Miami Choreographer Pioneer Winter Creates a Space for All Bodies to Dance

Vacationer Magazine talks to queer choreographer Pioneer Winter about his dance-theater company, Pioneer Winter Collective, the importance of visibility and diversity in his art, and his recommendations for first-time visitors to Miami.

At an early age, Pioneer Winter was trained to become a dancer, learning ballet, tap, and jazz at the Edwin Holland School of Dance in North Miami. In high school, he advanced to learn modern dance, and currently, he is a full-time professor at Florida International University (FIU), where he teaches a variety of classes, including “Unheard Voices, Unseen Faces,” a Miami-focused class that looks at the hidden and/or erased queer history in Miami and the US. In addition to his duties at FIU, Winter is a choreographer and the director of his own dance company, the Pioneer Winter Collective.

What is the Pioneer Winter Collective?

Winter’s dance company, Pioneer Winter Collective blazed a new path of creative and inclusive dance performances comprised of dancers with different body types, ages, ethnicities, and experiences. Diversity and inclusivity are at the core of the dance-theater company’s mission, and not surprisingly, it’s important to its queer founder, too.

“Dance shouldn’t be exclusive. To see dance with someone like you on stage, maybe someone who had a similar experience as you and they are visible and represented; they are living in their agency, their autonomy; and they feel powerful and empowered and it’s not inspiration porn – that’s really what I’m going for,” said Winter. 

“At the end of the day, we’re making capital “A” art – cathartic, expressive, and beautiful, but it’s also rigorous, and that virtuosity comes in many different shapes, forms, and sizes.” The dance company creates collaborative art pieces that incorporate diverse individual experiences, including people with physical challenges. 

Winter told us it’s a false narrative to think that there’s one visionary with minions that create an artful dance performance. No doubt, there are some pieces that he does choreograph, but for the most part, he provides dancers guidance and structure so they can improvise and be themselves. He creates an environment that fosters collaboration, using “every voice and experience in the room” to develop something that can “transcend more than one person’s experience in the world.” 

The Miami Influence

Not surprisingly, Miami has influenced Winter’s projects. In fact, he started a professional development and commissioning program called, “Grass Stains.” It’s for artists in the community doing site-specific work, primarily in outdoor spaces because Miami has great weather year-round and incredible outdoor venues – everything from public parks to The Deering Estate, where he performed “A Dance for Two” on a canoe in 2012. 

Winter told Vacationer, “I think Miami is a city that is trying to take art out of spaces – traditional theaters and museums – and put it out in front of real audiences or audiences that wouldn’t otherwise go out of their way to experience this art and culture.” 

He added, “Theaters are incredibly expensive to rent. Because of the economics of it, a lot of artists create work that is outdoors, making use of beautiful outdoor spots in Miami for performances without having to pay crazy theater rental costs.” 

Born and raised in the city, Winter believes Miami is a transient city that may not have a deep history of philanthropy or the presence of the arts and culture community that exists in bigger cities such as New York City; however, he believes it pushes Miami artists to think beyond the ordinary, be self-starters, and create their own innovative art.

Winter’s Miami Recommendations

During our interview, we asked Winter for a few travel tips for LGBTQ+ folks visiting Miami. He was more than happy to provide queer vacationers with a few recommendations for places to go and things to do, including hanging out at some of his favorite spots. 

“We have a really great nightlife performer scene in Miami. So, I like going to things like Double Stubble at Gramps on Thursday nights,” said Winter. “I also like to go to Kill Your Idol, which is a bar on South Beach. They have live events like drag shows, burlesque, and karaoke. It’s definitely a touristy spot. My partner works there so I feel at home there.” 

In addition to experiencing Miami’s nightlife and relaxing on one of its 16 beaches, Winter recommended going to the Adrienne Arsht Center to see a Broadway show and other featured events such as Pride Anthems, a musical journey from 1969 to the present. Visit the Institute of Contemporary Art Miami and the Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami to check out what’s new there. He also suggested spending some time in Miami’s beautiful parks and green spaces, such as the Miami Beach Botanical Garden, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, and the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, where he performed on the Stone Barge.

And if you’re visiting the city, you can’t leave without experiencing Miami’s diverse neighborhoods, including hip and artsy Wynwood. Winter recommended checking out Little Haiti to visit the Little Haiti Cultural Center and support several small businesses in the area. But if you only have a day in Miami, he suggested visiting Coconut Grove or another place that not many people may know about. 

“If you’re looking to experience nature, I would say go to Virginia Key. It has beautiful beaches. Virginia Key Beach was Miami’s first Black-only beach (in 1945),” said Winter. “It closed and became a dog park, closed, and now, all of the events hosted there, and money made there, go back into preserving the historic beach.”

What’s Next for the Pioneer Winter Collective?

Miami’s beautiful attractions, green spaces, and diversity in people and cultures inspire the incredible performances that blossom out of the Pioneer Winter Collective. Locals and out-of-towners can catch pop-up performances held in different venues throughout the city as well as a series of weekly workshops through the “Creative Connections” program. Check the website for more information about the pop-up performances and workshops.

In March 2024, the Pioneer Winter Collective will be at the Sandrell Rivers Theater in Miami for an evening of duets from Winter’s previous work, including provocative projects, such as “Glory Tap,” and some of his work prior to 2018. And if you’re lucky enough, you may be able to catch the dance company’s “Birds of Paradise” performance, which draws similarities between the birds and queer people – individuality, transformation, and rebirth. 

“I’m excited for young Miami artists that are emerging and creating space for something new that doesn’t already exist,” he said. “The emerging art and queer scene are aligned, and together they expand the definition of the art and culture experience for people living in or visiting Miami.”

Click here to find out more information about the Pioneer Winter Collective or follow him and the dance company on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Vimeo.  

If you’re looking for more travel inspiration to help you plan your trip to Miami, visit the website of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau.