Dance artists start out simply loving the way it feels to move.
In the process of turning that passion into a career, however, self-expression is put on pause. There are movement styles to master, muscles to develop and mentors to learn from before one can obtain an employable skill level.
San Diego Dance Theater’s Live Arts Fest, an annual program curated by artistic director Terry Wilson, offers an opportunity to fast forward an artist’s personal creativity.
This year, choreographer Nick McGhee is the festival’s featured artist, with his Saturday presentation of “Common Ground,” a contemporary work he created that includes dancers Odessa Uno, Jacqueleen Schweighardt, Miguel Galvan, Micah Parra and Aisha Reddick.
“What makes this project especially meaningful is that, thanks to artistic director Terry Wilson and San Diego Dance Theater, we have the opportunity to come together and create without working under anyone else’s parameters,” McGhee said.
Dancer and choreographer Nick McGhee is the featured artist at San Diego Dance Theater’s 2026 Live Arts Festival on Feb. 28 at Arts District Liberty Station in San Diego. (Sam Zauscher)
“We all carry a deep admiration for the artists and mentors who paved the way for us to discover our own voices within the discipline of dance. At the same time, this process has allowed us to recognize the value we hold in ourselves, through witnessing one another’s growth and developing a mutual sense of respect and validation.”
McGhee, who earned a bachelor’s degree in dance from Cal State Long Beach, is a company artist for three local dance organizations, in addition to being a SDDT “emerging choreographer” winner in the “best overall” category.
His first attempt at choreographing a dance was titled “Unconditional,” a duet performed by Ashley Akhavan and Schweighardt in a 2023 LITVAKdance production.
McGhee said that LITVAKdance artistic director Sadie Weinberg is “the reason I’m still dancing” because of her encouragement and her desire to support dancers with a season that considered their interests.
His choreography for the LITVAKdance show was inspired by the unconditional love and support he received from his mom, who advised him to “Live your life on purpose, and don’t let life live for you.”
Dancer and choreographer Nick McGhee is the featured artist at San Diego Dance Theater’s 2026 Live Arts Festival on Feb. 28 at Arts District Liberty Station in San Diego. (Doug McMinimy)
Though it was a fluid, graceful performance and well received, McGhee decided he needed to be “more present in the process.”
“I was so attached to certain motifs or aesthetics within the phrase work,” he said.
“It prevented me from allowing for serendipitous moments to shape the piece and allow dancers to contribute.”
The following year, in 2024, McGhee won the SDDT Emerging Choreographer Showcase & Awards for his captivating “The Place I Look While I’m Thinking,” danced by Akhavan, Parra, Schweighart and Uno.
The award gives a career dancer the chance to create a work, develop it in free rehearsal space and showcase the finished project at SDDT’s Light Box Theater for Live Arts Fest.
McGhee’s award-winning dance was chosen by a panel of three judges, whose comments included “movement is unique…clear and interesting…introducing precariousness as an exciting quality.”
Wilson said that one of her favorite jobs as San Diego Dance Theater’s artistic director is “supporting emerging artists like Nick.”
“Once you’ve seen him onstage doing other choreographer’s work, you find yourself eager to see Nick move from his own inspiration, his own truth,” she added.
Last year, McGhee contributed “We’ll Always Have This Choreography,” one of the works in the Malashock Dance production of “Seed.”
“Nick brings something fresh to his audiences, as a performer and as a creator,” said Molly Puryear, the Malashock Dance executive director.
“He has a way that draws you in, whether his energy is fierce or soft. As a choreographer, he brings a sensitivity to his work that always highlights the dancers he works with. “
McGhee’s “Common Ground” production tells the story of “where we came from, where we are and where we want to go.”
“The cast is made up of working artists who are well known, respected, and deeply embedded in the San Diego dance community,” McGhee said.
“For the audience, the experience is intentionally intimate and immediate. The performance invites viewers into a shared space where they can witness decision-making, listening, and connection unfolding in real time. Seeing the level of trust, care, and attentiveness we hold for one another becomes part of the experience itself — something that feels especially meaningful right now, when many people are craving genuine connection and a sense of community.”
First presented in 2012, Live Arts Fest was a multi-night summer festival with programming that included student and company shows, a performance by an international organization and an evening devoted to a presentation by Emerging Choreographer Showcase and Award-winners, like McGhee and Uno, a 2021 winner who also contributed her solo “The Calm and the Storm” for Golden State Ballet’s “Crafted” production last year.
This year, Live Arts Fest has been scaled back to one performance that includes McGhee’s “Common Ground” and will highlight the creativity of award-winning contemporary dance professionals.
Air-conditioning has recently been installed in SDDT’s Light Box Theater, which often became steamy during its sold-out shows. Lighting upgrades are planned for later in the year.
San Diego Dance Theater’s Live Arts Fest featuring Nick McGhee’s ‘Common Ground’
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Light Box Theater, 2650 Truxtun Road, #205, Arts District Liberty Station, San Diego.
Tickets: $31.60, general; $26.50, students, seniors, military and professional artists
Online: sandiegodancetheater.org