They say the best dancers put their partners' well-being above their own. By that measure, Pioneer Winter is a contemporary dance master. Winter, an MFA recipient, Horatio Alger Scholar, Dennis R. Washington Achievement Scholar, and widely awarded artist, is technically masterful. He's also incredibly prolific, creating, choreographing, performing, or otherwise supporting the local dance community with new shows and events every month. But it's his commitment to his fellow dancers, and to his fellow man, that elevates him to greatness. His troupe, the Pioneer Winter Collective, is comprised of unconventional dancers — people whose races, ages, body types, and disabilities are rarely seen onstage. He collaborates with, rather than directs, those dancers, incorporating their identities and experiences into his work. The results are unexpected and powerful movements that uplift — physically, emotionally, and culturally — some of society's most overlooked and abandoned groups.