"My Chop Shop experience is one of such admiration, appreciation, and joy... Chop Shop feels like a dance home for me — somewhere with people I will always want to return to, and a supportive catalyst for new ideas and opportunities. The work that Eva and her team are doing is crucial and wonderful and necessary to the contemporary dance community."

— Courtney Mazeika, dance artist

"Working with Emily Schoen Branch over the course of several years has been integral to my growth as an artist in and out of the studio... what I've always admired most about Emily is her dedication to exercising fair, organized, and sustainable working conditions for dancers in an industry where it is largely lacking."

— Kacie Boblitt, dance artist

"Going into CHOP SHOP: Bodies of Work, I wasn't sure what to expect... I was pleasantly surprised to witness an event curated for people like me, with the purpose of presenting accessible, creative work from artists that want to share their stories."

— Huma Ali, Teen Editor, TeenTix Newsroom, 2019

"Chop Shop Dance Festival has been a strong contemporary dance presence on the Eastside for 11 years. The festival focuses on audience engagement... Curator Eva Stone strives to present dance that all can relate to, even if audience members are new to the genre."

— Sumaya Mulla-Carrillo, SeattleDances, 2018

"This year's Chop Shop featured high quality dancing across the board and a surprising proportion of well-plotted endings. It's a well-curated, well-produced festival whose good reputation will undoubtedly only continue to increase."

— Anna Waller, SeattleDances, 2014

"Stone provides a forum for regional, national, and sometimes international dance artists to share their work in a friendly atmosphere, with production values that are sometimes hard to get on one's own — a theatre, publicity, lighting, and indeed, an audience. It's a collegial experience and one of the region's most important dance events."

— Dean Speer, Critical Dance, 2016