PTERO Dance Theatre was formed in Spring 2004. PTERO (Pronounced terr-o, Greek for "wing") created its inaugural full evening premiere Candle in the Sun at the Ivy Substation through a grant from the City of Culver City in 2004. The company received a grant from the Puffin Foundation in 2004, 2006, and 2008, and the Durfee Foundation's ARC grant in 2007 and 2009. The company has a prolific repertory with four full evening works and several shared evenings. Backstage West described PTERO as "a wonder of movement, musicality, and passion...dramatically powerful" and was featured in Los Angeles Magazine's guide section. "The choreographer Paula Present has a gift for creating memorable body sculpture and for shaping a sophisticated, contemporary movement vocabulary..." (Lewis Segal, LA Times).

The company was awarded two Lester Horton awards in 2005, and numerous nominations for Outstanding Achievement "Performance" and "Choreography." The company has also performed in numerous Los Angeles venues and has toured three times to Mexico, as well as San Diego, San Francisco, and New Mexico. "...and the breathtaking PTERO Dance Theatre from Los Angeles. PTERO's seven short, brilliant dances brought the evening to a new level of dance performance and design. The three dancers of PTERO Dance Theatre were an astonishing trio of dancer / artists revealing beauty of line and shape with clarity and sharply focused intention." (Albuquerque Journal)