Four choreographers selected for this summer’s Choreographic Institute at UNCSA

The School of Dance at UNCSA has announced the participants selected for this year’s Choreographic Institute, a two-week summer residency designed to foster the development of new work by emerging and mid-career choreographers of exceptional promise.

As part of the residency, choreographers will rehearse with dancers from DANCE | CONNECTION NOW, a new summer intensive at UNCSA for emerging artists ages 15-25. This collaboration offers choreographers a unique opportunity to develop and stage new work with preprofessional dancers, culminating in a public showing of the new creations.

This year’s choreographers were selected from more than 100 submissions and include Maleek Washington, Choreographic Fellow from New York City; Haley Kostas, a choreographer, dance artist and future psychologist from Kansas City, Missouri; Stephen Shynes, an interdisciplinary artist, choreographer and creative director from Washington, D.C.; and Chalvar Monteiro, a dance artist, choreographer and educator, currently performing with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York City.

Individual headshots of the dance choreographers involved in the Choreographic Institute

From left to right: Maleek Washington, Stephen Shynes, Chalvar Monteiro and Haley Kostas

The institute runs from June 29-July 12 and will culminate in a performance that is open to the public on Friday, July 11, at 7:30 p.m. at Freedman Theatre on the UNCSA campus, 1533 S. Main St., Winston-Salem. Tickets will be available online at uncsa.edu/performances or by calling the box office at 336-721-1945.

Auditions are open for the UNCSA Summer Dance Intensives, including DANCE | CONNECTION NOW (June 29-July 12). Audition requirements and video submission links are available on the apply and audition page.

Begun in 2017, the Choreographic Institute provides choreographers and dance students with resources to create new works and opportunities to work with some of the leading-edge performance technologies in today's dance world. The institute looks for emerging choreographers who exhibit strong choreographic voices, exceptional promise and at least five years of choreographic experience.

Dance alumnus Juel D. Lane (B.F.A. ’02), director of the institute, has more than 20 years of experience as a dancer, choreographer and director.

“This is my second year as director of the institute and we wanted to spice things up by adding a choreographic fellow,” Lane said. “Maleek Washington will be like a North Star or a guiding light in conversation with the other choreographers. Maleek has been doing some beautiful things. He is a working professional who can answer questions, offer feedback, and just lend an ear. We all know some things, and we can all learn from each other. It will help create an equal balance of creativity.”

A vibrant dance class scene with participants of various ages and backgrounds practicing choreography in a studio setting.

Choreographic Institute 2024 / Photo by: Alyssa Hartstein

One key characteristic of this year’s Choreographic Institute cohort is a penchant for surrealism.

“They all have a passion and a love of surrealism,” Director Lane said. “They each talked about it in their interviews and in their artist statement. It makes me excited as a director to see what they produce and to lean into that game of surrealism.

“You’re reaching into that unconscious mind, and you think ‘this is interesting, let me try this,’” Lane continued. “The imagination is always at the center of what we do, the possibilities of ‘what if?’ are always included in the work.”

Lane took over for former Choreographic Institute Director and alumnus Ashley Lindsey (B.F.A. ’07) who has become the director of DANCE | CONNECTION NOW. While still under the UNCSA Summer Dance Intensives, the Choreographic Institute is now a part of DANCE | CONNECTION NOW, which will allow participants to receive training and audition for new works by the institute’s choreographers and guest faculty.

“DANCE | CONNECTION NOW is geared toward students looking for a preprofessional summer training programming,” Lindsey said. “All of the institute’s choreographers and guest faculty are either dance company directors or are associated with dance companies. It’s important to us to bring in people who are in a positionto hire dancers, and they will have already met our dancers when they start looking to hire.”

A diverse group of people participating in a lively dance class, showcasing various dance moves and expressions

Choreographic Institute 2024 / Photo by: Jennifer Guy

Besides having time and space to create new works, the institute’s choreographers will benefit from seminars on topics including choreography as a business, digital representation, finding your voice and grant writing. They also will engage in studio work sessions focused on creative exploration, workshops and artist talks led by industry leaders, and mentoring sessions with Lane, Washington and Faculty Emeritus Trish Casey.

Casey was Lane’s composition teacher when he was a Dance student at UNCSA. “Trish will be mentoring the choreographers again,” Lane said. “She is a great asset to the program. We will always continue to involve her as best we can.”

The faculty includes working choreographers and dancers from the School of Dance faculty in Winston-Salem; Brooklyn, New York; New York City; Los Angeles; and Boise, Idaho.

More about the 2025 Institute Choreographers and Choreographic Fellow

Black and white photo of a man with a prominent mustache, looking directly at the camera with a serious expression.

Maleek Washington

Maleek Washington, Choreographic Fellow, is a Princess Grace Award winner, choreographer and teaching artist whose multidisciplinary work explores Black identity. His career-spanning collaborations include Camille A. Brown, Kyle Abraham, Sleep No More, and major artists such as Nas and Rihanna, alongside commissions from New York Live Arts, Gibney and international festivals.

Black and white portrait of a man with braids, showcasing his thoughtful expression.

Stephen Shynes

Stephen Shynes is an interdisciplinary artist, choreographer and creative director from Washington, D.C., whose work includes concert dance, film and television. He has performed and choreographed at such major institutions as The Apollo Theater, The Public Theater and Martha Graham Studio. Other credits include POSE, Sesame Street: Helpsters and productions for The MET Live Arts.

Black and white photo of a man with twists, looking thoughtfully into the distance.

Chalvar Monteiro

Chalvar Monteiro is a dynamic dance artist, choreographer and educator, currently a performing artist with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. His career includes work with renowned companies like A.I.M by Kyle Abraham and BODYTRAFFIC. He has held faculty positions at Tisch School of the Arts, and had his choreography presented at Lincoln Center and the Fire Island Dance Festival.

A woman with blonde hair is seated on a chair, looking thoughtfully to the side.

Haley Kostas

Haley Kostas is a choreographer, dance artist and future psychologist from Kansas City, Missouri, whose interdisciplinary work has been commissioned by Kansas City Ballet, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and Charlotte Street Foundation. Her career spans concert dance, film, music collaborations and movement research at the intersection of dance and psychology.

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April 22, 2025