our story

Agora Artists began as Don’t Ask Why, a dance company founded by Avery-Jai Andrews to create original contemporary dance works. After producing Gestalt in 2018, she recognized that Dallas lacked the infrastructure to sustain independent dance artists. Over the next year, she immersed herself in the local arts landscape, leading to the rebranding of Don’t Ask Why as Agora Artists—an initiative dedicated to strengthening the city’s dance ecosystem.

In 2019, Andrews and longtime collaborator Lauren Kravitz launched Mini Movement Fest, an experiment born from their varied experiences in the dance field. The festival provided a platform and point of connection for Texas-based dance artists, setting the stage for the official launch of Agora Artists in early 2020. That year, the organization hosted Dallas Dancers Weekend, culminating in its first Dallas Dancers Forum, which gathered local artists and leaders to assess community needs.

The COVID-19 pandemic halted in-person programming but provided time to refine Agora’s vision. Since then, the organization has developed Seeds, a professional development program and concert, and produced two original works: Tether, a live outdoor performance at Arts Mission Oak Cliff, and The Eldert Lofts as part of AT&T Performing Arts Center’s Elevator Project season. Additional initiatives have included the series, Choreographic Workshop, community gatherings through Crawl, and Split Bill at AMOC featuring NYC-based 2nd Best Dance Company and Dallas-based connective-tissue.