MSP 174: Sydney Skybetter

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 he created at art school, and his incredible Conference for Research and Choreographic Interfaces (CRCI). After Sydney’s studies, he was forced to hustle his way through a variety of odd jobs to survive financially and he tells us all about the important lessons he has learned from every job he’s ever had. We also delve into why dance programs should consider the dangers of sending dancers out into a world and economy that isn’t built for them, the connection between dance and emerging technology, potential problems for dancers and AI, and much more. Tune in now!

Key Points From This Episode:

·       An overview of Sydney’s life and how he got into dance. 

·       The connection between dance history and emerging technology. 

·       A commentary about the body-type expectations for dancers.

·       Insight into Sydney’s dance training and the chosen family he created. 

·       All about the Conference for Research and Choreographic Interfaces (CRCI) he started. 

·       Comparisons between writing and performance. 

·       Some of his “weird jobs” and why he did them. 

·       The danger of pumping out dancers into an economy that will not make good use of them. 

·       How Sydney got into academia and what his experience at Brown University has been like.  

·       What he is most excited about right now and the research he is currently doing. 

·       How artists and dancers are being exploited, especially when it comes to technology. 

·       What Sydney is excited about for his career in the near future. 

“I came to realize that the academy was one of the few places where artists held longitudinal power.” — Sydney Skybetter

Sydney Skybetter is the first choreographer to receive tenure at Brown University, where he serves as the Deputy Dean of the College for the Curriculum and Co-Curriculum.

For more on this episode: Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast

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