MSP 193: Beyond the Product with Morgan Teel
Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast
Release Date: 01/23/2026
MSP 198: Starting with the Heart with Winifred Haun
Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast
If you want long-term success in the dance industry, you need to be very clear on why you’re doing it and who it’s for above anything else! In this conversation, you’ll hear all about Winifred Haun’s introduction to dance, how her craft has evolved over the years, some of the incredible dance practitioners she has learned from, how she decided she wanted to dance for her career, and what it was like to start her company, Winifred Haun and Dancers. We delve into the importance of balancing unique ideas with appealing entertainment for audiences before discussing how her company has...
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MSP 197: Making Dance Performance ‘Fun’ with David Parker
Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast
In this episode of Movers & Shapers, we welcome the founder of the Bang Group, David Parker, to talk about his incredible career and how his life and dancing are entwined. Tuning in, you’ll hear all about David’s life, how a film about the Golden Age of entertainment sparked his love for dance, the training he received, and so much more! David tells us all about his time in New York, his love for tap dancing, and what it was like to experience ‘the Dance Boom’. We delve into his decision to start choreographing later in life and how his sexual awakening informed his work before...
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MSP 196: Shaping a Life in Dance with Jessica Gaynor
Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast
A lifelong devotion to movement can shape not just an artist’s career, but an entire community. Today, choreographer, educator, and Artistic Director Jessica Gaynor shares how her path began in gymnastics before finding her true calling in modern dance. From her early days studying with the legendary Alice Teirstein to becoming a mentor and leader in her own right, Jessica’s story is one of passion, resilience, and creativity. In our conversation, Jessica reflects on the freedom and self-expression she discovered through improvisation, her formative years studying dance at Brown and...
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MSP 195: Remembering Kathy Dunn Hamrick
Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast
With a heavy heart, KDH Dance Company announced the passing of their fierce founder and dearest friend, Kathy Dunn Hamrick. Kathy has had an enormous impact, with ripples throughout Austin and beyond, as she is loved by so many. The organization is heartbroken, but committed to honoring Kathy and her legacy for years to come. Read more in the . Today's podcast is a re-airing of an interview with Kathy from 2024. Kathy Dunn Hamrick was the Artistic Director of Kathy Dunn Hamrick Dance Company, an award-winning modern dance company based in Austin, Texas. Kathy happily committed her...
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MSP 194: Reaching Beyond Borders, Rooted in Movement with Bobbi Jene Smith
Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast
From Iowa to Juilliard, from Israel to screens, Bobbi Jene Smith’s Journey through dance is anything but ordinary and defies borders and expectations! In this episode, we are joined by internationally acclaimed dancer, choreographer, and filmmaker Bobbi Jene Smith. Known for her deeply personal and raw approach to movement, Bobbi shares the milestones that shaped her path; from leaving home at the age of 11, to ultimately moving to Israel to join Batsheva Dance Company. Bobbi opens up about the challenges of living abroad and the profound ways in which her relationship with dance evolved...
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MSP 193: Beyond the Product with Morgan Teel
Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast
Morgan Teel is the mind behind Dance Waterloo, an organization making dance more accessible through site specific and site responsive shows in Austin, Texas. During this episode, she joins us to share the story of how she first fell in love with dance, what deepened her knowledge of choreography, and the motivation behind launching Dance Waterloo. Morgan also shares what first drew her to site-specific work and how Austin audiences have embraced it, from intimate community performances to larger shows like Quixotic States at the Zilker Hillside Theatre Stage. We discuss her inventive projects,...
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MSP 192: Bare Feet with Mickela Mallozzi
Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast
Joining Erin on Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast today is Mickela Mallozzi. Mickela is a four-time Emmy® Award–winning host and executive producer of Bare Feet with Mickela Mallozzi, a PBS and Amazon Prime travel series celebrating global dance traditions. A professional dancer and trained musician, she travels the world exploring how everyday people express their cultures through movement. In today’s conversation, Erin and Mickela delve into the origins of her dance journey, how a middle-of-the-night dream blossomed into her life project, Bare Feet, and she recounts the impact...
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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...
info_outlineMorgan Teel is the mind behind Dance Waterloo, an organization making dance more accessible through site specific and site responsive shows in Austin, Texas. During this episode, she joins us to share the story of how she first fell in love with dance, what deepened her knowledge of choreography, and the motivation behind launching Dance Waterloo. Morgan also shares what first drew her to site-specific work and how Austin audiences have embraced it, from intimate community performances to larger shows like Quixotic States at the Zilker Hillside Theatre Stage. We discuss her inventive projects, including a spelling bee themed dance production, and how she works to make the creative process as visible as the final product. Along the way, she reveals where she finds inspiration for her pieces and why accessibility, experimentation, and community connection remain at the heart of her vision for Dance Waterloo’s future.
Key Points From This Episode:
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Morgan Teel’s introduction to the world of dance as a child.
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Applying for colleges and honing her skills as a choreographer.
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What motivated Morgan to start Dance Waterloo: making dance more accessible.
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Naming Dance Waterloo, fundraising, and putting on their first show under an overpass.
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How dance classes for families allow children to see their parents as equal collaborators.
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The legacy Morgan hopes to build with Dance Waterloo.
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How she is working with Austin’s senior population.
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The spelling bee dance production she recently put on.
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Where she finds inspiration for her pieces.
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How she is working to make the process of dance visible beyond the product of it.
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Quixotic States: a dance show at the Zilker Hillside Theatre Stage.
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Plans for the future: dancing with teenagers.
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How Morgan cross-pollinates her skills.
For more on Morgan with Show Notes & Links: The Moving Architects
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