Dancing Around Elephants Podcast

𝘿𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘼𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙀𝙡𝙚𝙥𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙨: 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙫𝙖𝙧 𝙈𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙞𝙧𝙤 𝙋𝙩 3

𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧

We’re back with the the last of 3 parts with this incredible artiste. We talk about issues with job scarcity during the pandemic, learning to pivot with creativity and being open to learn in a noisy dance world. Chalvar talks nourishing your inner child and also the important role that leadership in dance , and wraps up his convo with his favorite things.

𝙄𝙂: @𝙘𝙝𝙡𝙫𝙧𝙢𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤

#dancerselfadvocacy #danceradvocacy #dancermentorship #danceinjuries #Classicaldance #blackboysdancetoo #blackballerina

𝘿𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘼𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙀𝙡𝙚𝙥𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙨: 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙫𝙖𝙧 𝙈𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙧𝙤 𝙋𝙩 2

𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙫𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨, 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜!

We are back with artist, teacher, dancer Chalvar Montiero. We talk about his emotions around another major injury and the necessity of listening to your physical and emotional body. We talk about how his work ethic has allowed him to show up with full confidence in challenging situations, his talents in education, and thoughts on leadership, and innovation and mental health. 

𝙄𝙂: @𝙘𝙝𝙡𝙫𝙧𝙢𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤

𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙜𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝘿𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚

Chalvar does not hold back- you want to listen to this one! We talk about his origins and jump right into conversations around the influence of race in classical dance roles. We chat about his joy in joining the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the experience of fatigue and injury as he navigated his performances, and also the lessons of embracing the your unique qualities as a dancer. Lastly, we chat about value of mentorship and self -advocacy in the dance world. 

𝙄𝙂: @𝙘𝙝𝙡𝙫𝙧𝙢𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤

𝘽𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙫𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚

We continue our conversation with therapist John Sovec. We talk about more viable tools to check in with where you are mentally , Nutrition and its connection to mental health and busting the myth that dancers feel alone in struggling in mental health issues. John gives us his go to resources for mental health management and touches on how to bring richness and depth to your career as a dancer.

https://johnsovec.com/

IG: @johnsovectherapy

𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝗷𝘂𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

This is such a timely conversation as we witness the 2021 Olympics in Japan and the conversations around mental health. I talk with Therapist and Coach John Sovec, who talks about how his career in theater fueled his passion to pursue his second career: therapy and coaching. He talks about the controversial but common place practice of dancing through injuries against your better judgement, rediscovering your power as a performer to shape the accepted narratives in your career and gives us amazing tools to reframe the power dynamic in the dance world to put you- the dancer - first.

https://johnsovec.com/

IG: @johnsovectherapy

Redefining the Standard of Dance

I continue Part #2 of our conversation with Tamisha Guy. We chat about her thoughts on the thing essential for dancer's success including the use of cross training. We also chat about changes that are necessary in the dance world regarding pay equity, opportunity and racial equity, and the economic realities of being a dancer and how it affects our choices.

Instagram: @tamishaguy

Claiming Dance as a part of my life

In this Episode, we get an introduction to Dance Magazine’s 25 Top Dancers to Watch List in 2016 dancer Tamisha Guy. A native of Trinidad and Tobago, she also won the 2016 Princess Grace Award, and in 2017, she was named one of the Best Dancer's of the Year by Dance Europe. Tamisha talks about her entry into dance world, her experience with injuries and her unusual form of cross training: boxing!

Instagram: @tamishaguy

Dancing Outside of the Box

We continue our conversation with Kel as she talks more about her work with Freed of London . We chat about her entry into the company, her work with producing the 1st line of pointe shoes for dancer of color from a 90 year old company, and her role in creating a movement where dancers of colors can perform in the skin they live in. We also touch on the reluctance of industry leaders and dancers to embrace this product, and her vision for creating spaces for people that don’t have access to dance in her hometown of Guyana, a place close to her heart and her heritage

@kjonesdance

@ms_k.jones

𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮.

We continue our conversation with Rachel Fine. Rachel talks talk about issues that the pandemic has brought with disordered eating, Her ideas on intuitive eating, and the intersectionality between body type, structure and nutrition in the dance world. She also reveals The Healthy Dancer Summer Intensive - a special intensive aimed at creating healthy, well rounded performers.

https://www.instagram.com/tothepointenutrition/

https://dancenutrition.com

https://dancenutrition.com/healthy-summer-intensives-2021/

Success is where opportunity meets preparation

I talk with Kel Jones, The Head of Marketing of Freed of London, USA, and first woman of color to hold a major position at the 90 year old pointe shoe company. I talk to Kel about her introduction to dance, her first injury, and how an injury changed her approach to using her voice in the dance world to create positive change.

@kjonesdance

@ms_k.jones