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MSP 166: Rukhmani Mehta

Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast

Release Date: 10/30/2023

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...

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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!

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

Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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,...

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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...

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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...

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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 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. 

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