Getting started as a professional choreographer is not an easy feat. Companies and productions that can afford to pay talent are often reluctant to take on emerging artists, and as a result new voices are often not highlighted or given opportunities to begin their careers.
“There isn’t an easy way to enter the field,” explained Dance Canvas Founder and Executive Artistic Director Angela Harris. She founded the nonprofit back in 2008 in response to the lack of support for new dancers and choreographers that she saw here in the city. “I was kind of frustrated at the time and knew I wasn’t the only one in that position.”
It all began with collaboration between Harris’ friends who put on a performance at the 14th Street Playhouse in a 100-seat black box theater. Within just a few years they had more than tripled the number of applicants from across the country and had to secure a new, larger theater that could hold closer to 400 seats.
“There was a real need to support new, diverse voices in dance,” Harris said. In the 16 years since it was founded, Dance Canvas has made a significant impact on the local dance ecosystem. Their mission is centered around programs that increase awareness and provide opportunities to local talent through choreographer career development, youth outreach and leadership, and community engagement.
Dance Canvas’ Choreographer Career Development Initiative (CCDI) has enabled more than 800 artists to find gainful employment and vital exposure to more than 25,000 audience members since its inception.
In the program, choreographers create new works and then present them to audiences in Atlanta. Workshops, seminars, and roundtable discussions afford expert advice and resources to up-and-coming choreographers, while free rehearsal space and performance opportunities provide the real tangible assistance needed to bring their performances to life.
“When we first started CCDI, it was really just a platform and an opportunity for choreographers to have their work on a professional stage,” said Harris. “We would invite artistic directors to see the work, and the risk-taking of presenting a new artist; we tried to mitigate some of that risk.” Choreographers and prospective collaborators alike benefit from seeing how the audience responds to these performances and spark connections beyond the program.
One success story that Harris recalled was when one of their earliest choreographers in the program – Juel D. Lane – presented his work to an audience that included John McFall, who was at the time the Artistic Director of the Atlanta Ballet. This exposure led to a job opportunity for Lane who went on to become the first Black independent choreographer to be commissioned by the Atlanta Ballet. “That was kind of quintessential to what we are trying to do with Dance Canvas,” said Harris.
Participants in the CCDI program benefit from programming that includes professional development workshops, fundraising workshops, lighting design workshops, marketing consultations, marketing tools to use as templates, and professional photography and videography of their performances.
“They leave Dance Canvas with a lot of tools that they can take out into the world,” said Harris. Fiscal sponsorship of the choreographers also helps make their dance dreams reality, with around 10K in funding raised by the team for the current season. By removing the financial burdens associated with renting rehearsal space they have leveled the playing field for budding choreographers regardless of their financial situations.
“It really is a holistic approach to support choreographers in getting the experience they need to show their work,” explained Hila Roberts, Dance Canvas Board President. Growing up in Las Vegas as a lover of dance, she knew how hard it was to get started in the industry and felt that she had a calling to help the next generation of dancers.
After stints living in the Los Angeles Area and Boston, Roberts landed in Atlanta and wanted to expand on her love for dance locally. A friend serving on the Dance Canvas board forwarded a social media post about the nonprofit to Roberts, and then introduced the two. That initial conversation led to Roberts’ involvement with the Board and eventual appointment to the role of Board President.
“It just felt like a really great connection between my past, my present living in Atlanta, and the future I wanted to see,” said Roberts. “I was honored when I was asked to be Board President last year. It’s really all about trying to make sure that everyone knows how great Dance Canvas is.”
Another of Dance Canvas’ essential offerings is their DC NEXT youth program. Describing it as “at the heart of why Dance Canvas was created,” Harris explained that the initiative aims to provide young artists with the tools they need to embark on careers in the field. Participants in the DC NEXT summer program gain valuable insight into the professional and business aspects of the choreography and dance industry via mentorship, skill-building, and resumé assistance.
Many DC NEXT alumni go on to work in professional companies, and some even pursue Dance Canvas internships that lead to positions in their professional programs and on the Board of Directors. “All of our professional programs this year have one DC NEXT alumni in the program,” Harris told me. “It’s the first time that’s happened, and we are really excited about it.”
Over the past 15 years of the DC NEXT program, alumni have gone on to produce works locally and across the country. Harris asserts that even though some alumni may not go on to become professionals in the industry, they still deserve essential support and experiences. In 2025, DC NEXT is celebrating their achievements with a “sweet sixteen” sneaker ball at the Synchronicity Theatre annex on June 14.
Another cause for celebration this year is Dance Canvas’ triumphant return to Georgia State University’s Rialto Theatre on Forsyth Street. In 2014 and 2015, after outgrowing the 14th Street Playhouse, Dance Canvas worked with Leslie Gordon who was the Executive Director of the Rialto at the time. From 2016 through 2024, Dance Canvas moved to the Ferst Center of the Arts at Georgia Tech.
“It has been ten years since we have been on the stage of the Rialto, and we are excited to come back,” said Harris.
For two days, on March 21 and 22, Dance Canvas will bring 40 dancers to perform 7 new works that explore the themes of “future thinking.”
Additionally, Dance Canvas has partnered with the Rialto to offer two free artist workshops that bring in choreographers to teach classes for free; Xavier Lewis’ Hip Hop workshop that took place in January, and a contemporary master class led by Jameel Hendricks that will be offered in conjunction with the performances in March.
I asked Harris if there was anything planned for this year’s performances that she was particularly excited to see. “Every year the choreography surprises me,” said Harris. “At every show I say we love to create dance critics, because the best way to enjoy dance is to have conversations afterward.”
For Board President Roberts, participating in Dance Canvas has not only provided her with real avenues to get involved with the local dance community, but it also inspired her family to engage in conversations about the art form following their attendance of last year’s performance.
“The entire drive home we were talking about every piece,” Roberts shared. “It really just is a different way to think. I loved it for my husband who isn’t a dancer and doesn’t normally go to these performances, and also for my children who aren’t in dance. There’s something for everyone in these shows. You may not like every piece, but they will speak to you in one way or another.”
Though the team at Dance Canvas does not put any parameters on submissions from choreographers, Harris has noticed that each year there tends to be a sort of naturally-occurring through-line to the works. This year’s prompt to consider the future has inspired choreographers to consider the impact of technology, robotics, and even artificial intelligence on the art of dance.
“I can’t wait to see it come to life on stage,” said Harris.
One performance, choreographed by Atlanta-born and Philadelphia-based DC NEXT alumna Sevon Wright, is a multi-sensory dance experience.
In addition to choreography, Wright collaborated with her father to compose an original score, plus enlisted a perfumer to create a custom scent based on the work. She even found a baker to create candies inspired by the choreography. Since being a part of DC NEXT herself, Wright is Founder and Director of a Dance Company in Philadelphia.
“Artists make me really happy because they think about the world differently. If you can dream it, let’s make it happen,” said Harris. “That’s what excites me about these artists who come to work with us.”
For more information and to buy tickets for the 2025 Dance Canvas performances, visit the Rialto’s official website. To learn more about Dance Canvas, check out their website linked here.
