Special Holiday Guest Blog written by Mia Leonin. Thank you, Mia!

In addition to the long lines of testy shoppers and mall parking lot homicides, something wintery is finally happening in South Florida.

On Sunday, the Florida Dance Association’s WinterFest kicked off with “Florida Dances/Miami Dances” – six Florida-based choreographers dabbling in all things dance – from the conceptual to the kitschy.

Miami-based choreographer, Liony Garcia’s “Relative” proposes an examination of a plant’s life outside its pot. The extended metaphor is intriguing, but the slow-moving synchronicity, performed by Garcia and Courtney Charles Horton, is often out of sync.

Tampa-based Carolina Garcia’s choreography for Dwayne Scheuneman does not hold up to the well-chosen rhymes and rhythms of the late Mercedes Sosa and Calle 13’s Rene Perez folk-rap duet, “Canción Para un Niño en la Calle” (“Song for a Child on the Street”). While Scheuneman’s movement at times hints at a narrative, the portrait is fragmented.

In terms of execution and skill, Cristiane Silva and Liony Garcia stole the show with their dynamic performance of “Kayala,” a work in progress by Miami’s Augusto Soledade. Excellent timing and powerful thrusts of pure energy kept up with mastery of African percussionist Guem.

Performances from Key West and Fort Lauderdale rounded out the evening’s eclectic selection with theatrical and performative elements. Sasha Jimenez’s dramatic trio “. . . With Love, the McGonnells” anchors three women to three chairs. This technical challenge offers some rich emotional nuances as the three dancers are bound to a very tight dance space. Set to Chopin, the piece is more dramatically interesting than it is technically challenging, but the sense of composition and structure made it gratifying to watch.

“Overlap,” revolves around a recorded text where sentences are finished with overlapping words that often reveal multiple possibilities, but sometimes blot out meaning altogether. The result is a deconstruction of language that emphasizes intention over meaning. Kristen McLaren choreographs and performs. She also composed the text for this unique performance.

Under a spinning disco ball, Rosie Herrera’s “Various Stages of Drowning: A Cabaret” punctuated the evening of dance with a quirky, upbeat exclamation. Billed as a showcase, “Florida Dances/Miami Dances” was more of a mish mash of possibilities than a selection of the best the Sunshine State has to offer; however, the Florida Dance Festival has long made good on its promise to bring high-quality dance to local stages.

WinterFest continues on Wednesday, December 30 at Miami Beach’s Colony Theatre with the internationally-recognized Bill Young/Colleen Thomas & Company.

On Sunday, January 3, Wally Cardona and Rahel Vonmoos present, “A Light Conversation” which premiered last year in New York City to critical acclaim. The evening is double bill with Axis Dance Company. The rest of the WinterFest is a must see. For tickets and more information visit www.floridadanceassociation.org