091: CCI Takes Dance Lessons

Catalyst is a Creative Industries podcast, from Chapman University. Each episode features Chapman students who have completed a Podcasting course through the Center for Creative and Cultural Industries at the university. Students who had no podcasting experience or technical ability in the genre before taking the course were able to contribute all the segments to Catalyst this season with the goal being that they will take this ‘hands-on’ experience and carry it over to the launching of their very own series. Each episode of Season 11 will feature one to two different interviews conducted by CCI students, exploring different aspects of the Creative and Cultural Industries.

Paige Brooks starts this week’s episode of Catalyst with an interview of veteran performer and choreographer Brittany Barney.  The pair discuss the array of opportunities one can find within a singular creative industry, Barney’s process when it comes to choreography and how culture and history impact artistry. They also reflect on what success looks like in a performance-based industry, where professional rejection is part of the game and how at times it is necessary to adjust a career plan to accommodate reality. Still Barney is hopeful that the information she imparts in the interview will inspire creatives, and that the career-development timeline she shares will be a particularly useful tool.

The second interview of the week stars Azuki Umeda and her career journey as a choreographer, dancer, and teacher as she talks with Elle Holland. Umeda is known for her unique and intricate movement style within her choreography which has gotten her global recognition. She shares insight into her inspirations and the process that goes into developing this movement vocabulary. Umeda explains how she got started in choreography and how at a young age she developed an ability to see music in new ways. The pair discuss how her Japanese cultural background shapes her creative voice and her approach as a teacher. Umeda also elaborates on her current work “How I Became Kinder and Kinder” and on her company Authenticity Dance Co, and they conclude with the topic of the future by sharing Umeda’s dance company's upcoming opportunities and performances.