Carol Nolte, WestFest Founder and Artistic Director, has enjoyed a 40 year dance career in downtown NYC. After graduating from Brown University, she received a graduate degree in dance from The New School, and continued studies with Merce Cunningham, Paul Taylor and Anna Sokolow, among others. Her company Dance Collective did years of East Coast touring, including many community venues. Carol began to create festivals as a means of outreach and sharing in underserved areas. One of those festivals was Dance Taos in New Mexico. WestFest was born from these experiences. Carol continues to perform, and loves curating and being energized in the NYC dance world. She celebrates 33 years of Westbeth residency this Spring.

www.dancecollectiveny.com