Dionne Figgins, appointed artistic director of Ballet Tech in 2021, brings extensive professional experience and a deep investment in education to her leadership role at this unique New York City public school that combines academics and classical ballet training.

For Natalio to effectively work with different types of artists—from professional dancers to actors with little to no movement experience—she’s had to fine-tune her communication skills and develop a clear way to make everyone feel safe to explore.

Unlike lyrics or lines preserved in scores and scripts, a show’s movement is ephemeral, passed from body to body with every new cast. Ensuring that the choreography and staging stays true to the original is crucial to the integrity of a show. Such is the task of Wicked’s associate choreographer Corinne McFadden Herrera, who has been with the production from its inception in 2003.

“I knew from the minute he moved to New York he was the person, the artist, I was most interested in following,” she says. “At some point, I formed the idea: One day I would love to write a book about this artist.”

Some artists thrive onstage, dancing backup for the biggest stars in the world. Others shine behind the scenes, choreographing and managing the details required for a world-class show. Alek Paliński does it all.

When choreographer Robert Moses recently asked longtime dancer Crystaldawn Bell to work on a new solo with him, it wasn’t his first time proposing a rather unconventional creative process. Over the past decade, the two artists have created a handful of pieces together, with Moses as choreographer and Bell as collaborator:

JoAnn M. Hunter has given the term “triple threat” a new meaning as her long career on Broadway has evolved. A director, choreographer and collaborator who used to sing, dance and act, she is now a sought-after part of creative teams, in a field that has had few women of color in leadership roles.

No other ballet has shaped Paul Michael Bloodgood’s life as much as Light / The Holocaust & Humanity Project. He was a young dancer who’d recently joined Ballet Austin when he became part of the physical, educational and emotional process to create this singular work and community dialogue with artistic director and choreographer Stephen Mills and Holocaust survivor Naomi Warren—whose testimony is at the heart of the project.