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...
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MSP 183: Heidi Henderson
Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast
Something About the Way She Moves with Heidi Henderson Vibrant, humble, and down-to-earth, Heidi Henderson is a Professor at Connecticut College and also the artistic director of elephant JANE dance, where she brings her unique vision and creativity to the stage. From Maine, to New York City, to Rhode Island, Heidi is a four-time recipient of the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts Choreography Fellowship. Her work has been performed internationally in London and Korea, as well as at renowned venues like Jacob’s Pillow, The Flynn Space, and the Bates Dance Festival. She has danced with...
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MSP 182: Jamila Glass
Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast
A World Immersed in Art with Dancer, Filmmaker, Choreographer, and Artistic Director Jamila Glass Jamila Glass is a filmmaker, choreographer, and Artistic Director of L.A. Contemporary Dance Company (LACDC), where she has been a member since its founding in 2005. She has choreographed for Netflix, HBO, Hulu, BET, and PRADA, with her work featured in the NY Times, L.A. Times, and more. In 2024, she co-founded the Los Angeles Choreographers Institute and has directed 21 short dance films, a TV pilot, and music videos through her production company, The Cutting Room. A graduate of USC’s School...
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MSP 181: Chicago
Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast
Five Voices, One City: Unpacking Chicago’s Dance Community, with Kristina Fluty, Alyssa Gregory, Rahila Coats, Michael McStraw, and Helen Lee In this episode of Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast, we dive deeply into the vibrant and diverse world of Chicago’s dance scene. Joining Erin are five incredible voices, each bringing a unique perspective on what makes this city’s dance community so dynamic, expansive, and full of life. Featured in this episode are Kristina Fluty, Alyssa Gregory, Rahila Coats, Michael McStraw, and Helen Lee — five Chicago-based dance artists who capture the...
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MSP 180: Tristan Ching Hartmann
Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast
Crafting a Fulfilling Life In Dance with Tristan Ching Hartmann What does it take to craft a fulfilling life in dance? For Tristan Ching Hartmann, it’s a blend of resilience, curiosity, community, and an unshakable love for movement. From her shy beginnings in Ventura, California, to performing with the Margaret Jenkins Dance Company in San Francisco, Tristan’s journey has been anything but conventional. She reflects on transformative moments, including commuting long hours for ballet classes, finding her artistic home with Robert Moses’ Kin, and reinventing herself as a jazz dancer...
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MSP 179: Durham
Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast
The Durham Dance & Arts Community with Anna Barker, Jessi Knight, Kristin Taylor Duncan, and Stacy Wolfson Durham, North Carolina, is a mid-sized city known for its vibrant mix of innovation, collaboration, and creativity. Frequently ranked as one of the best places to live in the US, it boasts a thriving arts, culture, and culinary scene. With a strong sense of community, Durham takes pride in its commitment to inclusivity and diversity. In this episode, we shine a spotlight on four inspiring Durham-based dance artists: Anna Barker, Jessi Knight, Kristin Taylor Duncan, and Stacy Wolfson....
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MSP 178: Alice Gosti
Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast
This season we focus on interviews and discussions with vibrant artists from cities across the United States. Today - Alice Gosti in Seattle, WA. Beyond the Stage: Alice Gosti on Time, Space, and Identity What does it mean to create art that exists both within and beyond time and place? In this episode, we step into the world of Alice Gosti, an Italian-born, Seattle-based dance artist known for pushing the boundaries of performance. She is also a key collaborator of MALACARNE, an experimental dance and performance ensemble dedicated to co-creating transformative rituals that challenge limiting...
info_outlineCreating 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 out most is Rukhmani’s resounding passion for her work and art form, despite the struggles she has had along the way, as well as the thoughtfulness with which she has built her life in dance, from co-leadership of her company to teaching to creating the first-ever endowment to support kathak dance and music in the US and more. Tune in today for an inspiring conversation about the power of collaboration, community, and preserving culture!
Key Points From This Episode:
· How Rukhmani started dancing and when she fell in love with kathak.
· What she learned about the art form from kathak master, Pt. Chitresh Das.
· The profoundly transformational experience that studying kathak afforded her.
· How she learned to follow her heart and commit to starting a professional dance company.
· Steps Rukhmani took to build a life in dance, including teaching and the Leela Foundation.
· Audience development and creating a future for kathak as an educator.
· Unpacking Rukhmani’s belief in the power of collaboration.
· Where the name Leela comes from and how it speaks to spontaneous creativity.
· Insight into Rukhmani’s love for creating communities of young women through dance.
· The process of building Leela as a collective and how it was impacted by COVID.
· Joys and challenges of a dance career and what you can look forward to from Leela!
· The heartwarming story of why Rukhmani changed her name from Rina.
“My work is about being an artist and putting the art form out in the world but – it has also become about creating the infrastructure that the artists who are carrying these traditions forward need.” — Rukhmani Mehta
Rukhmani Mehta brings a singular voice and vision to the art form of kathak, a classical dance genre from North India; she is a dancer, choreographer, educator, and Co-Founder/Co-Artistic Director of Leela Dance Collective.
More on this episode: Movers & Shapers