have captured my attention every time I've been fortunate enough to see them perform." - St. Louis Dance HQ 

"Come With Me was a beautiful blend of the company's spontaneous, in-the-moment, creative energy and a structured journey the audience could accompany. It's a treat to watch a group of dancers move with such alacrity. Bravo!" -Stephen Blood, Audience Member 

"The group of seven performers felt like a cohort of individuals and even in unison no one was lost to complete uniformity. I look forward to seeing more from this group of artists and from the company which seems to be seeking to innovate the way we foster and champion dance artists and careers in St Louis." - Melissa Miller, Blog Reviewer

"I really enjoyed the whole intensive. I loved the diversity of the teachers, the different techniques we got to learn and improve, getting to do new and different choreography with some other people we have never gotten to dance with, and being able to build relationships with new people." - Summer Intensive Student, 202akdf

"Sophia absolutely loved learning with Resilience this summer! From the class schedule to all of the wonderful teachers and contributors. She was able to learn in such a welcoming and supportive environment where her input was considered. As a parent it was an amazing experience to see her grow!" -Crystal Brickey Rogers, Summer Intensive Parent, 2023