Upper East Side|Local Event
CUNY Dance Initiative Announces Stories of War Performance by Exit12 Dance Company
The CUNY Dance Initiative (CDI), an expansive program providing New York City choreographers and dance companies with creative residencies on CUNY college campuses, announces Stories of War in Honor of Veterans Day by Exit12 Dance Company at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College (524 W. 59thStreet, New York, NY 10019) on Thursday, November 12, 2026, at 7:00PM. General admission is $30, with Veterans and CUNY student tickets available for $5. To purchase, visit here.
Co-founded by Iraq War veteran and choreographer Román Baca, Exit12 Dance Company began in 2007 as a way for him to process his military experience through dance. As a ballet dancer turned Marine, choreography became a means of healing—an expressive outlet to explore and share the invisible wounds of war.
Exit12’s full-length performance at John Jay College, Stories of War in Honor of Veterans Day, weaves together veteran storytelling with concert dance. The program takes the audience through the military experience, exploring war, the effects on family, homecoming, reintegration, and hope for the future. It will include a new piece developed with the John Jay College Veteran community – the College enrolls the most military-related students in the City University of New York system – and conclude with an audience talkback.
ABOUT EXIT12 DANCE COMPANY
Iraq War veteran and choreographer Roman Baca co-founded Exit12 Dance Company in 2007 to process his military experience through dance. His early works received critical acclaim and opened dialogue about the veteran experience.
After several of his platoon mates died by suicide in 2011, Baca saw the urgent need for others in the military community to access similar healing tools. Exit12 expanded to serve veterans, service members, and military families, honoring the diversity of experiences within the armed forces. The company developed a model that brings together individuals affected by war and guides them through writing and movement workshops to co-create public dance theater performances that reflect their stories, challenges, and hopes. Each performance is followed by facilitated discussions that deepen understanding between performers and audiences.
Since becoming a nonprofit in 2018, Exit12 has evolved from a small dance company into an internationally recognized organization advancing arts-based approaches to healing, dialogue, and cultural diplomacy. Rooted in our mission to use dance and storytelling to honor and explore the military experience, our programming meets the unique needs of the military-connected community while fostering inclusion and shared understanding.
Each year, Exit12 serves over 1,000 military-connected participants and reaches more than 5,000 audience members through public performances and livestreams. We conduct a minimum of 25 weeks of rehearsals with a core ensemble of seven professional dancers, creating new works inspired by stories of service in collaboration with participants.
Exit12 has served over 10,000 members of the military community and engaged more than 70,000 civilians through live events—and over a million through digital and print media—bridging the military-civilian divide and fostering empathy through art.
More information: https://exit12danceco.org/
ABOUT THE CUNY DANCE INITIATIVE
The CUNY Dance Initiative (CDI) was developed in response to the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s 2010 report, “We Make Do,” which cited how destabilizing the shortage of affordable rehearsal space in New York City is to the dance sector. A successful pilot supporting residencies on four CUNY campuses in 2013 led to CDI’s formal launch in 2014. Since then, CDI has become a key player in New York City’s performing arts ecosystem, leading a consortium of 14 CUNY colleges and four arts organizations to host 20+ residencies for NYC choreographers and dance companies each year. Over the past 12 years, CDI has granted 300 residencies to emerging and established choreographers, providing invaluable resources to artists, while enhancing CUNY students’ education and cultural experiences.
The CUNY Dance Initiative receives major support from The Howard Gilman Foundation, The George S. Kaufman Charitable Foundation, and The Mertz Gilmore Foundation. Additional support is provided by the SHS Foundation, The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, and the Harkness Foundation for Dance.