In its fifth year of uniting choreographers across the country with local dance companies, Dance Saint Louis focuses on the topic of inspiring women with New Dance Horizons V. Performances by the Saint Louis Ballet, MADCO, and the Big Muddy Company take center stage.

Wendy Rein and Ryan T. Smith of RAWdance partner with MADCO to present a piece primarily inspired by Susannah Cahalan’s “Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness,” a memoir recounting Cahalan’s life-alternating experience with a rare form of encephalitis. Dance Horizons V takes place at the Touhill Performing Arts Center and also includes student performances, a student gallery, a “Wall of Inspiration,” and panel discussions.