About the Festival

The International Dance Festival New Orleans (IDFNOLA) brings the world to the Gulf South, pairing the city’s rhythm and creativity with bold voices from across the globe. Equal parts performance, film, and conversation, the festival transforms New Orleans into a gathering place for artists who build connection, exchange ideas, and move through the world with purpose.

Launched in 2023, the International Dance Festival New Orleans (IDFNOLA) began as an experiment in connection—bringing together artists from Chile and the Gulf South to share performance, process, and perspective. What started as a small but ambitious weekend of concerts, masterclasses, and conversations quickly became a meeting ground for local and international voices, drawing over 350 attendees and spotlighting the creative energy already thriving in New Orleans.

By 2024, the festival expanded to include a Dance Film Festival and the inaugural gathering of the Louisiana Dance Alliance, broadening its reach across the state and onto the screen.

The 2025 edition marked IDFNOLA’s most dynamic year yet, hosting artists from six countries, a full schedule of masterclasses, and a new summer residency program to support local choreographers. Each season continues to deepen the festival’s commitment to making New Orleans a destination for contemporary dance—where global exchange and Gulf South artistry move side by side.

  • Festival Director

    Leslie Scott is an artist, curator, and producer whose work bridges movement, media, and cultural exchange. As Founder and Artistic Director of the International Dance Festival New Orleans (IDFNOLA), she has shaped the festival into a platform where Gulf South artistry meets global innovation—bringing together performers, filmmakers, and choreographers from more than a dozen countries since its inception in 2023. Scott is also the Founder and Artistic Director of BODYART Dance, the producing organization behind the festival, known for its site-specific and multimedia works presented internationally in venues such as REDCAT (Los Angeles), Summerhall (Edinburgh), the National Gallery (Durban), and Rimbun Dahan (Kuala Lumpur). Currently the Associate Dean for Performing Arts at Tulane University, Scott continues to advance her vision of New Orleans as a nexus for contemporary dance, creative research, and international collaboration.

  • Director of Community Connections

    Melanie Greene is a performer, writer, and cultural strategist whose work lives at the intersection of dance, community, and social imagination. A 2017 Bessie Award recipient, she has toured nationally and internationally as a performer and choreographer, and her creative practice has been supported by organizations including the National Performance Network, Brooklyn Arts Council, MANCC, and the Contemporary Arts Center New Orleans. As Community Engagement Director for the International Dance Festival New Orleans (IDFNOLA), Greene curates workshops, dialogues, and outreach initiatives that bridge local audiences with global artists. Her commitment to access and collaboration shapes the festival’s mission to make contemporary dance an inclusive and transformative part of the city’s cultural landscape.

  • Producer

    Carina Kroff is a dancer, choreographer, arts administrator, and emerging producer based in New Orleans. She is a graduate of Tulane University with a B.F.A in Dance and a B.A. in International Relations. For the festival, a major part of my role is establishing, connecting, and maintaining sustainable partnerships between New Orleans and dance communities across the globe through performances, residencies, and public programming. As Producer for IDFNOLA, Kroff coordinates all of the technical and operational aspects of the festival, ensuring each performance and event comes to life with precision and care. She has helped curate our 2026 festival as well as searched for and met with future artists we hope to program for 2027 and 2028, traveling this year to Chile, Argentina, and Canada. In the fall, Kroff will begin her Masters in Arts Administration and Policy at The School of the Art Institute Chicago, where she will strengthen her curatorial and management expertise and embed that into her work with the festival. She is dedicated to creating a truly international conversation for dance in New Orleans as part of her work and creative practice.