Nicole Cutler

What happens when one kind of excellence becomes the only kind we see? What kind of dancer do we reward today and what are we asking others to leave behind in order to succeed? This piece invites us to rethink how tone, expression, and influence are shaping the female dancer’s journey.

Latin American Dancing has always been a vibrant expression of rhythm, character, and chemistry. But in recent years, many in the Dance World — dancers, coaches, adjudicators alike — have noticed a marked shift in how it’s danced. The word that often comes up is aggressive.