Iega speaks to a group of dancers huddled around him on a stage.

Facilitating Human Communication and Connection

Kevin Iega Jeff reflects on his life as a dancer, choreographer, and institution builder, using the creation of "Noi-Tar-Gim"—inspired by his father’s migration from the Jim Crow South—to explore how dance can foster human development, communal connection, and the preservation of Black artistic legacy.

April 6, 2026 | Read Article

Umi IMAN dances the Jingle Dress Dance against a white background, wearing a sacred regalia known as the Jingle Dress. IMAN’s dress, like others of its kind, is adorned with rows of metallic cones that create sound as she moves. The Jingle Dress Dance is a healing dance that originated with the Ojibwe people and is now embraced across many Native communities.

Creating a Home for Afro-Indigenous Dance

Afro-Indigenous Muslim dance artist Umi IMAN explores how home, identity, and community shape her work through Al Taw’am and Sequoia Ascension, using dance as a tool for cultural preservation, resistance, and belonging.

March 30, 2026 | Read Article

Quynn Johnson is a Black woman dressed in a sleeveless, denim jumpsuit and silver sparkled loafers, dancing in a pool of light. She glances toward the floor as she shifts her weight from one foot to the other. There is a drum set in the background catching some of the light and a collection of living room decorations, including a lamp and a stool, piled in the foreground.

Spreading the Joy of Rhythm and Movement

Quynn Johnson, a Maryland-based master tap dancer and teaching artist, fuses tap, sand dance, and body percussion to tell stories in classrooms and on stages around the world.

March 23, 2026 | Read Article

Ani leaps along a sandy shoreline, wearing flowing magenta clothing and lifting a long palm frond overhead as the ocean and pale blue sky stretch behind.

Being the Bridge

Ani/Anito Gonzales Gavino, a Pilipinx multidisciplinary artist, discusses Ani/MalayaWorks, an ongoing collaboration with their daughter, Malaya, as well as how their work serves to bridge the Pilipinx diasporic experience.

March 16, 2026 | Read Article

A person sits casually on a wooden stool in a dance studio while a dynamic, dance‑like silhouette is cast dramatically on the wall behind them.

Creating Dance for Community

Brooklyn-based choreographer John Heginbotham shares his artistic path and his commitment to creating community-centered dance works, including a new intergenerational project with people living with Parkinson’s.

March 9, 2026 | Read Article