MSP 173: Giada Matteini
Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast
Dance for a Violence-Free Future with Giada Matteini Today's guest, Giada Matteini, embodies the belief that artists have the extraordinary ability to shape a world free from violence. As a performer, educator, choreographer, and cultural producer, Giada founded WADE (Wandering Avian Dance Experience), a women-led performing arts company that brings awareness to gender-based violence and offers healing through the transformative power of dance. In this episode of Movers & Shapers, Giada shares a panoramic view of her international dance career, brimming with hope and inspiration for those...
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MSP 172: Mimi Garrard
Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast
The Journey of Creating Dance for Video with Mimi Garrard Video dance work has become increasingly popular as technology has advanced, but not many dancers and choreographers have made it their primary medium of work. Today’s guest, Mimi Garrard, is the exception, having spent most of her extensive career focusing on video dance. In this episode of Movers & Shapers, we hear all about Mimi’s life, what led her to dance, her training under Alwin Nikolais, why she chose video dance, and what she loves about it. We delve into how she combines video and live dancing before Mimi expands on...
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MSP 171: Stefanie Nelson
Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast
Finding Your Artistry Beyond Words with Stefanie Nelson One of the beautiful things about dance is the ability to express yourself without words. You can just dance. Joining Erin on the podcast today is Stefanie Nelson, Founder and Director of Stefanie Nelson Dancegroup (SND), a contemporary dance company based in NYC. Stefanie also established Dance Italia, an international summer dance program in Lucca, Italy. Today, she shares what kickstarted her lifelong love of dance and the influence that Alice Teirstein had on her journey. She also offers insight into her college journey and what it...
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MSP 170: Kathy Dunn Hamrick
Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast
Creating a Modern Dance Culture and Community with Kathy Dunn Hamrick Establishing a modern dance company is no easy feat, but today’s guest managed to create a successful organization and build a wonderful modern dance community in Austin, Texas. Today on Movers & Shapers, we welcome Kathy Dunn Hamrick, the Artistic Director of Kathy Dunn Hamrick Dance, to discuss her work and how she helps dance grow in Austin. Kathy found a love for dance at a young age and quickly decided that she needed to dedicate her life to it. In this episode, you’ll hear all about Kathy’s life and career,...
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MSP 169: Julie Lemberger
Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast
Enjoying the Art, Expression, and Freedom of Dance with Julie Lemberger Welcome to the latest episode of the Movers and Shapers podcast, where today we're delighted to welcome our guest, Julie Lemberger. Julie is a multifaceted individual — she's had a life as a dancer, dance photographer, and educator. She has dedicated over 15 years to capturing the ephemeral beauty of concert dance. Her lens has encapsulated the essence of New York City's dance scene at the turn of the 21st century. Julie's stunning dance photography has graced the pages of prestigious publications like The New York...
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MSP 168: Betsy Miller
Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast
Being part of the global dance community can be deeply rewarding but it also has the potential to be exceptionally challenging and toxic. Not only are you competing for highly limited resources, but you also need to contend with how your self-worth can become contingent on the opinion of others. Today’s guest, Betsy Miller, has experienced many of the highs and lows familiar to almost any dancer but ultimately counts herself blessed and deeply fortunate to have found genuine places of community within the dance world. Join us as we talk with Betsy about her early love of dance (and...
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MSP: Special Announcement from Erin Carlisle Norton
Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast
Happy Holidays from Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast! Listen to a special announcement from Host and Artistic Director of The Moving Architects, Erin Carlisle Norton. Support this podcast with a tax-deductible donation! Find Show Notes & More: Folow on and
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MSP 167: Jeanne Ruddy
Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast
While dance is often underfunded and under-recognized, leaders in the field acknowledge the incredible talent that lives within every dancer, reminding them that they are, in fact, ‘Acrobats of God’. Today’s guest embodies the purpose of the Movers and Shapers: A Dance Podcast; to share insights from those who shape the dance field, and create an archive that preserves rich, personal experiences across generations. During this episode, Jeanne Ruddy shares what it was like to be a member of the Martha Graham Dance Company, and to work with Martha herself. You’ll also hear how she forged...
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MSP 166: Rukhmani Mehta
Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast
Creating a Vision for Kathak with Rukhmani Mehta Today on Movers & Shapers, we are joined by Rukhmani Mehta (previously Rina Mehta). Rukhmani is a choreographer, dancer, educator, Artistic Director of Leela Youth Dance Company, and the Co-Artistic Director of Leela Dance Collective, which brings together leading artists from around the world to advance a collective vision for kathak, a classical North Indian dance. In this episode, Rukhmani speaks about her love for creating community through dance and her deep interest in and curiosity for collaborative projects and processes. What stands...
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MSP 165: Samantha Géracht
Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast
Continuing a Modern Dance Legacy with Samantha Géracht There are many legends in modern dance that are responsible for making the art form what it is today. But how do we continue their legacy? Today we hear from one of the people responsible for continuing the legacy of Anna Sokolow, Samantha Géracht. Samantha is the artistic director at the Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble and in this episode, she tells us all about her incredible career, the multitude of amazing dance practitioners she has learned from and worked with, the difference between a Sokolow dancer and a Sokolow director, the...
info_outlineBuilding a Dancer with Rosalynde LeBlanc
Rosalynde LeBlanc built her career dancing for some of the biggest names in dance. Today, she is Professor and Chair of Dance at Loyola Marymount University. Social justice awareness has always underpinned her work as a choreographer, which is why she creates pieces that are related to the world and not the mirror. During today’s conversation, she shares her perspective on what it truly means to build a dancer beyond just the physical. Tune in to hear the highlights of her incredible journey as the daughter of an accomplished dancer with Paul Taylor, applying to college early and completing her high school diploma alongside her studies, and her time dancing with Bill T. Jones that skyrocketed her career. She shares the story of being invited to dance with Baryshnikov, before burning out just three years later. Rosalynde offers her insights on doing the necessary inner work to succeed as a dancer before telling listeners all about her transition into the world of education. Tune in today to hear all this and more!
Key Points From This Episode:
· Rosalynde LeBlanc’s first experiences with dance and when she really fell in love with it.
· Her mom’s hands-off approach to managing her relationship with dance.
· Why she declined an invitation to dance with Paul Taylor.
· Her memory of Alvin Ailey’s death and the first World AIDS Day in 1989.
· Her experience at Purchase College and the social change that occurred while she was there.
· The duet she performed with Bill T. Jones which launched her career.
· Her experience of being in the work and touring with Still/Here.
· Being invited to dance with Baryshnikov.
· Her transition into education and sanctuary of the studio.
· The piece she is working on at the moment; Tomboy.
· The less talked about shadow of success.
“The other 50% of being a dancer is your psychological state of being and that shapes your body as much as all the other technique classes. So you have to deal with that.” — Rosalynde LeBlanc
Rosalynde LeBlanc is a Bessie-nominated dancer and the co-director of Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters. A former dancer with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company (1993 - 1999) and with Mikhail Baryshnikov’s White Oak Dance Project (1999 – 2002), LeBlanc is now a professor and Chair of Dance at Loyola Marymount University.
Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters is streaming now as part of season 15 AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange. Audiences can stream it for free at worldchannel.org and on the YouTube Channels of WORLD (@worldchannel) and Black Public Media (@blackpublicmedia).
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