This article appears in the pages of V122: The Winter Issue, on newsstands now. Pre-order your copy at shop.vmagazine.com.

There’s no better shield against the elements than with a KWAY nylon fit, as seen inside this editorial-recital from V122. Watch these contemporary dancers express themselves, taking center stage along the way. Ahead, we interviewed members of the cast for this artistic tour-de-force, where rain allows for unbridled creativity to shine.

UMI AKIYOSHI

V: What was your first interaction with dance?

UA: My older sister was a dancer, and I would follow her to the studio and I kind of got hooked on that. I have been dancing for as long as I can remember—I went to high school and undergrad for dance. Right now, I am in a show called Sleep No More.

V: Have you ever danced in the rain?

UA: I have certainly kissed in the rain. That’s kind of close, right? (Laughs)

GRACE VALENTINE

V: Tell me how you got started with dance.

GV: I started break dancing when I was 7 years old. Actually, I saw Cameron Boyce dancing on Jessie and I was like ‘I want to do that.’ So he was my inspiration for that.

V: Who are some dancers that you’ve looked up to in addition to Cameron [Boyce]?

GV: Ian Eastwood the most!

V: What about his dance style moves you?

GV: He changes it up but he always keeps it the same style no matter what song he is doing. It always just tells a different story.

V: Have you ever danced in the rain?

GV: I don’t think I have.

V: Do you think you might one day?

GV: Yeah, I mean, I don’t mind the rain.

V: What’s the one song that can always get you dancing?

GV: I have to think about that. I don’t know… [Laughs] “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO.

MEGAN WRIGHT

V: When did you start dancing?

MW: I started studying ballet when I was three, and I bailed on it when I was about 8. Then [I] got back into it around 13 and started taking it really seriously. I went to a ballet boarding school.

V: What was that like?

MW: It was great! It was one of the best experiences of my life. It really saved me as a teenager.

V: What’s one lesson you learned at boarding school? Was it more technique or kind of just general life lessons?

MW: I think the most important thing I learned at that school is if you are not a good person, it doesn’t matter how good you are.

V: What’s one song that makes you want to dance?

MW: Probably “Young Americans” by David Bowie.

V: Have you ever danced in the rain?

MW: I have not. I have run buses in the rain, I have been miserable in the rain, but no, I like to dance in warm dry places [Laughs]

 

XULY WILLIAMS

V: Tell me a little bit about your favorite style of dance.

XW: My mother is a choreographer so I was always just dancing around the house!

V: Did she teach you any special moves?

XW: She never taught me anything; I would just watch her and mock [her].

V: What are you listening to right now?

XW: I am listening to a lot of Mozart.

V: Where do you listen to Mozart?

XW: Where do I listen to it?

V: Yeah.

XWL: Probably in my dorm room. I’ll read some and listen to Mozart after a good morning ballet class.

V: Have you ever danced in the rain?

XW: Other than today, no, and I don’t think I will. It’s not something where I was like, Damn I missed out on dancing in the rain because rain is cold and it is water. If I want to dance in the rain I will take a shower.

 

ZHENG ZHANG

V: Tell me a little bit about the choreography from this routine.

ZZ: It’s very minimalistic but really expressive. I think the colors and the atmosphere really influenced what [we] are looking to do with it. I know Jamie talked about animalistic so we might play with stuff like that later and there is definitely that crew mentality—like moving together, or follow the leader; stuff like that.

V: As a dancer what is sort of your biggest challenge but also your biggest reward?

ZZ: I think working with new people but then the biggest reward is when you get to see them cohesively working together.

 

MOROCCO

V: Tell me a little bit about your favorite style of dance.

M: I think my favorite style of dance is contemporary or modern; just like movement without rules or boundaries. My favorite style of dance is more so just whatever I am feeling at the moment, that’s how I also enjoy myself dancing, you know?

V: What kind of music are you listening to right now?

M: I listen to a lot of everything. I bet everyone says that (Laughs)

V: They do!

M: I listen to a lot of rap and hip hop but also classical but more so like neo-classical, modern classical; like Max Richter and stuff like that. [Also] Frank Ocean. You know, chill vibes. (Laughs)

V: Tell me a little bit about today on set; how has it been so far?

M: It’s been good. I am into the cast! Diversity is shown which I love always, and I think so far we are connecting well. It’s going to be a really nice ending production but so far so good!

V: If there was one place in the world you could dance in where would it be?

M: In Morocco in the desert!

 

JESS HU

V: When did you first start dancing?

JH: I first started dancing in Salem, Oregon. I learned breakdancing at the Boys & Girls Club and I entered my first one-on-one B-Girl/B-Boy dance battle. Around that time there were not many girls that breaked, so I learned from a bunch of dudes. We would take road trips to Portland and Seattle to compete. I come from more of a battle background but it’s transitioned into showcasing [and] choreography. It’s great.

V: Do you have a favorite choreographed number from a music video?

JH: Honestly, Missy Elliot, man. Missy Elliot is the reason why I started dancing. Because of the majority of the things I do, I am self-taught. I watched a lot of Missy Elliot videos growing up and a lot of old break videos.

V: What’s one place in the world you’d love to dance in?

JH: That’s a good question! The Pyramids. I think that would be really beautiful and aligning and spiritual. Also [outer] space would be kind of cool with zero gravity—listening to music in space and dancing.

 

LUCAS KLINGE

V: Tell me a little bit about when you first started dancing?

LK: My mother was a body-mind centering worker, so that’s how I got used to movement. Then I did contact improv [before] classic ballet for like 20 years.

V: What’s the last song you listened to?

LK: I don’t know why, but I just have that Gloria Estefan song stuck in my head.

V: Which one?

LK: (Hummed ‘Conga’ by Gloria Estefan)

V: What does dancing mean to you? Or what has it come to mean to you since becoming a dancer?

LK: I’ve been thinking about dance as sort of a creation tool, and how you can create something out of nothing; it’s as close to magic as you can get.