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.