Originally from New England, Carol Abohatab began migrating west in 1986, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and a Master of Fine Arts from Mills College in Oakland, both in Dance Performance and Choreography. In 1998, she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and formed the Vanguard Dance Company. Inspired by a need to create, she set out to allow aspiring dancers to dance side-by-side with professionals from the community, focusing on finding wit and inventiveness in the language of dance.