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THE DANCE ENTHUSIAST ASKS: Finleigh Zack On Choreography, Community, and Crossing Continents
By Kristen Hedberg/ IG @kristen.hedberg
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Published on May 13, 2025
R. Calabrese, J. Wood, K. Benson, E. Frey. Photo: Romifolder
Even across oceans, the dance world can feel remarkably small. Recently The Dance Enthusiast connected with London-based choreographer Finleigh Zack, who after graduating from NYU Tisch School of the Arts in 2022, followed her curiosity and passion for international collaboration to expand her work and community to the UK.
Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Zack founded her company, Finleigh Zack Dance (FZD), in 2020, formalizing it as a 501(c)(3) organization the following year.
Zack’s most recent choreography, The Power of Perspective, is a three-part piece that delves into relationships: the relationship with herself, with a partner, and with the broader community. The work — her most personal to date — unfolds with a distinct emotional clarity and compositional intelligence. A soloist in red initiates the journey with intricate gestures and expansive, sweeping movement. There’s a sculptural quality to the way the dancer moves through space, as if shaping emotion into form.
The duet that follows is equally arresting. Two dancers dressed in white tops and dark bottoms engage in a tactile, physical dialogue that navigates the tension between connection and separation. Their partnering work is richly detailed, imbued with a naturalistic rhythm that eschews spectacle in favor of authenticity. Here, Zack’s choreographic voice demonstrates restraint; she allows silence, stillness, and breath to guide the pacing, trusting the audience to contemplate the weight of unsaid feelings.
In the final section, a cast of five dancers coalesces in a shared exploration of community. We feel grounded by a sense of collective, and quiet resilience. As the groups’ movement expands and contracts, themes of mutual care, individuality within collectivity, and transformation come into focus. There’s a maturity to Zack’s work; an ability to craft intimacy without sentimentality.
“My company exists to support dancers’ mental health through movement and performance,” Zack says. “One way we do that is by creating work that highlights topics often shied away from, so audiences feel invited to speak openly about these things.”
Kristen Hedberg for The Dance Enthusiast: Tell us a bit about your dance background.
Finleigh Zack: I was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, and started dancing when I was five years old at a local studio in Atlanta. At 15, I moved to Greenville, South Carolina, to attend a boarding school focused on dance training. After high school, I moved to New York City to study at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where I received my BFA in Dance Performance in 2022. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I began to seriously pursue choreography and launched my own company, Finleigh Zack Dance (FZD). I spent another year in NYC creating evening-length works before relocating to London to continue growing as a choreographer and artistic director.
What moved you to establish FZD?
I always knew that my contribution to the dance world would be as a choreographer, not a performer. A lot of the company’s foundation comes from my own experiences with mental health challenges. Growing up, we were rarely allowed to acknowledge or process how we felt. I wanted to change that. FZD creates work that centers on emotional well-being, and we strive to make space for dialogue around topics that are often considered taboo: topics surrounding how dancers felt in and out of the studio. I was always taught to leave it at the door. It was not until recently that I was able to share my struggles with body image and anxiety. FZD gave me the outlet to share my voice. I hope that through this, I will be able to encourage others to do the same. It has not always been easy - starting a company is full of hurdles - but the rewards have been immeasurable. I'm so grateful for the community we have built over the past five years.
What brought you to London?
I’ve always been fascinated by international work. After traveling to Europe a few times for dance-related opportunities, I became interested in creating outside of the U.S. In August 2023, I made the leap. I had been researching opportunities to take me abroad, but realized I could pave my own way by moving to expand my choreographic work. New York will always be where I set up my creative roots but I knew it was the right time to move when I started noticing the opportunities I could access while living in the UK. Since moving, I have started working with three UK-based dancers and expanded FZD into the UK. I’ve been able to share work in ways I never imagined possible.
How does the London dance scene differ from ours in NYC?
The dance world is incredibly interconnected. No matter where you are, you’ll find mutual friends and collaborators, which makes new places feel like home. Stylistically, there are differences shaped by training backgrounds. In London, I have found that the arts feel especially accessible. The ability to regularly engage with renowned artists has inspired me and helped me grow choreographically. Moving to London was one of the scariest but most rewarding moves I’ve ever made. It opened doors and created opportunities I never would have found otherwise. It brought me closer to my art. Connecting with artists from another culture has broadened my understanding and deepened my artistic practice.
How do you begin a new dance piece?
My work usually begins with writing. I explore themes through text before translating those ideas into movement. The stories I tell are often personal, especially ones that touch on emotional or mental health themes. I use a blend of gesture and mindful movement, always ensuring that it feels organic to the dancers’ bodies. My process has a lot to do with what feels right in the moment and if it ties with the themes of the work. Even when the work dives into emotionally heavy material, I want the experience of dancing it to feel grounding and therapeutic.
Tell us about your most recent work, “The Power of Perspective.”
I premiered “The Power of Perspective” at Chisenhale Dance Space (London) in March 2025. It’s the most personal work I’ve ever made — my first time sharing my own story so vulnerably, opening up about my struggles with confidence and finding myself as an artist. The work is about how I have navigated my relationship with myself through other experiences with love and community. I believe that the people in our life can impact the way we see ourselves and others. Through the process, I was able to reflect and release a lot of built-up emotion. Watching it come to life onstage was deeply moving, and I’m excited to continue developing it.
What would you like audiences to take away from a Finleigh Zack concert?
I aim to leave space for curiosity and interpretation. If a piece provokes questions or emotions, I’ve done my job. I often include talkbacks or post-show discussions because I want audiences to connect deeply — not just with the work, but with one another. That shared space of reflection and dialogue is so important.
What are your hopes for your artistic future?
I hope to continue expanding FZD’s presence in the UK, deepening collaborations with dancers and organizations there. I plan to continue researching movement through an emotional lens and, eventually, to establish a residency center in the UK—a space where artists can return to rest, practice mindfulness, and engage in authentic creation. I want to maintain strong ties with the New York City community and share my work.
