Colabo Youth Dance Collective is a fresh new project from dance educator and
choreographer Francisco Gella, and affiliated with NUEVO School of Contemporary
Dance in Chino, CA. Colabo dancers are selected from the school's conservatory and
from a pool of other talented young Southern California artists. The repertory of
created works represents diverse choreographers from across the United States.
Colabo is for our youth – to inspire, to motivate, to create, to impact. As an
emerging community of passionate young dancers from Southern California
communities, the collective provides a creative platform to perform, to learn new
styles, and to develop personal voice. As these aspiring young artists are preparing for
their own future, they are also influencing the future of dance, and just as importantly,
the world itself as citizens of the global community. Colabo is a safe place for artists to
begin that journey.

Gella recently announced three outstanding emerging choreographers selected to set
pieces on Colabo dancers this inaugural year; Laurie Sefton, artistic director of Los
Angeles-based Clairobscur Dance Company, Nathan Makolandra with Benjamin
Millepied's exciting new L.A. Dance Project, and Jon Bond of the world-renowned New
York based company Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet. The premier of Colabo will be
at the 2013 Celebrate Dance concert at the Alex Theater on March 9, and will feature
a new work commissioned by Gella himself.

Colabo artistic director Francisco Gella's success as an innovative choreographer,
master teacher and influential educator is attributed to his philosophy of bridging the
commercial and concert (ballet & modern) aspects of the dance world, a notable
career as a professional dancer, diverse cultural experiences and perspectives, and
training as a competitive gymnast. His work is rapidly gaining notoriety by prestigious
dance companies, schools and organizations around the globe.

Established in 2008 by Gella as a revolutionary alternative to competitive studio
training, NUEVO School of Contemporary Dance offers a student-centered preprofessional
educational program primarily for students ages 5-college age. Featuring
outstanding faculty and guest master instructors with expertise in a broad range of
dance genres, NUEVO complements students academic preparation with an
exceptional yet affordable conservatory-based performing arts curriculum grounded in
Ballet, Modern and Contemporary Techniques.

For more information, contact Jeffrey Hoffman, at 213-926-3861.