Bulgarian-American choreographer, author, and founding director of Dance ICONS, Inc. Vladimir Angelov celebrates the 10th anniversary of the first and only international organization dedicated to choreographers. Serving more than 5,200 choreographers and artistic directors worldwide, Dance ICONS, Inc. shares knowledge, resources, and networking opportunities. Angelov spoke candidly with ICONS team member Charles Scheland, reflecting on the past decade’s challenges, accomplishments, and new book, as well as the latest global education and mentorship initiative.

ICONS:  How did Dance ICONS come into being, and what is its mission?

Vladimir Angelov: The vision for Dance ICONS, Inc. emerged when I realized there was no local, national, or international organization or association focused specifically on the needs of choreographers. Therefore, we founded Dance ICONS, Inc. in May 2015 in Washington, D.C., as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, and we began operations in 2016.

ICONS stands for International Choreographers' Organization and Networking Services, the active initiative of our umbrella organization, the International Consortium for Advancement in Choreography, Inc.

In early 2016, we began publishing a monthly digital newsletter for about 120 choreographers and artistic directors based primarily in the United States. Our goal was to cover current events and trends while providing an updated international list of artistic residencies, open calls, professional-development workshops, jobs, and funding sources for choreographers to pursue/apply for.

As of 2026, Dance ICONS, Inc. reaches the inboxes of more than 5,200 choreographers and artistic directors. We also share information and maintain direct contact with leaders of major international ballet and dance companies, festivals, conferences, and networking events.

We remain a lean organization with seven key team members: me, Michael Lillys, Camilla Acquista, Charles Scheland, Asami Seki, Theo Kossenas, and Elaine Parsons. We are also supported by an outstanding network of writers and representatives around the world, such as Maggie Foyer in London, Christina Nikolaidis-Strommer in Vienna, and many others who regularly contribute to our content.

ICONS: How would you describe Dance ICONS, Inc.’s mission and goals?

VA: Our mission centers on three ongoing areas of knowledge-sharing and practical activity at the regional, national, and international levels:

-- Providing resources, professional-development opportunities, exposure, and networking.

-- Tracking the current state of choreographic practice, emerging trends, and future directions.

-- Advancing choreographic education, creative training, and mentorship.

ICONS: What were the challenges in building the infrastructure for such a massive network?

VA: First, we needed to map the field and understand choreographers’ needs, so we created a platform focused on gathering resources such as residencies, open calls, funding sources, and professional-development opportunities. Second, we built relationships with prominent institutions, visiting them and developing a global network of conversations so choreographers could stay informed about opportunities worldwide. Third, we committed to sharing every relevant piece of information connected to the art of choreography—if the word “choreography” appears in an announcement, whether for a book, film, trend, or event, we want to know ALL about it, and we share it immediatelly with our folks globally.

All of this is featured on a platform called ICONS Updates. It’s updated and distributed monthly from September through May, and all of the information is available at  no charge on our website.

ICONS: How does Dance ICONS address the art form itself and the ways artists push its boundaries?

VA: For that purpose, we created another interface called ICONS Inspire. A key feature of our monthly digital newsletter is ICON of the Month, an inspirational one-on-one interview with a groundbreaking choreographer working today. Presented in text format, each choreographic portrait allows a prominent artist to share creative practices, artistic insights, and professional wisdom.

“How do you create a dance?” is a central question that we pose to each choreographer-interviewee. It gives readers a view into the creative minds of established choreographers such as Wayne McGregor, Akram Khan, Rena Butler, the late, legendary Hans van Manen, and many others prominent choreographers we have inteviewed for the past ten years.

ICONS: You have also published a seminal book on choreographic craft as an intellectual reference. How does it address the needs of choreographers?

VA: My book, YOU, THE CHOREOGRAPHER, Creating and Crafting Dance, Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group, London and New York, 2024, offers references and tools to help choreographers in their daily work. A decade in the making, the book synthesizes histories, theories, philosophies, and creative practices of choreography across dance genres. It also includes references to the great living choreographers of today.

One of my goals in writing the book was to create a multi-purpose resource geared to choreographers in different phases of their careers: For instance, it’s designed to serve as a textbook for classroom use by students and teachers; it’s a professional development resource for emerging professionals; it’s a companion handbook that renews inspiration for established artists; and for all readers, it offers a cumulative and systematic understanding of dance making. It features numerous cross-disciplinary references that address how choreographic practice is related to other arts and cultural traditions.

ICONS: Besides listing international opportunities, does Dance ICONS Inc. offer local opportunities for choreographers in the Washington, D.C. area?

VA: Yes, of course!  Operating under the umbrella of Dance ICONS, Inc., the ICONS Choreographers’ Collective, is a professional-development program that produces and presents a festival of new works by DC-area choreographers. Each year, we produce high-quality programs with open auditions for area choreographers and dance artists, who are selected by a panel. Once accepted, artists receive mentorship, artistic feedback, and the technical support they need to present their new works.

This past May 2026, our annual new works festival featured leading independent choreographers and dancers from Washington, D.C., presenting 7 dance companies, 14 choreographers, and 68 dancers.

We deeply appreciate the funding support from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, along with the participating artists and the outstanding staff of the Atlas Performing Arts Center.

VA: Yes. I personally travel across the United States and internationally to connect with colleagues and choreographic educators, collaborate with mentors, and share my expertise. Alongside many shorter lecture trips, I had two long-term projects this past summer.

One of them , HELIOS in Sofia, Bulgaria, was presented in partnership with the Sofia capital municipality and the Center for Contemporary Art. The program focused on training, mentorship, and the creation of new work for emerging Bulgarian choreographers, while also welcoming artists from across the European Union.

The other initiative, NextMoves, held last month at Guangzhou Opera House in China, was developed in partnership with Hong Kong Ballet and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.

It brought together 21 emerging choreographers from the independent, academic, and professional sector in an inspiring and highly productive exchange.

We hope more countries will create choreographic laboratories, educational initiatives, and professional-development programs that nurture young choreographic talent.

ICONS: What exciting projects are coming up for Dance ICONS, Inc. in the near future?

VA: Returning to education, mentorship, and creative training for choreographers, we are preparing a new global online conference.

This first-of-its-kind initiative is CORE + ME | 2026 ICONS Meet. CORE + ME stands for Choreographers Open Roundtable on Education + Mentorship | 2026 International Conferencing Online and Networking Symposium Meet. We are very happy with this abbreviation that this extension of our organization's abbreviation -- please click on the banner below for more information.

The three-day online symposium, taking place November 6–8, 2026, 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?

We’re excited to welcome participants into our global community of dance-composition educators and choreographic mentors. We also look forward to another successful decade filled with innovation, growth, and renewed development of the timeless art of choreography!

ICONS: After meeting so many prominent choreographers, what is your advice to emerging choreographers?

VA: Dance your life and let life dance you.

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Biography of Vladimir Angelov can be found HERE .

Photography: courtesy of Dance ICONS, Inc.

YouTube short book promo video infomercial:

INTERVIEW’S CREATIVE TEAM ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:

Interviewer and Programming Manager: Charles Scheland

Content Editor: Camilla Acquista

Dance ICONS, Inc., September 2026 © All rights reserved

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