JoAnna Mendl Shaw founded The Equus Projects in 1999, a company that pairs dancers with horses for site-specific works created for rural and sometimes urban landscapes. Eighteen years later, she continues exploring diverse approaches to working with her non-conventional dance partners and implementing newly gained skills in her inter-species choreography.

Read the Full Interview with JoAnna Mendl Shaw

ICONS INSPIRE is a monthly digital portrait and one-on-one interview with a groundbreaking choreographer. Get the insider point of view on an important dancemakers creative process, background and training to inspire, provoke and challenge your intellectual repertoire.

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Welcome to ICON SMART! We are happy to announce the recent creation of the first ever Choreographic Institute here in Washington, D.C. USA --- a long needed educational platform to foster creativity and develop professional skills specifically for emerging choreographers. Our Info Pack is available to download here.

ICONS NEXT STEP is updated monthly with national and international listings featuring the latest choreographic residencies, creative opportunities, world premieres, events, trends, new books, movies, videos, and choreographic topics. 

• Should choreography be sanitized?
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Your responses...

• Leah B. - When it comes to depiction of violent/rape scenes and political issues, then those themes should be tackled carefully. Choreographers should be concern how the content of their dances comes across.
• Igor Z. - Perhaps you should ask the question about where the border line between being politically correct and freedom of speech is. Or, between good and bad taste?
• Elena V. - I feel like… we are becoming less free while being more sensitive and less understanding while being more demanding.

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