BODYTRAFFIC and NCCAkron designed a national nomination and application process among stakeholders and curators across the country who named 45 female-identified choreographers for the inaugural Dancing Lab exploring choreographic ideas with BODYTRAFFIC dancers. All choreographers were invited to apply, and a panel selected 3 finalists: Kimberly Bartosik (Brooklyn, NY), Helen Simoneau (Winston-Salem, NC), and Kate Wallich (Seattle, WA). All 3 women and BODYTRAFFIC came to NCCAkron in September 2017 for a week of experimentation, collaboration, and professional development.​