Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast – Détails, épisodes et analyse

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 centers around her writing. They discuss her transition from the US to London, UK, the differences in the dance world, and she unpacks the responsibility of writing dance reviews and why she ultimately finds the Stars system to be fundamentally flawed. They then dive into an in-depth discussion on her book, Wild Grace: The Untamed Women of Modern Dance, breaking down what inspired the writing, how she approached the structure of the book, incorporating advice from her editor, delving deeply into the research, and the timeline from beginning to end. She shares how the book ultimately led her to a new attuning of the very beauty of passion itself! Be sure not to miss out on all this, and as always, much more. Thanks for listening, enjoy!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Sara reveals how a two-year-old girl's fascination with movement blossomed into a lifelong journey in dance.
• Sara explains what about dance made it such an integral part of her identity.
• The journey of her writing career.
• Sara unpacks how she got into writing as a dance critic. 
• We discuss her transition from the US to London, UK, and how it shaped her dance writing.
• Finding her voice in the dance critic world.
• Why you've got to be reading when you want to be writing, according to Sara.
• The responsibility behind writing dance reviews. 
• She shares why she believes the idea of the Stars system, when writing reviews, is fundamentally flawed. 
• We delve into a discussion on her book, Wild Grace: The Untamed Women of Modern Dance.
• How she approached the structure of her book, finding the women, taking advice from her editor, and making tough decisions.
• Sara explains the research journey she undertook for her book and the women she writes about.

"The coolest thing ever is to be good at something and be passionate about it and to throw your whole body and soul into it." — Sara Veale

For more on Sara and Show Notes & Links: The Moving Architects

Follow the podcast on Instagram & Facebook

Check out The Moving Architects on State of the Arts on PBS

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 Meredith Monk and exploring performance art shaped her creativity, and the thriving performance scenes in NYC in the 90s that opened doors for experimentation. She shares the inspiration behind her work with animals, the reality of supporting herself financially as an artist, and how she navigated motherhood and her dance career. She also dives into the delicate marriage between process and product in creation before discussing her dance project, The Symphonic Body. Finally, Ann reveals what is piquing her interest today and shares a glimpse of what the future will hold for her in her career. Thanks for listening! 

Key Points From This Episode:

• A brief overview of today's guest, Ann Carlson, and how she found her love of dance.  
• How performance art and working with Meredith Monk inspired Ann's own creations. 
• Cross-connecting dance with other performance scenes during her time in NYC. 
• What inspired Ann's animal series and how she managed to support herself. 
• How Ann's dance career pivoted when she started a family.
• The beautiful amalgamation of process and product in dance creation.
• What Ann learned about art from the poet Allen Ginsberg. 
• Ann looks back on her career and some of the most meaningful projects she did. 
• Ann tells us what she is curious about today and what her next project will be.

Ann is the recipient of numerous awards for her artistic work, including a Creative Capital Award, a Doris Duke Award for Performing Artists, a National Dance Project Award, two American Masters awards, a USA Artist Fellowship, a Guggenheim Fellowship, a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, a Fellowship from the Foundation for Contemporary Art, and more!

For more on Ann and Show Notes & Links: The Moving Architects

Follow the podcast on Instagram & Facebook

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 during her time in London. Tristan delves into how her teaching practice reignited her creativity, her experiences taking on choreography, and the life lessons she's learned from Argentine Tango. She also shares the profound impact of a serious spinal injury that temporarily halted her dancing and how it led her to redefine her relationship with movement. Now dancing into her late 40s, she offers insights on adapting training, cherishing every moment in the studio, and navigating the physical demands of her art. Her passion for building community and mentoring younger dancers reflects her deep commitment to the art form and those who practice it. Join us for an inspiring conversation that explores what it truly means to craft a fulfilling life in dance!

Key Points From This Episode:

·       An introduction to Tristan Ching Hartmann and her unique movement journey.

·       How a childhood dance class sparked a lifelong passion for movement and artistry.

·       Tristan's deep connection to ballet and her love for its precision, grace, and classical music.

·       The balancing act of pursuing dance while meeting her family's academic expectations.

·       How Stanford shaped her journey, leading to modern dance and joining Robert Moses' Kin.

·       The pivotal role of Robert Moses in Tristan's early professional career and artistic growth.

·       Recovering from a serious spinal injury and the life-changing decision to travel and reflect.

·       How moving to London allowed Tristan to reinvent herself and explore jazz and the West End.

·       Her transformative experience teaching and discovering new ways to connect with students.

·       Returning to the stage with Margaret Jenkins Dance Company in her late 40s.

·       How Tristan adapts training to stay active despite the physical challenges of aging.

·       Tristan's insights into Argentine Tango as a life lesson in feeling and responding.

·       Reflecting on her love for building community and mentoring the next generation of dancers.

Tristan Ching Hartmann (she/her) is a long-time lover of dance, the Bay Area, and dance in the Bay Area.  She was a founding member of Robert Moses' Kin, on faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, and currently dances with Margaret Jenkins Dance Company as well as collaborating with her dance friends/heroes, The Straw Dogs.

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

For the latest, follow on Instagram and Facebook

Today's guest is Sondra Fraleigh. Sondra is professor emeritus of the State University of New York at Brockport, a Fulbright Scholar, SUNY Faculty Exchange Scholar, and a significant writer in the field of dance philosophy.  She is an award winning author of nine books including most recently: Back to the Dance Itself: Phenomenologies of the Body in Performance (2018); Moving Consciously: Somatic Transformations through Dance, Yoga, and Touch (2015); BUTOH: Metamorphic Dance and Global Alchemy (2010); and Land to Water Yoga (2009). Fraleigh was chair of the Department of Dance at SUNY Brockport for nine years and later head of graduate dance. Her innovative choreography has been seen in the USA, Germany, Japan, and India. Sondra is the founding director of Eastwest Somatics Institute.

This podcast was produced in conjunction with the MFA in Dance at Rutgers University, a program that establishes students as creatively literate world citizens who can develop interdisciplinary solutions to address complex contemporary issues.

Now accepting applications for the Summer 2020 cohort:  masongross.rutgers.edu

For more info on this podcast: themovingarchitects.org/podcasts

Today's guest is Christine Dakin. Christine has spent more than four decades in Martha Graham's deep tradition, exploring the physical and intellectual practice of dance as principal dancer, artistic director of the company, and teacher. She shares the language of dance collaborating with choreographers, musicians, and teachers, and continuing to perform from Russia to the US, maintaining a special connection to the Mexican dance community since 1981. She has been awarded a "Bessie", the Dance Magazine Award, and a fellowship from Harvard University's Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. She has brought her personal poetics of dance to film in her "La Voz del Cuerpo / The Body Speaks" and "Terpsikon".

For more info on this podcast: themovingarchitects.org/podcasts

Today's guest is Jessica Chen. Jessica is a choreographer, teacher and Artistic Director of J CHEN PROJECT, a 501c3 non-profit modern dance company based in NYC. In 2013, Jessica made a miraculous journey back to the stage after suffering a horrific car accident, which rendered her in a coma for 13 days after 8 hours of brain surgery. She shares her story and fight to live through her work as a choreographer, speaker, and Artistic Director of J CHEN PROJECT. As a freelance choreographer, her work has been seen Off-Broadway, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and TEDx.

For more info on this episode:

www.themovingarchitects.org/podcasts

Today's guest is Vangeline. Vangeline is a teacher, dancer, and choreographer specializing in the Japanese postwar avant-garde movement form Butoh. She is the artistic director of the Vangeline Theater (New York), a dance company firmly rooted in the tradition of Japanese Butoh while carrying it into the 21st century, and the founder of the New York Butoh Institute. She is also the founder of the 12-year running, award-winning program "Dream a Dream Project", which brings butoh dance to incarcerated men and women at correctional facilities across New York State.   For more info on this episode: www.themovingarchitects.org/podcasts

 

Today's guest is Michelle Manzanales. Michelle is a choreographer and dance educator originally from Houston, TX. She is the Director of the Ballet Hispánico School of Dance, but lends her artistic voice to all facets of the organization led by CEO and Artistic Director Eduardo Vilaro (MSP podcast no. 77!). She began working with Eduardo in 2003 as a dancer for his company Luna Negra Dance Theater of Chicago where she also served as Rehearsal Director and as Interim Artistic Director. Michelle has created works for professional dance companies, universities, and schools across the nation. www.ballethispanico.org

For more info on Movers & Shapers and this episode:

themovingarchitects.org/podcasts

Today's guest is Melissa Riker.  Melissa is based in NYC and is the director and choreographer of Kinesis Project dance theatre. The company dances outside in sculpture gardens, universities, public parks, as well as hosting more than 30 surprise performances all over New York City and the tri-state area. Recently Ms. Riker is a 2016, 2017 and 2019 CUNY Dance Initiative Residency Fellow, 2015 LMCC Community Arts Fund grantee, and 2019 Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Grantee.    For more info on Movers & Shapers and this episode: http://themovingarchitects.org/podcasts

Today's guest is Lucy Sexton. Lucy is a Brooklyn born choreographer, producer, and administrator who works in the fields of dance, theater, film, and advocacy. She is currently Executive Director of the cultural advocacy organization New Yorkers for Culture and Arts, working for equity and support for culture for all New Yorkers. Beginning in 2009, she has served as Executive Director of the NY Dance and Performance Awards, The Bessies, building them for the first time into an independent organization. As a dance artist she works with Anne Iobst; together they create and perform the dance performance duo DANCENOISE which was founded in 1983.

Come to The Bessies! Monday, October 14 at NYU Skirball:

https://tickets.nyu.edu/10398

 

For more info on Movers & Shapers and this episode:

http://themovingarchitects.org/podcasts/