MSP 191: Mocean Dance with Sara Coffin and Susanne Chui
Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast
Some creative partnerships do more than grow over time; they help shape an entire artistic landscape. In this episode of The Movers and Shapers Podcast, we meet Sara Coffin and Susanne Chui, co-artistic directors of Mocean Dance, whose long shared history and collaborative vision have transformed contemporary dance in Nova Scotia. Sara begins by tracing her path from early choreography to training across Canada and the United States, and how returning home eventually led her into a leadership role with Mocean Dance. Susanne shares her parallel journey, from a childhood in community dance to...
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MSP 190: The Dancer’s Entrepreneurial Leap with Danielle Guillermo
Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast
A dancer’s career is often shorter than many others, and for the most part, there comes a time when the performer must pivot and find other ways to find value and joy in their craft. Joining us today is Danielle Guillermo, a former dancer turned dance consultant, as well as brand strategist and web designer. We begin with Danielle’s background and how she got into the world of dance before learning how her home and school support structures gave her the confidence needed to excel in performance. Then, we examine how her career goals have evolved since high school, how being rejected from...
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MSP 189: A Life in Dance with Amber Sloan
Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast
Amber Sloan’s life in dance has unfolded through curiosity, community, and constant reinvention. Growing up in Virginia, her early exposure to improvisation and composition in high school sparked not just a love of movement but a way of thinking that would shape her future. Her time at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign deepened that foundation and connected her with the people and places that helped her put down artistic roots. From piecing together income through unexpected jobs, to choreographing for the Joyce SoHo and seeking to scale her work in the years leading up to the...
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MSP 188: Attuning to the Beauty of Passion with Sara Veale
Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast
MSP 188: Attuning to the Beauty of Passion with Sara Veale The incredible beauty of passion lies in the relentless dedication of one's entire being, a force that radiates outward to inspire and elevate others. Today on the Movers & Shapers podcast, Erin is joined by author and dance critic Sara Veale. A North Carolina native, dancer turned dance writer, currently living in London, UK. Tune into the conversation as they dance into what inspired Sara into a lifelong journey in dance, how dance became an integral part of her identity, and what sparked her journey to shift into one that...
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MSP 187: The Curiosity That Moves Us with Ann Carlson
Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast
The Curiosity That Moves Us with Ann Carlson At the heart of every great artistic work is the exploration of curiosity and a commitment to the process of creation. Today on Movers & Shapers, Ann Carlson joins us to discuss her illustrious career in interdisciplinary arts and shares the deep curiosity she possesses about movement, meaning, and the human experience, with work borrowing from the disciplines of dance and performance as well as visual, conceptual, and social art practices. In this conversation, Ann reflects on how she first discovered her love of dance, how working with...
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New Season Launch: Movers & Shapers Dance Podcast with Erin Carlisle Norton of The Moving Architects
Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast
Welcome to a new season of Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast, hosted by Erin Carlisle Norton, choreographer and Artistic Director of The Moving Architects. In this update episode, Erin shares what she's been up to, including the company’s site-specific project Where She Once Stood, which brought Montclair’s Crane House & Historic YWCA to life through dance, history, and storytelling. This podcast is made possible this season by The Ohio State University Dance Department’s Dance Preservation Grant and a generous anonymous donor. Special thanks to both...
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Summer Announcement
Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast
Summer podcast announcement from host and Artistic Director of Erin Carlisle Norton. Support this one-of-a-kind podcast with a tax-deductible donation! Movers & Shapers is celebrating 10 years of podcasting! Connect with our archive of nearly 200 interivews: Follow us for the latest on and !
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MSP 186: Erin Carlisle Norton
Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast
Lessons from 10 Years of Dance Conversations with Erin Carlisle Norton What does it take to lead a forward-thinking, boundary-pushing dance company in today’s ever-changing artistic landscape? After a decade of hosting Movers & Shapers and nearly 200 interviews, Erin Carlisle Norton, Artistic Director of The Moving Architects (TMA), steps into the guest seat for a special 10th-anniversary episode. In conversation with Megan Mizanty, Lead Editor of thINKingDANCE, Erin reflects on the podcast’s evolution, the inspiration behind it, and the guests and stories that have profoundly shaped...
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MSP 185: Morgiana Celeste Varricchio & Samara Adell
Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast
Building the Mosaic Dance Theatre Company with Morgiana Celeste Varricchio & Samara Adell Every dance company has its own unique journey and characteristics, from how it was founded to the style of dance it specializes in. Today, we’re joined by the Producing Artistic Director and Founder of the Mosaic Dance Theatre Company (MDTC), Morgiana Celeste Varricchio, and the Artistic Director for Dance and Choreographer, Samara Adell. MDTC showcases the vibrant dance and folkloric heritage of the Mediterranean, spanning North Africa, the Middle East, and Southern Europe. Through captivating...
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MSP 184: Twin Cities
Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast
Twin Cities with Joanna Lees, Jesse Schmitz-Boyd, Erinn Liebhard Nestled along the Mississippi River, Minneapolis and Saint Paul offer a unique mix of natural beauty and culture. Winters are harsh, but skyways provide warmth, and frozen lakes set the scene. When summer arrives, the cities buzz with life, from thriving arts and food scenes to passionate sports fans. Each season brings a fresh energy to this dynamic and welcoming community. Today, we’re joined by three dance artists who call the Twin Cities home—Joanna Lees, Jesse Schmitz-Boyd, and Erinn Liebhard. Together, we dive into the...
info_outlineCreating a Technique that Honors the Individual with Susan Klein
Today’s guest Susan Klein is a true luminary, having shaped the modern dance landscape with her groundbreaking theories as creator of the renowned Klein Technique. In this episode, we explore her transformative journey as a movement pioneer, uncovering her dance background, the hurdles she overcame following a series of debilitating knee injuries, and her return to the world of movement. We discover how her experience ignited her passion for understanding the body and teaching others about movement, and how this ultimately led to the development of the Klein Technique. Susan recounts the pivotal moment she realized the limitations of imitation-based teaching and explains why she believes in nurturing individuality within dance. She opens up about her quest to safeguard her unique contributions, and why she decided to concede, despite her concern about the potential harm of her work being taught incorrectly. Join us as Susan shares her unique journey to quietly becoming one of the most valuable and influential players in the modern dance field.
Key Points From This Episode:
· Susan's dance background and training.
· Why she believes teaching through imitation to be ineffective.
· Her influences and how they shaped her journey.
· The series of knee injuries that temporarily derailed her dancing career and her return to dance, post-injury.
· How Susan’s experience ultimately led to the development of the Klein Technique.
· The importance of individuality in dance and Susan’s continued fascination with movement and teaching.
· Why she finds the widespread adoption of her work both gratifying and concerning.
· Challenges she’s faced in her dancing career and the various career paths she’s explored.
· Susan shares her plan to share her knowledge in book form.
“When I work with people, that's always exciting because their potential and what's going on in their lives or in their body is infinitely interesting.” — Susan Klein
Working and teaching in New York City, Susan Klein is the renowned creator of Klein
Technique™ and a practitioner of Worsley style 5-element acupuncture and Zero
Balancing.
More on this episode: Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast