They come from all over the country to learn dance, make dance and eagerly network their way into a dance world — in this case, a "Strictly Seattle" dance world where, after three weeks of intensive study and preparation, they'll find themselves onstage performing six new works by Seattle choreographers.

"They" are aspiring dancers in their early 20s who are in their closing years of college or have recently graduated. The choreographers are well-known local names: KT Niehoff, Tonya Lockyer, Paige Barnes, Jody Kuehner, Ricki Mason and UMAMI Performance (Aaron Swartzman and Aiko Kinoshita). Classes and rehearsals are held at Velocity Dance Center. Performances happen this weekend at Broadway Performance Hall.

"Strictly Seattle," now in its 14th year, includes students at beginner, intermediate, advanced and professional level (you have to audition to enter as a "professional"). A number of the program's teachers were once "Strictly Seattle" students themselves, says Lockyer, who is executive director of Velocity as well as a choreographer.

According to the grapevine, she adds, it's not New York but Seattle, San Francisco and Philadelphia that are the destinations of choice for dancers just starting out.

"If people want to come to a dance scene, there are only so many ways to do it," she says. Several students attending this summer, she notes, were inspired by a recent Dance Magazine article citing Seattle's "vibrant, innovative and inclusive dance community." Velocity, Lockyer points out, is one obvious entry point into the scene.

Watching Kinoshita and Swartzman set a piece on eight young female dancers makes it clear what's on offer. Every time they demonstrate a tidbit of their dance-in-progress, a kind of body magic occurs.

Swartzman shows one dancer the move he's after: a springy one-armed cartwheel with a floating leg trailing behind it. It looks like the most natural thing in the world when he does it. But when his student tries it, the rules of gravity suddenly apply.

Even Swartzman isn't quite sure where his liftoff is coming from: "I think it might be arm-leg."

He keeps her at it until she pulls it off. Meanwhile Kinoshita, across the room, is doing something similar, coaching one dancer on how to take a backward leap into another dancer's waiting arms, followed by a high kick and release.

First step: Learn the physical maneuver. Second: Learn to trust that your partner will catch you. Third: Make the whole business look like second nature.

Kinoshita wonders aloud what's needed: "A little more courage? Or daring? Or less thought?" She settles on the point: "Maybe it's less thought."

The piece, "Walks Past," breaks new ground for Kinoshita and Swartzman, who have focused exclusively on duets during their 5-year collaboration as UMAMI Performance. Now they're looking to incorporate ensemble passages into their work, and "Walks Past" lets them test out new ideas on willing volunteers.

Several in the group had flair, strong moves and stage presence. A few may well belong to the next generation of Seattle dancers.

Michael Upchurch: mupchurch@seattletimes.com