FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The 1st International Dance Educators and Choreographic Mentors to Convene Online for CORE + ME | 2026 ICONS Meet

The first-ever event of its kind: CORE + ME | 2026 ICONS Meet

Choreographers Open Roundtable on Education + Mentorship

2026 International Conferencing Online and Networking Symposium Meet

November 6–8, 2026
Online Headquarters — Washington, DC, USA
International Consortium for Advancement in Choreography – Dance ICONS, Inc.  www.danceicons.org

Media Contact: Charles Scheland, Content and Programming Manager, Dance ICONS, Inc. charles@danceicons.org
 

September 6, 2026  

WASHINGTON, DC — Prominent international choreographic educators and mentors will come together online November 6–8, 2026, for CORE + ME | 2026 ICONS Meet, the first ever global symposium on education, mentorship, and professional development of the next generation of choreographers.

Presented by Dance ICONS, Inc., the global forum for prominent independent, academic, and professional educators and mentors offers a platform to exchange knowledge, share creative practices, and explore how choreographers are taught, mentored, and prepared for their artistic careers.

The three-day online symposium will address fundamental questions facing the field: How do we cultivate future dance creators? How do we mentor and educate aspiring choreographers? How do we teach dance composition and choreographic craft?

A Three-Day Global Conference Across Three Time Zones

The symposium will take place online Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, November 6–8, 2026, on Google Meet. Each day will feature start times coordinated across three major world time zones to enable presenters around the globe to participate.

Daily session start times are:

• 9:00 AM and 12:00 noon — Eastern Standard Time (EST)
  Washington, DC / New York
• 3:00 PM and 6:00 PM — Central European Time (CET)
  Vienna / Rome
• 9:00 PM and 12:00 midnight — China Standard Time (CST)
  Hong Kong / Beijing

The November dates place the conference after the end of daylight-saving time in both the United States and Europe, making EST and CET the appropriate time-zone designations for the event. China Standard Time remains in effect year-round.

Content and Areas of Discussions

During this online forum, invited experts from around the globe will discuss various topics in 20-minute-long presentation slots that will cover key issues such as:  1) Choreography craft, fundamental skills, and creative techniques; 2) Choreography talent development and creative training; 3) Choreography mentorship, advisory, and support.

Confirmed conference presenters include Raphael Miro-Holzer, BlueBox, AUSTRIA; Mario Piazza, National Academy of Dance in Rome, ITALY; Anh Nguyen, Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, CHINA; Sifiso E. Kweyama, JazzArt Dance Theater, SOUTH AFRICA; Jillian Harris, Temple University, USA; Nile H. Russell, American Dance Festival, USA, among many others.

Free Registration Opens September 9

Selected attendance is free of charge, but participation is limited by available digital capacity. All presenters are participating by invitation, while attendees must apply online and obtain a personalized Google Meet invitation to participate.

The online attendee registration application form will open September 9, 2026, and close October 9, 2026. Because space is limited, prospective attendees are encouraged to register early. Participants will receive online confirmation if space is available.

For those unable to participate in real time, symposium content will be captured as video and shared publicly online through the Dance ICONS website at a later point.

About Dance ICONS, Inc. USA

Dance ICONS, Inc., USA brings together choreographic mentors and dance composition educators from independent, academic, and professional sectors around the world. Through initiatives such as CORE + ME | 2026 ICONS Meet, the organization creates opportunities for knowledge exchange, creative dialogue, mentorship, networking, and collaboration within the international dance community. www.danceicons.org

A direct information link to the 2026 CORE + ME | 2026 ICONS Meet  is available at:  https://www.danceicons.org/pages/index.php?p=260823210027