Lately, I’ve been thinking about the many possible meanings of the word “improvisation” in relation to dance. On the one hand, improv is improv and you are welcome to do whatever comes to mind/body. On the other, at least in my own improvisation practice, I have noticed that certain improvisatory tasks as well as certain ways of approaching said tasks are likely to yield very different outcomes both experientially and visually.

Dance Informa spoke with a few incredible dancers who dedicate much of their practice to improvisation to learn more about what goes through their mind, body and spirit while they improvise. Below are our best attempts at summarizing the rich conversations we had with Zornitsa Stoyanova, Vasiliki Papapostolou and Megan Castro.

Dance Informa has had the wonderful opportunity to speak with world-renowned director Dimitris Papaioannou leading up to his show, Transverse Orientation, which will have its U.S. premiere as part of Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Next Wave Festival this fall. His responses to our questions speak for themselves, and we’re grateful to have caught a glimpse behind the curtain of his distinctive world.

As a U.S.-based freelance dancer, I have often wondered about the opportunities and lifestyle of my European counterparts. Interviewing freelancers from France, Italy, Germany and Switzerland gave me a useful glimpse into the European dance world, which in many ways functions quite differently than dance here in the United States. Read on to find out more!

Dance Informa had the opportunity to speak with Bradley Shelver, an acclaimed dancer, teacher, director, choreographer and master of all things dance. He offered generous responses to our questions and shared his vision for the future of the Joffrey Ballet Concert Group of which he is stepping in as the new Artistic Director. Read below to get to know Shelver and his perspectives on the art of dance.

Dance Informa had the opportunity to talk with Leal Zielinska, a dance artist and activist with a passion for bringing mental health issues into the light and finding ways to support dancers with the mental struggles they might face. Learn more about her and her important work below.

Dance Informa had the opportunity to speak with the lovely Mathilde Gilhet about her life in dance, her unique floorwork creations and the WE Program, which raises money to support dance projects around the world. Learn more about her and her work below.

If you’re a dance artist working in the New York City area, chances are that you’ve been to or at least heard of Arts On Site. Here, we speak with Arts On Site Executive Director Chelsea Ainsworth to learn more about the organization, its inspiring mission and upcoming chances to engage.

Acquiring an O-1B artist visa in the United States can seem challenging, scary and mysterious. Dance Informa recently had the opportunity to speak with lawyer Rachel Wool and one of her dancer clients who helped demystify the application process. Hear from them firsthand below.

Dance Informa recently had the opportunity to check in with dancer, choreographer, teacher and all around artist Jenn Freeman. She has danced in works by Sonya Tayeh, Mia Michaels, Kyle Abraham, Travis Wall, Larry Keigwin and more, and is the artistic director of Freemove Dance. Read on to learn about her journey through the dance world and where she’s headed next.

In the face of the challenges we’ve all experienced over the past year, we’ve had to adapt, rethink and overcome. That’s where Só Dança’s new fitness line comes in. From leggings to bra tops to lightweight vests and jackets, this collection has so much to offer to dancers and non-dancers alike!

You know when a Zoom call turns into a heart-to-heart that you didn’t know you needed? Well, that’s what happened when Dance Informa spoke with the lovely Rena Butler of Gibney Dance Company. From her childhood to her time with major companies like Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago to being a full-time dancer in the midst of a global pandemic, Butler generously shared so much about her life with us. Read on for some of the highlights.

Dance Informa had the chance to talk with the one and only Lee Gumbs, whose dance photography has long been making a splash on Instagram and other social media outlets. From his dance career to his most memorable shoots to his photography dreams, Gumbs generously shared his story and passion with us.

Urbanity Dance, located in Boston, MA, was founded in 2008. In addition to providing dance education and community engagement opportunities around the Boston area, the company has evolved from its original six dancers into three performing groups: the professional company, the Junior Apprentice program and Urbanity Underground. Urbanity Underground follows a nontraditional company model, and seeks to provide a dance community and high-level performance opportunities to dancers who have chosen to follow non-performing career paths. Dance Informa had the opportunity to connect with a few members of Urbanity Underground to learn more about the program. Here’s the inside scoop.

Dance Informa had the chance to ask Cherice and Charissa Barton some questions about their dance intensive, Axis Connect, which they answered with generosity and passion. Read on to learn about the groundbreaking bi-coastal platform they have created from the ground up.

Dance Informa recently had the chance to catch up with hip hop dancer Ivan Maric, who is making a splash in the LA commercial dance scene. His genuine nature and unbridled motivation are inspiring to say the least. Read on to learn more about how he chased his dreams from Europe to the City of Angels.

Meet Lauriane Nabet. Originally from France, she came to the U.S. in 2017, on a scholarship to the Martha Graham School Summer Intensive. Little did she know at the time that she would fall in love with America, and America would fall in love with her. From performing to teaching and everything in between, Nabet has taken the NYC dance world by storm.

In the age of the novel coronavirus, online dance classes have popped up everywhere. Perhaps the most groundbreaking digital dancing opportunity comes in the form of Gaga, a movement language developed by Ohad Naharin of Batsheva Dance Company in Tel Aviv, Israel. Since nearly the beginning of quarantine protocols, Gaga Online has been sharing eight donation-based classes per day, seven days a week, taught by rotating certified teachers and live-streamed from Tel Aviv and New York.

Meet Petra Gucunski, founder and director of Continuum Dance Co., a company dedicated to bringing the joy of dance to the corporate workforce. We asked Gucunski a few questions about Continuum and where the company is headed. Check out her responses below!

You know those hyper-talented families we’re all secretly a little jealous of? The Bartons are one of those families. Sisters Cherice, Charissa and Aszure (from eldest to youngest) grew up dancing together but soon discovered that their dance careers were taking them in different directions. Although it wasn’t always easy or straightforward, they each carved their own distinctive path in the dance world.

While it’s easy to get bogged down in the midst of the global pandemic we are facing, the dance world has responded to the unprecedented challenges sweeping the world with a renewed sense of creativity, solidarity and generosity. I’ve never been more proud to be a dance artist or felt more connected to the dance community, and all this dancing alone together has left me with a sustained pleasure in movement that I haven’t felt since early childhood. I am dancing in front of the open refrigerator door again, sliding around the living room in my socks to that intuitive mental rhythm, staring into my dog’s eyes as I kick-ball-change toward her, watching her tail wag, fascinated that energy is translatable across species, across the borders of nations, even detectable through the various wires that power those sacred Zoom sessions.