"Just as inlets connect deep land to open sea, we bring dance into communities that have been out of reach — as a vehicle for human connection, community building, and embodied education."
Four interconnected initiatives, one mission: making contemporary dance accessible to youth, professionals, and community members outside of Seattle.
Bryn Cohn dancers performing in CHOP SHOP, February 2016.
A weekend-long contemporary dance festival returning to Seattle's Eastside after a seven-year hiatus. April 23–25, 2027 at Meydenbauer Theater in Bellevue.
Since 2008: 410+ artists, 76 companies, 70+ master classes. Visit chopshopdance.org ↗ for tickets and details.
Brandon Cournay and Allison Schuster performing in Emily Schoen Branch's work at Jacob's Pillow.
An intimate two-week intensive pairing emerging dancers with choreographers and educators from Seattle and the national field. Set in the beauty of the Pacific Northwest, with a public culminating performance.
Dancers in a master class offered by CHOP SHOP, February 2018.
Free lecture-demonstrations, movement classes, and open studio sessions woven through all Inlet Arts programming — in partnership with community groups across the Eastside.
Past venues include South Bellevue Community Center, Bellevue Art Museum, Crossroads Community Center, and Eastside libraries. 1,000+ participants served.
Youth participating in a master class by Eva Stone, February 2017.
In partnership with schools and PTAs, Inlet Arts offers after-school creative movement sessions at the elementary level, taught by professional dance artists. Each session runs seven to ten weeks and culminates in an open showing for families.
Our approach centers exploration, physicality, and joy rather than recital preparation — giving kids the chance to move, invent, and make dance their own. Scholarships are available.
We're looking for additional schools for 2027 and beyond. If you're a principal, PTA leader, or parent who'd like to bring creative movement to your school, we'd love to talk. We handle instructor hiring, curriculum, and program logistics, and ask schools for space and partnership on registration.
Get in touch →Inlet Arts / Access. Dance. Education. was founded by Emily Schoen Branch, Eva Stone, and Cameo Lethem — three lifelong dance professionals committed to strengthening the local dance field across all ages on Seattle's Eastside.
Director · Choreographer, Teacher, Activator of dance in society · Dance Magazine "Top 25 to Watch"
Emily Schoen Branch is a choreographer, performer, and teacher based in the Pacific Northwest. Since 2011 she has led ESB Dance Projects, producing work across unconventional and international contexts, including a two-year collaboration with Tunisian dancers supported by Baryshnikov Arts Center and the US Embassy in Tunisia. She holds an MFA from the University of Washington and is a Princess Grace Fellowship nominee. Her research has been published by the American Journal of Arts Management.
Founder & Co-producer, CHOP SHOP · Choreographer and Teaching Artist
Eva Stone is a choreographer, producer, and teaching artist with over thirty years in the field. She founded CHOP SHOP: Bodies of Work in 2008 and led the festival for fourteen years. On faculty at Pacific Northwest Ballet School, she created New Voices, a nationally recognized choreography program for young women, and serves as Program Coordinator for Next Step. Her work has been commissioned by On the Boards, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Seattle Art Museum, with premieres in New York, London, Geneva, Montreal, and St. Petersburg.
Co-director, RISE · Choreographer, Curator, and Educator
Cameo Lethem is a Seattle-based choreographer, curator, and arts administrator. She has served as panelist and curator for Velocity Dance Center and Base: Experimental Arts + Space, and held administrative roles at Whim W'Him, Spectrum Dance Theater, and American Dance Institute. She teaches at Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle University, and the University of Washington. Her work has earned funding from the City of Seattle and SeattleDances' Dance Crush Award. She is a current member of Velocity Dance Center's Artist Circle '26–'27.
Former dancer, trained at Pacific Northwest Ballet School. Business leader with CEO experience working stateside and abroad. Eastside resident and arts patron.
Founder of CHOP SHOP: Bodies of Work. Choreographer and teaching artist.
Movement artist and oral historian. Co-founder of Black Collectivity. Pre-Doctoral Lecturer in the Department of Dance at the University of Washington.
What artists, audiences, and critics have said about CHOP SHOP and Inlet Arts.
"My Chop Shop experience is one of such admiration, appreciation, and joy... Chop Shop feels like a dance home for me — somewhere with people I will always want to return to, and a supportive catalyst for new ideas and opportunities. The work that Eva and her team are doing is crucial and wonderful and necessary to the contemporary dance community."
— Courtney Mazeika, dance artist
"Working with Emily Schoen Branch over the course of several years has been integral to my growth as an artist in and out of the studio... what I've always admired most about Emily is her dedication to exercising fair, organized, and sustainable working conditions for dancers in an industry where it is largely lacking."
— Kacie Boblitt, dance artist
"Going into CHOP SHOP: Bodies of Work, I wasn't sure what to expect... I was pleasantly surprised to witness an event curated for people like me, with the purpose of presenting accessible, creative work from artists that want to share their stories."
— Huma Ali, Teen Editor, TeenTix Newsroom, 2019
"Chop Shop Dance Festival has been a strong contemporary dance presence on the Eastside for 11 years. The festival focuses on audience engagement... Curator Eva Stone strives to present dance that all can relate to, even if audience members are new to the genre."
— Sumaya Mulla-Carrillo, SeattleDances, 2018
"This year's Chop Shop featured high quality dancing across the board and a surprising proportion of well-plotted endings. It's a well-curated, well-produced festival whose good reputation will undoubtedly only continue to increase."
— Anna Waller, SeattleDances, 2014
"Stone provides a forum for regional, national, and sometimes international dance artists to share their work in a friendly atmosphere, with production values that are sometimes hard to get on one's own — a theatre, publicity, lighting, and indeed, an audience. It's a collegial experience and one of the region's most important dance events."
— Dean Speer, Critical Dance, 2016
Whether you're an artist, a school, a community partner, or someone who wants to know more about what we're building, we'd love to hear from you.