loader from loading.io

MSP 156: Remembering Agnes De Mille with Elizabeth Ferrell and Jenna Rae Herrera

Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast

Release Date: 05/09/2023

MSP 176: Clare Cook show art MSP 176: Clare Cook

Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast

We are back! This season we will focus on interviews and discussions with vibrant artists from cities across the United States. Up first - Clare Cook in Lafayette, Louisiana. Clare is the Founder and Creative Director of Basin Arts, a non-profit arts incubator dedicated to helping Louisiana artists develop sustainable creative practices. Basin Arts aims to expand access to professional contemporary arts experiences while fostering genuine connections between artists and the broader community. In our interview, we explore how dance was positively cultivated in different spaces throughout her...

info_outline
MSP: Special June Announcement from Erin Carlisle Norton show art MSP: Special June Announcement from Erin Carlisle Norton

Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast

A special announcement from host and Artistic Director of , Erin Carlisle Norton. Support this one-of-a-kind inspiring podcast with a tax-deductible donation! Movers & Shapers has been podcasting interviews with those who shape the dance field since 2015. Connect with our archive of 175 interviews: Follow on  and for the latest!

info_outline
MSP 175: Rachel Damon show art MSP 175: Rachel Damon

Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast

When Decisions are Commitments with Rachel Damon Joining us today is Rachel Damon, a choreographer, theatrical designer, performer, and co-founder and artistic director of Synapse Arts, a Chicago-based dance theater company. Rachel's self-made career is a testament to her multidisciplinary talents, blending onstage and backstage roles to create dynamic performance works through collaboration, improvisation, and teamwork. In this episode, Rachel shares her remarkable journey from lovable weirdo at musical theatre summer camp to internationally-renowned production stage manager and performer who...

info_outline
MSP 174: Sydney Skybetter show art MSP 174: Sydney Skybetter

Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast

The Deeper Meaning of Dance, Dance and Emerging Technology, and Navigating an Economy that Exploits Dancers with Sydney Skybetter Creating a successful career as a dancer in a world where there are few opportunities to thrive is particularly challenging. However, today’s guest has created a fascinating career for himself in the world of academia, research, and even dancing robots! Sydney Skybetter joins us today to discuss his life as a dancer, dance educator, and entrepreneur. In this conversation, you’ll hear all about how Sydney was introduced to dance, the beauty in the chosen family...

info_outline
MSP 173: Giada Matteini show art 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...

info_outline
MSP 172: Mimi Garrard show art 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...

info_outline
MSP 171: Stefanie Nelson show art 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...

info_outline
MSP 170: Kathy Dunn Hamrick show art 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,...

info_outline
MSP 169: Julie Lemberger show art 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...

info_outline
MSP 168: Betsy Miller show art 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...

info_outline
 
More Episodes

Remembering Agnes De Mille with Elizabeth Ferrell and Jenna Rae Herrera

Today’s episode is a special one, where we look back and remember world-renowned dancer, choreographer, writer, lecturer, and director, Agnes De Mille. Agnes had a successful, yet tempestuous, career that spanned almost 70 years through the world of 20th-century American theater and ballet. We take a look at her through the eyes of Elizabeth Ferrell, formerly a member of the American Ballet Theater, and Jenna Rae Herrera, a principal artist with Ballet West. We hear their recollections of working with De Mille in the studio and performing her work, and we listen to their insights about how the course of American dance was forever changed by her. Stay tuned for a lively conversation about Agnes De Mille and her long-lasting impact; creating strong-willed American female roles. Enjoy!

Key Points From This Episode:

·       Beth shares a short (but detailed) biography of Agnes De Mille; Agnes in a nutshell.

·       More about Beth, her background, and how she became part of De Mille’s work.

·       Beth tells listeners about De Mille’s personality (both in the studio and on stage). 

·       Jenna talks about her background in dance and career at Ballet West.

·       Jenna tells us about learning her role in Rodeo and how it helped her grow as an artist.

·       The process of learning the Rodeo material (and hearing the narrative from Agnes herself). 

·       Jenna shares her experience learning work that was made decades ago (and translating it to her body and the company).

·       We hear Beth’s experience doing De Mille’s work, both the physical experience and the learning process.

·       Jenna and Beth reminisce about their time performing The Cow Girl in the Rodeo ballet.

·       Why Rodeo was set on ballet companies (as opposed to other genres of dance).

·       Their thoughts on why De Mille’s work has become timeless and why it’s still being performed today.

 

“She was really ahead of her time, there’s still a real push to nurture and push female choreographers and women’s voices [today] — and here she is in the 1940s choosing her own music, dancers, costumes, set designs, and was calling the shots.” — Elizabeth Ferrell 

Former member of American Ballet Theatre, Elizabeth Ferrell emerged as a major interpreter of the works of Agnes de Mille, having performed leading roles in De Mille’s Rodeo, 3 Virgins and a Devil, The Informer, and Brigadoon.

Jenna Rae Herrera is a Principal Artist with Ballet West in Salt Lake City and made her debut last year as The Cowgirl in Agnes de Mille’s Rodeo.

Connect with Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast on Instagram and Facebook

More info links from this episode: Movers & Shapers