McKnight Artist Fellowships
for
Dancers & Choreographers
We are thrilled to announce the recipients of the 2026 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.
2026 McKnight Choreographer Fellows
Lisa Berman & Joseph Trần (BRKFST)
Choreographer Selection Panel
Heather Cornell (Guelph, Canada) Director / Choreographer / Soloist
Joanna Haigood (San Francisco, CA) Choreographer, Artistic Director, Zaccho Dance Theatre
Rita Mustaphi (Minneapolis MN) Choreographer and Artistic Director of Katha Dance Theatre
John Parks (Tampa, FL) Artist, Dancemaker, The Parks Institute Director
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.
2026 McKnight Dancer Fellows
Dancer Selection Panel
LaTasha Barnes (Phoenix, AZ) Tradition-Bearer of Black American Social Dance, Assoc. Prof. of Dance - ASU
Jumaane Taylor (Chicago, IL) Tap Dancer /Improviser/Choreographer, The Jazz Hoofing Quartet
Yuki Tokuda (Saint Paul, MN) Choreographer/Teacher
Cheng Xiong (Minneapolis, MN) Dancer, Choreographer, Technica Movement
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 2028.
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 2027 McKnight Fellowships for Choreographers and Dancers applications will be available in mid-August 2026 at mcknightdancechoreo.org.
Top left to right: BRKFST Dance Company, Davente Gilreath, Gemma Isaacson
Bottom keft to right: Asha Rowland, Helen Hatch, Marciano Silva dos Santos
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.
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.
THE FELLOWSHIPS
See the links below for program information as translated written and audio files:
English Audio Recording | Hmong / Hmoob Dawb | Somali / Af Soomaaliga | Spanish / Español
translations
SPRINGBOARD FOR THE ARTS IS THE TEMPORARY HOME FOR THE MCKNIGHT FELLOWSHIPS FOR DANCERS AND CHOREOGRAPHERS.
Following the closure of The Cowles Center and with no new host organization yet identified for the McKnight Fellowship for Dancers and Choreographers, Springboard for the Arts has the capacity and infrastructure to temporarily house the Fellowship, ensuring its continuation without interruption. Springboard has already provided this transition home one other time for this Fellowship in the past.
Springboard for the Arts' mission is to support artists with the tools to make a living and a life, and to build just and equitable communities full of meaning, joy, and connection. Our vision is of a world where artists are essential; local economies are vibrant and just; and the systems that surround us are human-centered. We see these three parts of our vision as interdependent.