If household-name status can be measured by Super Bowl cameos, Lil Buck has definitively earned the title. Along with high-profile ads for companies like Apple and Lexus, the Memphis jooker has also worked with concert dancers of all genres at the Vail Dance Festival, pushing the limits of where street forms can go. Read the […]

Patron saint of queer quirk and founder of Los Angeles studio The Sweat Spot, Ryan Heffington first made headlines three years ago as the choreographer of “Chandelier,” a music video for Sia starring Maddie Ziegler with a combined view count of more than 1.5 billion. Last year, Heffington both broadened his range and reinforced his […]

Judith Jamison was always going to be a tough act to follow. But in the six years since Robert Battle took the helm of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, he’s launched a new era for the iconic troupe. Take last season: Battle revived Ailey’s Masekela Langage, pushed the envelope with Kyle Abraham’s new Untitled America […]

New director Pamela Tatge is making the most of Jacob’s Pillow’s vast resources. She’s reenvisioned the dance mecca as a year-round institution, not only expanding the Creative Development Residencies but giving those residents 24-hour access, a generous stipend and funds to bring in an outside eye. Residency showings are open to students from nearby colleges, […]

At Miami City Ballet, Lourdes Lopez has shown how to turn around a financially struggling company without losing that for which it’s beloved. While building upon founder Edward Villella’s Balanchine legacy, she’s also embraced Miami’s unique cultural identity, commissioning works like Justin Peck’s Wynwood-inspired Heatscape and Miami-born artist Michele Oka Doner’s underwater reimagining of A […]

Through his work on shows like In the Heights, Bandstand and the game-changing Hamilton, Andy Blankenbuehler is pushing Broadway choreography into new territory. He continually reveals dance’s ability to tell stories that matter to contemporary audiences, with movement that’s meticulously detailed yet seamlessly integrated into the show’s world. In his work, dance becomes not just […]

In the last five years, Alexei Ratmansky has made seventeen ballets for nine different companies in five countries. These include an abstract ballet set to Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, an interpretation of Plato’s Symposium set to Leonard Bernstein, reconstructions of three Petipa ballets based early twentieth-century notations, a re-imagined Baiser de la Fée, and […]

Former arts lobbyist Amy Fitterer is all about diversity, inclusion and equal opportunity—and making Dance/USA relevant for today’s climate. Since assuming leadership in 2011, Fitterer has worked to create programs that genuinely serve the needs of today’s dance world. She’s established the Institute for Leadership Training for emerging dance leaders, which has been enormously successful […]