Turning the Tables: Daniel Burkholder on Improvisation, Creative Process, and Building an Archive | act/re/act Podcast

In this special episode of act/re/act, the script is flipped as host Daniel Burkholder, Chair of the Dance Department at UW-Milwaukee's Peck School of the Arts, sits in the hot seat. Recent BFA graduate and former podcast assistant Megan Holzhauer interviews Daniel about his improvisational practice, creative process, and the philosophy behind this very podcast.

Daniel opens up about how improvisation shapes both his artistic work and daily life as an administrator, revealing how he navigates structure while remaining open to spontaneous opportunities. He discusses his approach to teaching improvisation—surprising students who expect to "just improvise" with carefully designed structures that serve as doorways rather than boxes, creating focus without limitation.

In this conversation, we explore:

• How structure and spontaneity coexist in improvisational practice
• Daniel's creative process for developing new choreography, including his ongoing Wisconsin waterways series
• The role of somatic practices (Feldenkrais Method) and mindfulness in dance improvisation
• Making space for individual expression in ensemble work
• Teaching improvisation to students with diverse backgrounds and experience levels
• The research and discovery process behind site-specific dance works
• Why Daniel started the act/re/act podcast and how it has evolved
• The importance of contextualizing your improvisational lineage
• Creating long-form artistic archives in an era of short-form media

Daniel shares insights from recent work including "Embodied Truth: Finding Ways to Move Together" and his Three Rivers piece, discussing how academic research, rehearsal discoveries, and performer individuality shape the final work. He reflects on interviewing artists across disciplines—from hip-hop and tap dancers to comedians and musicians—and what these conversations reveal about improvisation as a practice that pushes against established norms.

This meta-conversation offers a rare glimpse into the mind of an artist-educator who believes every creative act is an act of improvisation, and that deep, sustained engagement—not snippets—is where real discovery happens.

Keywords: dance improvisation pedagogy, choreographic process, somatic dance practice, Feldenkrais Method, teaching improvisation, contemporary dance education, site-specific choreography, improvisational lineage, dance podcast, artistic research methodology, embodied practice

Perfect for dancers, choreographers, educators, and anyone interested in the intersection of structure and spontaneity in creative practice.

Conversation with Nina Martin on Ensemble Thinking, ReWire Movement States, Improvisation, and Performance

TCU Dance Professor | Ensemble Thinking Founder | ReWire Movement States | Contact Improvisation

Discover the groundbreaking work of Nina Martin, PhD, creator of Ensemble Thinking and ReWire Movement States, two revolutionary methodologies that have transformed contemporary improvisation. Host Daniel Burkholder explores Martin's 50 years of embodied research with this six-time National Endowment for the Arts fellowship recipient and true rebel of the dance world.

Featured Artist: Nina Martin Bio Highlights

Nina Martin, MFA, PhD is a choreographer, pedagogue, dance theorist, and performer whose work centers on perception, composition, and spontaneous movement states. With five decades of embodied research and applied dance practice, she has fundamentally shaped how improvisation is understood as viable performance, research methodology, and pedagogical framework.

Major Recognition & Positions:

• Six-time NEA Choreography Fellowship recipient - National Endowment for the Arts
• TCU Professor of Dance Studies - Texas Christian University School for Classical & Contemporary Dance
• Former UCLA faculty - Department of World Arts and Cultures
• Former NYU faculty - Experimental Theatre Wing
• Board President of Marfa Live Arts - Dance Ranch Marfa workshops
• Lower Left Performance Collective - Artist member focused on cooperative inquiry
• International touring artist - Teaching and performing across Europe, Asia, Canada, and the US

Revolutionary Methodologies:

• Ensemble Thinking - Clarification and advancement of improvisation as performance form
• ReWire Movement States - Therapeutic application of creative practice
• Contact Improvisation practice - Veteran practitioner and teacher
• 50 years of embodied research - Applied dance and spontaneous movement

Learn More:

• act/re/act Podcast Archive: https://www.danielburkholder.com/actreact-podcast
• Lower Left Performance Collective: www.lowerleft.org
• Marfa Live Arts - Dance Ranch Marfa workshops and programming
• TCU School for Classical & Contemporary Dance

Keywords: #NinaMartin #EnsembleThinking #ReWireMovementStates #TCUDance #NEAFellowship #ContactImprovisation #LowerLeftCollective #MarfaLiveArts #DanceRanchMarfa #DanceTherapy #SomaticPractice #SpontaneousMovement #EmbodiedResearch #ContemporaryImprovisation #DancePedagogy #PerceptionComposition #ActReActPodcast

Jonathan Morris Conversation: DC Composer on "Resonance: Time + Wood + Steel" & 25-Hour Duet Performance | act/re/act Podcast

Hartt School Graduate | DC Improvisers Collective | Low End String Quartet

Join accomplished composer and musician Jonathan Morris (Matis) in this reflective conversation about improvisation, collaboration, and his latest solo album "Resonance: Time + Wood + Steel" on Ramble Records. Host Daniel Burkholder reconnects with his longtime collaborator to explore their decade-long artistic partnership, including their legendary 25-hour duet performance "Unmapped".

Featured Artist: Jonathan Morris Bio Highlights

Jonathan Morris (Matis) is a Washington, DC-based composer and performer who has been professionally creating music since 1993. His innovative approach to combining improvisation and composition led him to founding and performing with numerous music ensembles.

Performance Venues & Recognition:

• Kennedy Center - National performing arts venue
• CBGB's - Legendary New York music club
• National touring artist - Coast-to-coast performance experience
• Hartt School of Music graduate training in composition and improvisation

Musical Projects & Leadership:

• DC Improvisers Collective - Founder and leader
• Low End String Quartet - Ensemble leadership
• Boat Burning - Member of instrumental rock guitar choir
• "Resonance: Time + Wood + Steel" - Latest commercial release on Ramble Records

Collaborative History:

• 10+ year artistic partnership with host Daniel Burkholder
• Evening-length dance works composition
• Improv Arts non-profit co-founder and operator
• "Unmapped" 25-hour duet performance - Epic endurance collaboration

Conversation Deep Dives:

• Improvisation meets composition - Bridging spontaneous and structured music
• "Resonance: Time + Wood + Steel" - Ambient guitar music creation process
• 25-hour performance endurance - "Unmapped" duet experience and insights
• Improv Arts non-profit - Building community arts organizations
• DC music scene leadership - Improvisers Collective impact
• Dance and music collaboration - 10+ years of interdisciplinary partnership
• Kennedy Center to CBGB's - Performing across diverse venues and audiences
• Hartt School methodology - Academic training in experimental music
• Ramble Records release - Independent music publishing and distribution

This intimate conversation reveals how a composer has spent three decades pushing boundaries between improvisation and composition. From founding the DC Improvisers Collective to creating ambient soundscapes, discover how Morris has built bridges between experimental music, dance collaboration, and community arts organizing.

Artistic Innovation: Morris represents a unique approach to contemporary composition, seamlessly blending academic training with experimental practice, solo artistry with collaborative leadership, and intimate recordings with epic durational performances.

Historical Documentation: This episode provides rare insight into the behind-the-scenes development of a decade-long artistic partnership that produced both intimate collaborations and large-scale community initiatives.

Host: Daniel Burkholder - Milwaukee-based dance artist and longtime collaborator

Listen & Learn More:

• act/re/act Podcast Archive: https://www.danielburkholder.com/actreact-podcast
• "Resonance: Time + Wood + Steel" - Available on Ramble Records
• DC Improvisers Collective - Washington area experimental music community

Keywords: #JonathanMorris #JonathanMatis #DCImprovisersCollective #KennedyCenter #HarttSchool #ResonanceTimeWoodSteel #RambleRecords #BoatBurning #LowEndStringQuartet #Unmapped25Hour #ImprovArts #AmbientGuitar #WashingtonDCMusic #CBGBs #ImprovisationComposition #ActReActPodcast

Ishmael Houston-Jones Interview: 4-Time Bessie Winner & Guggenheim Fellow on Improvisation | act/re/act Podcast

Guggenheim Fellow | Four-Time Bessie Award Winner | American Dance Festival Chair | Postmodern Dance Pioneer

Join legendary choreographer Ishmael Houston-Jones, 2022 Guggenheim Fellow and four-time Bessie Award winner, in this profound conversation about improvisation as performance art. Host Daniel Burkholder, who first witnessed Houston-Jones' groundbreaking work in the iconic trio *Unsafe/Unsuited* at Washington DC's Dance Place in the mid-1990s, explores the artistic evolution of one of postmodern dance's most influential figures.

Featured Artist: Ishmael Houston-Jones Bio Highlights

Ishmael Houston-Jones is a distinguished choreographer, author, performer, teacher, and curator whose improvised dance and text work has been performed worldwide for over three decades. His innovative approach to movement, storytelling, and collaboration has positioned him as a central figure in contemporary dance and performance art.

Major Awards & Recognition:

2022 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship recipient

Four-time Bessie Award winner (New York Dance and Performance Awards):

Collaborations with writer Dennis Cooper

Work with choreographers Miguel Gutierrez and Fred Holland

Partnerships with composers Chris Cochrane and Nick Hallett

Contributions to the field of dance (lifetime achievement)

2024 Balasaraswati/Joy Ann Dewey Beinecke Endowed Chair - American Dance Festival Distinguished Teaching Award

Curatorial Leadership:

Platform 2012: Parallels curator - African diaspora choreographers and postmodernism

Platform 2016: Lost & Found co-curator with Will Rawls - Dance, New York, HIV/AIDS historical examination

Published Author:

"FAT and Other Stories" (Yonkers International Press, 2018) - Debut book

Essays, fiction, interviews published in multiple dance anthologies

Performance texts documenting three decades of innovative work

Conversation Deep Dives:

Improvisation as performance art - Pioneering approaches to spontaneous composition

"Unsafe/Unsuited" legacy - Historic trio work with Keith Hennessy and Patrick Scully

Postmodern dance evolution - 30+ years of artistic development and influence

HIV/AIDS and dance history - Curatorial work documenting lost narratives

African diaspora choreography - Platform programming and cultural representation

Collaborative artmaking - Working with Dennis Cooper, Miguel Gutierrez, and others

Dance writing and authorship - Bridging performance and literary expression

American Dance Festival teaching - Distinguished pedagogy and mentorship

This essential conversation captures insights from a four-time Bessie winner whose work spans performance, curation, and literature. From his legendary *Unsafe/Unsuited* performances to his groundbreaking Platform curatorial projects, discover how Houston-Jones has shaped contemporary dance while documenting its hidden histories.

Historical Significance: This interview connects contemporary practice with the seminal improvisation works of the 1990s, offering unique perspective on the evolution of postmodern dance and its intersection with social justice, identity, and artistic collaboration.

Host: Daniel Burkholder - Milwaukee-based dance artist, Chair of the UW-Milwaukee Department of Dance, exploring contemporary improvisation, somatics, and mindfulness

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Learn More:

Ishmael Houston-Jones: https://www.ishmaelhouston-jones.com/

act/re/act Podcast Archive: https://www.danielburkholder.com/actreact-podcast

Ishmael Houston-Jones' "FAT and Other Stories" - Available through Yonkers International Press

Keywords: #IshmaelHoustonJones #BessieAward #GuggenheimFellow #AmericanDanceFestival #UnsafeUnsuited #PostmodernDance #Platform2012 #Platform2016 #DennisCooper #MiguelGutierrez #DancePlace #HIVAIDSDance #AfricanDiasporaChoreography #ActReActPodcastv

Ann Cooper Albright Interview: Guggenheim Fellow on Simone Forti & Contact Improvisation | act/re/act Podcast

Oberlin Dance Chair | Guggenheim Fellow | Contact Improvisation Expert | Dance Scholar**

Join Oberlin College Dance Department Chair Ann Cooper Albright, 2019-2020 Guggenheim Fellow, in this illuminating conversation about improvisation, dance scholarship, and her latest book *Simone Forti: improvising a life. Following her inspiring UW-Milwaukee residency, host Daniel Burkholder explores how improvisation informs all aspects of Albright's multifaceted career as dancer, scholar, teacher, choreographer, and improviser.

## Featured Scholar: Ann Cooper Albright Bio Highlights

Ann Cooper Albright is a distinguished dancer, scholar, and Professor/Chair of the Dance Department at Oberlin College. With degrees from Bryn Mawr College, Temple University (MFA Dance), and New York University (PhD Performance Studies), she bridges academic rigor with embodied practice.

Major Recognition & Fellowships: 2019-2020 John Simon Guggenheim Fellow NEA, NEH, and ACLS grant recipient Jerome Foundation and Ohio Arts Council supported artist Oberlin College Department Chair - Dance Studies

Essential Publications (among others): "Simone Forti: improvising a life"** (latest book, 2025) "How to Land: finding ground in an unstable world"** - Contemporary uncertainty guide "Engaging Bodies: The Politics and Poetics of Corporeality"** "Choreographing Difference: the Body and Identity in Contemporary Dance"** "Moving History/Dancing Cultures"** (co-editor with Ann Dils) "Taken by Surprise: Improvisation in Dance and Mind"** (co-editor with David Gere) "Encounters with Contact Improvisation"** Resistance and Support: Contact Improvisation @ 50"** (forthcoming)

Conversation Highlights: Simone Forti biography insights** - Legendary improvisation pioneer Contact Improvisation mastery** - 50+ years of practice and teaching Academic dance scholarship** - Bridging theory and embodied practice UW-Milwaukee residency** - Teaching philosophy and student inspiration Improvisation methodology** - How spontaneity informs all artistic work Dance literacy education** - "Accelerated Motion" NEA project "Girls in Motion" program** - Award-winning middle school dance initiative Critical Mass facilitation** - Contact Improvisation @ 50 leadership

This comprehensive conversation reveals how Ann approaches improvisation as both artistic practice and scholarly inquiry. From her groundbreaking Simone Forti biography to her leadership in Contact Improvisation's 50th anniversary celebrations, discover how Albright has shaped contemporary dance education and scholarship.

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Learn More: act/re/act Podcast Archive: https://www.danielburkholder.com/actreact-podcast Ann Cooper Albright's Books: Available through academic publishers

Keywords: #AnnCooperAlbright #GuggenheimFellow #OberlandCollegeDance #ContactImprovisation #SimoneForti #UWMilwaukee #DanceScholarship #MovingHistoryDancingCultures #GirlsInMotion #CriticalMass #NEAGrant #PhDPerformanceStudies #ActReActPodcast

Bessie Award Nominee | Princeton Fellow | UCLA Visiting Chair | Black Dance Methodology

Discover the groundbreaking work of mayfield brooks, 2021 Merce Cunningham Award recipient and movement-based performance artist who created the revolutionary dance methodology "Improvising While Black" (IWB). Host Daniel Burkholder, Milwaukee-based dance artist, conducts an in-depth conversation exploring brooks' interdisciplinary approach to Black dance, ancestral healing, and what they call "composting dance."

mayfield brooks is a singular movement-based performance artist, vocalist, urban farmer, and writer based in Lenapehoking (New York City). Their innovative work spans multiple disciplines while staying deeply rooted in the body and Black dance traditions.

• 2021 Merce Cunningham Award recipient from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts
• 2021 Bessie Award nominee for experimental dance film Whale Fall
• 2022 Danspace Project Platform artist
• 2022-23 Hodder Fellow at Princeton University
• 2024 Alma Hawkins Visiting Chair at UCLA World Arts and Cultures/Dance
• 2025 Creative Time Research & Development Fellow

• "Improvising While Black" methodology - Revolutionary dance framework
• Decomposing dance concepts - Decomposed matter of Black life in performance
• Interdisciplinary performance practice - Movement, voice, farming, writing integration
• Urban farming meets performance - Unique artistic intersections

This compelling artist conversations reveals how brooks defies artistic definition while maintaining deep roots in embodied practice. From their experimental film work to their innovative teaching methodology, discover how this dance artist is reshaping contemporary dance through Black cultural frameworks and ancestral wisdom.

Learn More:

• act/re/act Podcast Archive: https://www.danielburkholder.com/actreact-podcast
• mayfield brooks' work: https://www.improvisingwhileblack.com/

Keywords: #mayfieldbrooks #ImprvisingWhileBlack #BessieAward #BlackDance #UCLA #Whalefall #CompostingDance #AncestralHealing #InterdisciplinaryPerformance #ActReActPodcast

Artist Interview | Dance Performance | Creative Process | Feldenkrais Method

Discover the creative world of renowned dance artist Miguel Gutierrez in this intimate conversation exploring improvisation techniques, sexuality, and innovative performance methods. In Season 5, Episode 1 of the act/re/act podcast, host Daniel Burkholder conducts an in-depth conversation covering Gutierrez's unique approach to movement, creativity, performance, and The Feldenkrais Method.

This comprehensive artist interview offers valuable insights for dancers, performers, creative professionals, and anyone interested in somatic practices, dance, and contemporary performance art. Miguel Gutierrez shares personal stories, creative methodologies, and professional wisdom gained through decades of innovative work.

Miguel Gutierrez (he/him) is a distinguished artist and educator based between Brooklyn, NY and Los Angeles. His recent performance work Super Nothing, developed through New York Live Arts' prestigious residency program, represents cutting-edge approaches to queer survival through dance. As a 2014 Whitney Biennial selected artist, Gutierrez has presented work internationally at renowned venues including:

• Festival D'Automne, Paris
• Brooklyn Academy of Music
• REDCAT Los Angeles
• Festival Universitario, Colombia

Currently serving as Associate Professor of Choreography in UCLA's Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance, Gutierrez brings academic rigor to his artistic practice.

Podcast: act/re/act with Daniel Burkholder - Conversations with contemporary artists and performers

Connect & Learn More:

• Miguel Gutierrez Official Website: https://www.miguelgutierrez.org/
• act/re/act Podcast Archive: https://www.danielburkholder.com/actreact-podcast

Keywords: #dance #improvisation #performance #MiguelGutierrez #WhitneyBiennial #UCLA #QueerPerformance #FeldenkraisMethod #SuperNothing #ContemporaryDance #Improvisation #CreativeProcess #NewYorkLiveArts #BrooklynAcademyOfMusic #PerformanceArt

Join me for the final episode of this season, and my conversation with Baakari Wilder.

Baakari is one of the most dynamic tap dancers of his generation and is known for his musicality and subtly, as well as his ability to explore complex rhythms. It was a pleasure to finish this season of act/re/act with this thoughtful and insightful conversation.

Baakari's bio:

Baakari Wilder is internationally known for starring in the Broadway musical Bring In Da Noise, Bring In Da Funk. He received a Bessie Award for his performance, and later assumed the lead role for a year. He received the Pola Nirenska Award for achievement in dance, and the “Hoofer Award” by the American Tap Dance Foundation. Baakari's dancing has delighted audiences around the world in places such as the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, France, Africa, Brazil, Germany, Japan, and Russia. He has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theatre from the University of Maryland at College Park. He shares his knowledge of tap dancing through his role as assistant artistic director of the Washington D.C. based companies Capitol Tap and District Tap.

Find out more about Baakari here: https://www.baakariwilder.com/

And, here: https://www.capitoltap.com/

Find Daniel's website here: https://www.danielburkholder.com/

Stay tuned for more episodes coming this fall!

Until then, take care, be well, and live spontaneously.