Mike Esperanza

Born in Manila, Philippines and raised in Southern California, Mike Esperanza has established himself as a sought after teacher and choreographer throughout the nation. A graphic designer for 11 years, Mike’s approach to visual construction has influenced his unique movement orchestration on stage. His works have been commissioned by OCHSA, Mt SAC, Saddleback College, Santa Ana College, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Cal State Fullerton, Chapman University and Loyola Marymount University. In 2004, his piece Cells was selected to perform at the American College Dance Festival’s national gala held at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. In 2005, Mike was awarded the “Dance: Creation for Performance” grant presented by Dance/USA and the Irvine Foundation. With this distinguished award, he began his company, BARE. Since its inception, the company has been a finalist at the 2005 and 2007 “Dance Under the Stars Choreography Festival”, has been nominated for outstanding company performance at the 2006 Lester Horton Awards, and has participated in the Orange County Children’s Therapeutic Arts Centers’ benefit fashion show. Mike also teaches at the DeFore Dance Center in Costa Mesa, CA.