The importance of mentorship in the dance world is conspicuous in the work of the Dogwood Dance Project.

“My first relationship with [the company] was as a youth ensemble member,” says Hailey Clevenger, who serves on the executive committee at Dogwood and is developing a piece for their upcoming annual concert. “So when I was in high school, I was in pieces alongside the professional company.

“I remember that being such a positive experience and looking up to those dancers, so it’s really cool to be on the other side of that now, facilitating that experience for young dancers.”

The Dogwood Dance Project concert, its 12th annual season-ending show, will feature seven works developed by company members plus works from two guest artists, Richmond-based choreographer Kara Robertson and James Madison University faculty member Ryan Corriston. Clevenger involved a variety of company members in her process.

“My piece is choreographed on about half of the professional company and our full youth ensemble and our one apprentice,” she says. “It’s more than 20 people. It’s definitely a challenge creating a work with so many bodies but it’s a fun challenge to have.”

One of Clevenger’s mentors, Ilana Puglia, will also have a piece in the show. “One of the most exciting things for me about Dogwood is that a lot of my former students are involved,” Puglia says. “Hailey was one of the very first students I taught after I graduated college so it’s really special to work with her.”

Puglia says her piece will have more of a contemporary jazz feel to it as opposed to a strictly modern style. “I had the benefit of starting my rehearsal process later in our season; we didn’t start until February,” she says. “I was able to see what the other works were going to be so was able to say, maybe we need a little bit more of this or that for the diversity of the show.

“So my piece has just a little bit of a different vibe; I think I’ve challenged the dancers as far as their athleticism.”

Puglia is a prime example of the multiple hats someone has to wear to make a career as a professional dancer. In addition to being one of the founders of Dogwood, she is a co-owner of 804 Dance Place where she teaches jazz and modern dance. She has also been the dance company director at Chesterfield County Public Schools’ Specialty Center for the Arts at Thomas Dale High School since 2014.

One of the other owners at 804 is Tracey Clevenger, mother of Hailey Clevenger and her sister, Ashton, who is also a Dogwood company member.

Hailey says all of the relationships within the company are key to its long-term success. “It sounds kind of cheesy but I think we’re all grounded in the same goal,” she says. “A lot of us have been in each other’s lives for a really long time and I think we all just love dancing with each other.”

The positive energy within the company has helped it survive and thrive as it has worked to solidify its foundation in the wake of the sale of the former Dogtown Dance Theatre facility, now the home of Studio Two Three.

“We’ve been forced to adapt and I think some amazing things have come out of it,” says Clevenger. “Dogwood has evolved so much since it started in 2011 with 4 dancers; we now have 21 professional dancers.”

Puglia says the growth of the company has been surprising. “After pushing through the pandemic, there was this feeling like we were going to need years to build back up,” she says. “But it was kind of the opposite. We had so many people come out for our auditions that first year after the pandemic. It was clear that people still wanted to be involved and still wanted to be connected to us. It has been super inspiring.”

Being flexible and inclusive has facilitated this success, says Clevenger.

“We have college students who just graduated and then we have people who have multiple kids and full-time jobs,” she says. “It’s really special to see how Dogwood can be a home for people in all different stages of their life.”

Dogwood Dance Project’s annual concert will have two performances on April 20 at the Henrico Theatre, 305 E Nine Mile Rd. Tickets and more information available at http://dogwooddanceproject.weebly.com/in-concert.html.