McKnight Artist Fellowships
for
Dancers & Choreographers
Six Minnesota dance artists selected for
2025 McKnight Fellowships for Choreographers and Dancers
We are thrilled to announce the recipients of the 2025 McKnight Fellowships for Choreographers and Dancers, recognizing six Minnesota-based dance artists whose work demonstrates a sustained commitment to artistic excellence. These fellowships provide each artist with $25,000 in unrestricted support, enabling time for study, reflection, experimentation, and exploration—whether to pursue a new opportunity, begin a project, or deepen their practice.
2025 McKnight Choreographer Fellows
Pamela Gleason
Emily Michaels King
Kayla Schiltgen
Choreographer Selection Panel
Barak adé Soleil (Minneapolis, MN)
Jinza Thayer (Saint Paul, MN)
Rika Lin - (Yoshinojo Fujima) (Chicago, IL)
T. Ayo Alston (Chicago, IL)
In addition to the $25,000 fellowship award, each Choreographer Fellow is offered additional support for research and development of their work. The opportunity offers a supported trip to New York City during the APAP conference, as well as funds for dedicated space and/or engaging collaborators in the creative process.
2025 McKnight Dancer Fellows
Andrew Lester
Eva Mohn
Cecil Neal
Dancer Selection Panel
Alexandra Eady (Saint Paul, MN)
Irene Hsiao (Chicago, IL)
Carlo Antonio Villanueva (Minneapolis, MN)
Vershawn Sanders-Ward (Chicago, IL)
In addition to the $25,000 fellowship award, the Fellowship Program will also provide funds for each Dancer Fellow to commission a choreographer of their choice to create a new solo dance work specifically for them. These projects will premiere in September 2026.
The McKnight Fellowships for Choreography and Dance are designed to enrich and strengthen our community by acknowledging the accomplishments of individual choreographers and dancers and providing for their artistic growth.
Guidelines for the 2026 McKnight Fellowships for Choreographers and Dancers will be available in August 2025 at mcknightdancechoreo.org.
McKnight Fellowships for Choreographers and the McKnight Fellowships for Dancers provide awards to individual choreographers and dancers who are beyond early practice and who reside in Minnesota. The McKnight Fellowships are designed to enrich and strengthen our community by acknowledging the accomplishments of individual choreographers and dancers and providing for their artistic growth.
The McKnight Foundation funds individual artist and culture bearer fellowships in 15 artistic disciplines. Support for individual artists has been a cornerstone of the McKnight Foundation’s Arts and Culture program since it began in 1982. The foundation recognizes that the arts cannot flourish or enhance community life without the ideas, energy, and drive of individual artists and that artists cannot make these contributions without unfettered creative time.
See the links below for program information as translated written and audio files:
English Audio Recording Hmong / Hmoob Dawb Somali / Af Soomaaliga Spanish / Español
THE FELLOWSHIPS
The McKnight Fellowships for Choreographers and Dancers annually awards three $25,000 fellowships to Minnesota choreographers and three $25,000 fellowships to Minnesota dancers. The awards are unrestricted and can help an artist set aside periods of time for study, reflection, experimentation, and exploration; take advantage of an opportunity; or work on a new project.