Meet The Last PAD Cohort
U.S. artists on the rise and ready to tour internationally
We’re pleased to present the last artists in the Performing Arts Discovery Program. From a Latin inspired rock band to a live audio drama company, these eleven U.S. artists represent the breadth of American performance. Click on the links below to learn more about these uniquely American artists and to watch their online showcase performances.
Music
Kiran Ahluwalia
Global | New York, NY
BIRCKHEAD
Jazz & Blues Music | Baltimore, MD
DuPont Brass
Eclectic Soul, R&B, Hip Hop | Baltimore, MD
Ize Trio
Global | Jamaica Plain, MA
Quetzal
Rock | Los Angeles, CA
Roopa Mahadevan/Roopa in Flux
Global | Oakland, CA
Sounds of April & Randall
Jazz & Blues | West Hartford, CT
Dance & Theatre
Christal Brown/INSPIRIT
Multidisciplinary Dance, Middlebury, VT
Dan Froot & Company
Live audio drama | Los Angeles, CA
Vanessa Sanchez y La Mezcla
Tap, Son Jarocho, Afro-Caribbean | San Francisco, CA)
Versa-Style Street Dance Company
Hip hop & Rap | Sun Valley, CA
These PAD awardees join a roster of artists who have been hand selected by a panel of notable arts professionals for their exceptional artistry and ability to convey the unique plurality of the American experience through their artwork. Each PAD artist weaves together the threads of virtuosity, identity, aesthetics, disciplines and genres that can only be found in the United States. Follow these links to explore the full the Artists Roster and to view their Showcase Videos.
We wish to thank our colleagues who served on the panel to select these artists including: Bernard H. Gaddis, Founder/Artistic Director, Contemporary West Dance Theatre; Motoko Honda, Pianist, composer, sound artist; Daniel Jones, Co-Founder, Producing Artistic Director, Kindling Arts Festival; Yvonne Montoya, Founding Artistic/Executive Director, choreographer, Safos Dance Theatre; Dipankar Mukherjee, Artistic Director, Pangea World Theater; and Kelsey Spitalny, Program Manager, International Exchange, New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA).
See these artists perform at WAA
Several of these artists will perform live at the 2025 Annual WAA Conference. Look below for more information on when and were to see these performances. Agent/manager names (for represented artists) and booth numbers are listed for those exhibiting in the Commons.
New PAD Artists
Versa-Style Street Dance Company
The Novo at LA LIVE
September 2, 9:40-10:15 PM
Rep: Pentacle, Booth # 705
Kiran Ahluwalia
Bovard Auditorium at USC
Sept 3, 7:30-8:05 PM
Rep: Canis Major Music, Booth # 105
Roopa Mahadevan/Roopa in Flux
Bing Theatre at USC
September 3, 7:45-8:10 PM
Booth # 323
Vanessa Sanchez y La Mezcla
Bing Theatre at USC
September 3, 10:20-10:45 PM
PAD Alumni
Guy Mendilow Ensemble ‘22
Bovard Auditorium at USC
September 3, 8:10-8:45 PM
Ragamala Dance Company ‘22
Bing Theatre at USC
September 3, 8:45-9:10 PM
Dayton Contemporary Dance Company ‘23
Bing Theatre at USC
September 3, 9:50-10:15 PM
Booth # 711
Jlin and Third Coast Percussion ‘23
Grand Performances
September 4, 7:00-7:25 PM
Booth # 805
Jesús Muñoz Flamenco ‘24
Grand Performances
September 4, 7:30-7:50 PM
Booth # 309
Extra Ancestral ‘23
Grand Performances
September 4, 7:55-8:15 PM
The Last Cohort
Since 2015, WAA has operated Performing Arts Discovery (PAD) on behalf of the National Endowment for the Arts and in partnership with the six regional arts organizations to reduce barriers for American touring artists overseas. In May 2025, PAD received a notice of funding termination from the NEA, which we appealed, but unfortunately our appeal was denied.
We remain committed to working with the artists who have been impacted by this decision and are doing our best to support them to the greatest extent possible this year. Sadly, WAA can no longer support the artist development part of the PAD program. The PADX Program continues to be supported by the U.S. Department of Commerce International Trade Administration (ITA) and we look forward to sharing our plans for future trade missions in September 2025.