(dramatic piano music) - I think you can burst forward with more gusto.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

My name is Dani Rowe and I am the Artistic Director of Oregon Ballet Theater and I'm a choreographer and a mom.

(relaxed piano music) - [Levi] Dani Rowe was selected because she had such a breadth of experience as a dancer.

- Touch his hand first here and then you're like whoa.

- And she's internationally recognized as a choreographer.

To get any kind of recognition is very difficult and especially as a female choreographer.

International recognition is important because in a selfish sense, it raises the visibility of Oregon Valley Theater that she is here.

- She just needs that way a little sooner.

- [Announcer] Welcome to the Imaginary Circus.

You'll forget everything You see here tonight.

- I started choreographing by accident really.

After I moved to San Francisco, I had the opportunity to be involved with small dance projects and the choreographer was always late and so my partner said to the Director of the project, "How about Dani just creates it because we're not getting anywhere?

And he said "Okay" and so I did.

I realized how much I adored working with dancers.

I realized that I preferred it to dancing.

I try to create a space where they have the opportunity to put something out there for better or worse, no judgment.

(dancers laughing) - She has such a open, free, engaging, fun way of creating.

Everybody's involved and so it kind of feels like you created something together.

♪ La, la, woo ♪ - When you're working with dancers, it's like time stops or falls away.

(anxious orchestral ensemble music) Worries don't exist.

(soft piano music) I have choreographed for big companies to very small companies.

(anxious music) (dancers chanting) One of them also was Oregon Ballet Theater and that was how my relationship started with OBT.

I will still be choreographing from time to time whilst also being the Director of OBT.

(relaxed piano music) The best part about being an Artistic Director is that I am trusted to nurture these incredible artists.

- She knows exactly what to say to help me bring it to another level each time.

- [Rowe] You have to convince yourself from the beginning that you've totally got this.

- [Simoens] There's intention to every detail.

- So enter into the space without any question marks.

- Okay.

- So like "Ha ha, I dare you to take your eyes off me."

- She's really helped me focus telling the story.

Whether it's a port de bras toward the prince or a feeling of fear, feeling frightened as the swan, she really brings that real feeling out of you.

- I'm seeing this happen all up here.

- [Wheaton] So I'm kind of not being afraid to dive into the artistry of it.

She creates space to feel safe to explore.

That way, it gets the best out of you.

- Yeah, beautiful.

(soft electronic music) This is my theory.

When you go and see little kids in a ballet class, you'll see a sea of female-identifying kids and then you'll see one or two boys.

When I was growing up, a boy would enter the studio and it would be like "Oh my gosh, we have a boy.

Let's all celebrate the boy."

I think that just filters through to the top but I think that's changing.

So many incredible women that are taking on these leadership positions.

- I think she will be absolutely wonderful for the female dancers in the company because she knows what it's like to be one of the women.

- There's a little more power, mm hmm.

(relaxed piano music) I started dancing in Australia when I was five.

I started performing when I was 18 and then kept going 'til I was 35.

I was a Principal Dancer for the Australian Ballet and then I got a little taste of what was happening outside of Australia and I knew that I wanted to be a part of that.

(dramatic orchestral ensemble music) I was fortunate enough to be offered a position with Houston Ballet (relaxed orchestral violin music) and then again I got restless and moved to the Netherlands and danced with Netherlands Dance Theater.

(anxious piano music) Netherlands Dance Theater is arguably the best contemporary dance company in the world.

The transition from the classical world, the traditional ballet world into the contemporary world was massive.

I felt like I almost had to strip away everything that I had been training for and start all over again.

But in the end, it was the most liberating experience.

You can start there and then- As ballet dancers, we are so hyper-aware of line and exactly where every fingernail is positioned and every eyelash is positioned.

(jazzy trumpet music) The contemporary dancers moved so freely, moved from a place that was more internal.

Your turn.

I think as children, we dance because we have to.

If they hear music, they start to move their bodies.

It's just innate and it comes from within and so I kind of relearned how to approach my dance from that place.

- I can't see him.

- Dada will come out soon.

So for the three years that I was dancing with NDT, my husband was simultaneously dancing with San Francisco Ballet.

So we were jetting across the world (laughs) to see each other and that got somewhat exhausting.

I really wanted to start a family.

Okay, what should I draw, Gig?

A monster?

- A monster.

- My biggest inspiration would be my daughters.

Children just have the most untarnished perspective.

Rainbow, I love it.

I always look to my daughters when I'm feeling a little jaded or if I am a little stuck.

They have the funniest and the most fresh perspective on things.

- [Gigi] Now we can just brush their hair.

- Okay, well while we brush their hair, I'm going to put some music on and I want to get your opinion.

(somber violin music) What do you think, Aggs?

- I like it, the beginning was a little bit sad.

- Seeing Aggie brushing the hair, it reminded me of repetition, of doing something with your hands.

It's so soothing.

It's something that I'll probably draw upon in a piece.

It's a Gigi shoe.

My daughters help to remind me of the importance of play.

(Gigi giggles) (dramatic orchestral ensemble music) My biggest goal is to provide security for our dancers and they feel like they can be in that sanctuary.

(dramatic orchestral trumpet music) Through that support, that they can then get on the stage and produce work that's absolutely incredible and that our audiences, they are completely blown away and moved.

(soft piano music) I hope that I leave the dancers with a joy, this pure love for what they do.

(soft piano music) (no audio) (no audio)