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A fun conversation with our guest, Oren Korenblum!

Oren Korenblum is an NYC-based artist, performer, choreographer, dance instructor, and the founder/director of O.K. DANCE Company.  

He is a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in New York City.  He has trained as a tap and jazz instructor at the International Dance Teacher’s Association (IDTA), as well as studied ballet with the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD). 

Oren was born and raised in Israel and moved to NYC in 2010 to achieve his goals as a creator and performer. 

In Israel, Oren started his dance/choreography/teaching career right after high school in various acting schools, the Israeli opera, and shows all over Israel. 

He performed commercials and with The Aluminum Show dance company's international tour in the US, Mexico, Colombia and Israel.

As a performer in the US - Since graduating from AMDA, he has performed at numerous regional theaters all over the country in classic musicals such as 42nd Street, Mary Poppins, Cats, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Oklahoma!, Singin' in the Rain, Spamalot, The Music Man, A Chorus Line and countless others. 

Oren recently performed at the 'Broadway by the Year' concert in NYC.

As a choreographer - Oren has choreographed for NBC (Red Nose Day), The Town Hall NYC, various theatres, dance competitions, and music videos. 

With his O.K. Dance company, Oren was featured on Ellen's DeGeneres Youtube and multiple dance festivals.
Oren recently choreographed the NEW musical Come out! Come out! in Florida. 

As a dance instructor, Oren has more than 15 years of experience teaching tap, jazz, ballet, lyrical, theatre dance, and contemporary, in the US, Europe, China and Israel. He’s currently teaching at Broadway Dance Center, Steps On Broadway and AMDA NYC.

FInd out more about Oren at - 

www.orenkorenblum.com

Instagram and TikTok @taporen

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We are excited to bring you our second episode in our Mind, Body and Soul series with guest, Shannon Dooling-Cain

Shannon Dooling-Cain was born in New Mexico, grew up dancing in the suburbs of Philadelphia, and moved to Arizona in 2016 after spending six years in the Washington, D.C. metro area. She enjoys a multi-faceted career as a dance educator, choreographer, performer, arts advocate, and writer. Her background is in modern, ballet, improvisation, jazz, and jazz-derived forms including lyrical and contemporary. She holds an MFA in Dance from University of Maryland College Park and a BA in Dance from DeSales University in Pennsylvania. Shannon has had the great joy of teaching students ages 2-60+, from absolute beginning through professional levels. She has proudly served as faculty member and guest artist at universities, studios, K-12 schools, community organizations, intensives, and festivals, and as an adjudicator for local competitions and local dance conventions. Her choreography has been presented at venues in Arizona, Philadelphia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia, New Jersey, and New York. For seven years, she co-directed New Street Dance Group, a collaborative modern dance company in Philadelphia, and went on to co-found NACHMO/D.C., a hub of the National Choreography Month initiative, with Glade Dance Collective. In the world of musical theatre, she has choreographed productions of West Side Story, Oliver!, and Titanic. As a dancer, Shannon has had the pleasure of working with choreographers and local ballet and modern companies in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, and Arizona. For almost a decade, Shannon has worked with the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO), where she has been involved in research, advocacy, program administration, and major writing projects. Shannon is the creator of The Holistic Dance Teacher, an approach to teaching and choreography and a collection of practical, affordable resources for teaching, choreography, and studio management. The Holistic Dance Teacher seeks to serve the dance community by providing resources and support to elevate our teaching practices, grow and keep our creative spark, and foster a positive dance culture – all while maintaining our own health and well being!

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We hope you enjoy our episode with  Lesley Mealor as much as we did!

Lesley Mealor has been professionally involved in all facets of the dance world for the past 15 years. Originally from Marietta, GA, Lesley grew up dancing under the instruction of her mother, Brenda Mealor, at The Dancers Studio. She then went on to graduate from Oklahoma City University with a degree in Dance Performance. 

Lesley’s performance career has taken her around the world with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, across North America with tours of "Sweet Charity" and "The Music Man", and everywhere in between with numerous industrials and regional theatre work. She is very good friends with Elmo and Abby Cadaby through her work with Sesame Workshop, and surprises people regularly with Flash Mob America. She is currently based in New York City, where she has transitioned out of performing and is exploring life on the other side of the industry. She has worked for Capezio in the product testing division, and currently judges and directs events for Spirit of Dance Awards. 

Lesley is inspired by teaching young performers that what they bring to the table is enough, that good technique is the foundation for all styles, and that telling the story is more important than any trick you can do. She continues to teach locally in the tri-state area, specializing in jazz and theatre dance. Lesley currently writes for Dance Parent 101, is a sought-after adjudicator for competitions across North America, and is a founding member of Impact Dance Adjudicators, the only company in the US that provides pre-screened judges to competitions. Lesley is also the co-host of Making the Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast. Follow her work at www.lesleymealor.com. 

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Our first episode in the Mind, Body and Soul series features Anna Meighan!

Anna is a licensed professional counselor in the state of PA and a recreational and competitive tap dance teacher at Donna's school of dance in Murrysville PA. She grew up dancing competitively at Rosalene Kenneth Professional School of dance, under direction of Rosalene Kenneth, Donna Denmark (deemark), Rachelle Rak, and Samantha Macklin. Anna is trained in tap, jazz, ballet, and lyrical.

Anna received her BA in psychology from Washington and Jefferson College and her MS in counseling psychology from Chatham University. Her professional direction has led her to work with children and adolescents in therapeutic care. She is currently employed by a non profit agency to provide mental health services within school districts, easing the access of care for children K-12 with concerns related to anxiety, depression, ADHD, self-harm, suicidal thinking, identity exploration, LGBTQIA+, family conflict/dynamics, stress management, and mood liability. Anna is a trauma informed provider and brings this mindset with her into the dance studio, using a strengths-based, person-first mindset and language with the students in her dance classes.

Thank you for listening to our first episode in the Mind, Body and Soul series!

*The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a United States-based suicide prevention network of over 160 crisis centers that provides 24/7 service via a toll-free hotline with the number 9-8-8. It is available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.

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We have talked to so many great guests, and we find that a lot of our conversations on the podcast talk about wellness and health.  We have decided to start a series on JAM, focusing on the mind, body and soul.  No, we are not experts, but as long time dance educators, we feel that there is a need in the industry.  Our guests are professionals in their fields and we hope that you find them as educational and interesting as we did.

Feel free to let us know what you would like to hear more of!

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Thanks to our Jam Fam for supporting us!

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A wonderful chat today with incredible educators, Kristin Deiss and Michelle Loucadoux

Kristin Deiss and Michelle Loucadoux have a shared sixty years in the dance industry. Both have worked extensively as professional dancers and are well-versed and experienced in the realm of dance education.

After working together in the education field for seven years, the idea of Danscend was born because of an overwhelming need that Deiss and Loucadoux observed in their students. No stranger to the need for mental health awareness, both creators wrestled with various issues in their professional dance careers as well.

In Danscend, Deiss and Loucadoux have created a resource that they wish was available when they were beginning their dance careers, a resource that will benefit not only their students but also the dance industry as a whole.

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A wonderful talk with our friend, Brandon Kelly

Brandon Kelly (he/him) is an NYC-based choreographer, dancer, and teacher. He strives to cultivate teachings that combine dynamic movement, musicality, and engaging storytelling. He has created entertainment experiences for cruise ships, theme parks, and events around the world. Choreography credits include: Escape to Margaritaville (Ogunquit Playhouse), Sweet Charity, Rent (Wright State University), The Full Monty (West Virginia Public Theatre), RWS Entertainment Group, Holland America Line, Billboard, Kennywood, Postmodern Jukebox, Azamara Club Cruises, Celebrity Cruise Lines, and Carowinds. Brandon is currently the Asst. Choreographer with Come From Away. www.BrandonKellyCreative.com

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We were so lucky to speak with the queen of precision dance, Kenna Morris Garcia!

Kenna has had a performing and teaching career that has taken her all over the world. After graduating from the Youth Performing Arts School (Louisville, KY), she attended the University of Oklahoma where she studied modern dance and earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Therapy. Kenna continued her dance training in New York after being accepted to the Certificate Program of The Ailey School. Her diverse dance training in modern, jazz, musical theater, ballet, tap, and hip hop has allowed her to have a long and diverse performing career. She has performed with recording artists such as Missy Elliott, Pharrell, and Diddy. Her film and television credits include Saturday Night Live, MTV Video Music Awards, America’s Got Talent and feature films Idlewild, Bolden, and Sisters. Kenna has also performed in various Broadway national tours, Off- Broadway, and regional theater productions including the 1st National Tour of Memphis (Dance Captain/ Swing), The Wiz (City Center Encores), and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular as a Radio City Rockette. Most recently, she worked with the Verdon Fosse Legacy, LLC reconstructing and preserving the works of Bob Fosse. As an instructor, Kenna has been teaching various forms of dance for over 20 years in studios across the country, Japan, and Europe. She is currently on faculty at the Steps Conservatory in New York helping to train the next generation of professional dancers. Kenna has also held numerous residencies in New York City public schools and community programs, and serves as a mentor and coach to young aspiring dancers. 

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Episodes release on Mondays! Tune in on Spotify, Stitcher, Itunes, or anywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts

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Hayley Podschun takes the mic as our guest this week!

Hayley Podschun was last in Sacramento as Penny Pingleton in Hairspray ('08).  Broadway: Wicked (Glinda, National Tour), Hello, Dolly!, Something Rotten, Chaplin (Mildred Harris), Anything Goes, Pal Joey, Sunday in the Park..., Hairspray, The Sound of Music.  Film/TV: Hairspray (Tammy), Fleishman is in Trouble (FX on Hulu), The Blacklist (NBC), Louie  (FX).  Regional Favorites include:  Catch Me If You Can (Brenda-Arena Stage), Holiday Inn (Linda Mason-Paper Mill), Legally Blonde (Elle-Arvada Center), Peter Pan (Peter-ArtPark), Gypsy (Dainty June-MUNY), Royal Family of Broadway (Gwen-Barrington Stage) and more.  Hayley is also a Guest Host on QVC for Zodiac Shoes.  You can follow Hayley:  @hayley_podschun

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Such a blast talking to Leonard Sullivan on this weeks episode!

Leonard E. Sullivan made his broadway debut performing in the Book of Mormon.  A Detroit native; Nat’l tours;  Book of Mormon, Hairspray, Disney’s High School Musical,  European tours;  A Chorus Line, Smokey Joe’s Café, And The World Goes Round.  He has performed at the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre,  Maltz Jupiter, Paper Mill Playhouse, Goodspeed Opera House, Atlanta Theatre Under the Stars, San Jose Music Theatre.  He can be heard on the Hairspray,  the Movie, soundtrack. When he’s not performing Leonard has worked;  Off-Broadway: Broadway Bounty Hunter by Joe Iconis,  Associate Director/Choreographer.  Regional: Hairspray, Director (Kalamazoo Civic Theatre) The world premiere of Mystic Pizza,  Associate Director/Choreographer. (Ogunquit Playhouse).  The world premiere of Punk Rock Girl by Joe Iconis (Argyle Theatre)

The Wiz, Associate Choreographer/Dance Captain (Maltz Jupiter Theatre).   


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