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 evolved over the years and how Winifred continues to create work. Winifred goes on to remind us of the power and importance of collaboration in the dance space and shares why she loves mentoring people so much. We even hear about some of the incredible projects she's been part of, including her recurring Community Dancer Project, what making site-specific dance work is like, and what the future holds for her. To hear all this and some pearls of wisdom from this illustrious guest, be sure to tune in now!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Welcoming Winifred Haun to this episode of the show.

• Winifred tells us about her dance history and how she became interested in dancing.

• What it was like to balance being a dance apprentice and working other jobs.

• Starting her own company, Winifred Haun and Dancers, and what her focus is.

• How Winifred Haun and Dancers has grown over the years, and where they rehearse.

• The importance of collaboration and mentorship in the dance industry.

• Winifred tells us about her Community Dancer Project and other projects she's done.

• Our guest tells us what it's like to make dance pieces for specific spaces.

• What the future holds for Winifred Haun and Dancers and some advice for young creators.

More on this podcast: Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast

More on Wini: Winifred Haun and Dancers

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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 discussing how he combined dancing and acting in his choreography. David goes on to tell us about how choreography became his passion and why he still sees the importance of being able to dance when he wants to, even in his 60s. We even talk about some of the challenges he's faced in his career and touch on some of the highlights of his career. Finally, our guest tells us what he is working on now. To hear all this, and so much more, be sure to press play now!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Where David's from and how he started dancing.

• His time at Bard College and why he decided to leave.

• David touches on his love for tap, in particular, and his rhythmic brain.

• His experience of 'the Dance Boom' in New York.

• Why David only started choreographing in his late 20s.

• Creating work that conveys meaning: acting through dance.

• David tells us about the personal revelation he had about his sexuality.

• Why it is very important for him to be able to dance as well as create.

• Some of the trials and peak moments he's been through in his career.

• What David is working on at the moment.

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

More on David Parker: The Bang Group

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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 CalArts, and the drive that led her to form her own company back in New York. She recalls milestone performances, collaborations with composers, and the challenges of sustaining a company while teaching full-time. Today, her work as Artistic Director of the Young Dancemakers Company continues to empower teens to create original work in partnership with professional composers, carrying forward the legacy of her mentor. Tune in to hear how Jessica has built a multifaceted career in dance, and why she remains committed to creating, teaching, and inspiring the next generation.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Jessica's upbringing in NYC and her shift from gymnastics to ballet and modern dance.

• How she found mentorship with Alice Teirstein at the Fieldston School.

• Her love of dance as a form of freedom, self-expression, and community through movement.

• Early influences on her dance career: Pilobolus and Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company.

• Studying at Brown, while doing an academic major, repertory works, choreography, and more.

• Graduate training at CalArts, focusing on choreography, performance, and collaboration.

• What it was like returning to NYC and forming a company with fellow dancers.

• Creating evening-length works at Triskelion Arts and touring performances.

• Collaborative works with composers, exploring structure and form.

• Joining the Young Dancemakers Company (YDC) and becoming Artistic Director.

• Leading YDC through the pandemic with Zoom dance films and outdoor shows.

• Jessica's love of teaching and helping teens create original work.

• Rediscovering performance and collaborating with her musician husband.

• Reflections on highlights and challenges while sustaining a career in dance.

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

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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 KDH Dance Company newsletter.

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 professional life to dancing, teaching, choreographing, presenting, mentoring, and advocating for modern dance and dancemakers. She created over 50 dances that have been described as "strikingly athletic and wonderfully expressive," "heavenly," "smart" and "masterly," and garnered numerous recognitions for the dance company, including Austin Critics Table awards for Best Choreographer, Best Dance Concert, Best Dancer, Best Duet, Best Lighting Design, and Best Ensemble. The company has performed throughout Texas as well as in New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, and Toronto, and her "Lake Dances" were featured in Arts + Culture Texas, Arts Journal, and Dance Magazine. Kathy had a BA in Modern Dance from The University of Texas and an MFA in Performance and Choreography from Florida State University. She taught at Florida State, Stephen F. Austin State University, St. Edwards University, The University of Texas, and Austin Community College. She taught modern dance for both recreational and professional dancers at Café Dance; provided professional development for educators; directed artist residencies for high schools and universities; and served as a mentor for Austin Emerging Arts Leaders. In 2015, Kathy founded Austin Dance Festival, an annual modern dance event that hosts professional dance showcases, master classes, and a Youth Edition that includes non-competitive showcases forteens 13-18, a Pro Chat Q&A, and a college fair. In 2018, Kathy was inducted into the Austin Arts Hall of Fame as "a model for the artist who approaches each project in a spirit of experimentation and reinvention."

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

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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 through her time in Israel before reflecting on her decision to leave Batsheva and return to the US. We also hear about her transition to dance filmmaking, her current projects, and what it means to her to continuously practice and live through her craft. Finally, Bobbi leaves us with thoughtful reflections on identity, artistry, and her hopes for the future. Thanks for tuning in!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Welcoming today's guest, Bobbi Jene Smith.

• Bobbi Jene tells us about her background in dance.

• What the summer program at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School was like.

• Moving away from home at the age of 11 and ending up at Juilliard.

• How the Juilliard environment differed from Bobbi's previous studies.

• Bobbi Jene walks us through the logistics of moving to Israel and what it felt like.

• How Bobbi Jene reconnected with her love for dance.

• The challenges that came with being in Israel for so long.

• Bobbi Jene tells us about some of her favorite performances.

• How she decided to leave Batsheva Dance Company and move back to the US.

• The importance of continuously practicing your craft.

• How Bobbi Jene got into creating dance films and what she's working on now.

• What Bobbi Jene's hopes and dreams are for the future.

For more on Bobbi Jene with Show Notes & Links: The Moving Architects

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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, 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:

• Morgan Teel's introduction to the world of dance as a child.

• Applying for colleges and honing her skills as a choreographer.

• What motivated Morgan to start Dance Waterloo: making dance more accessible.

• Naming Dance Waterloo, fundraising, and putting on their first show under an overpass.

• How dance classes for families allow children to see their parents as equal collaborators.

• The legacy Morgan hopes to build with Dance Waterloo.

• How she is working with Austin's senior population.

• The spelling bee dance production she recently put on.

• Where she finds inspiration for her pieces.

• How she is working to make the process of dance visible beyond the product of it.

• Quixotic States: a dance show at the Zilker Hillside Theatre Stage.

• Plans for the future: dancing with teenagers.

• How Morgan cross-pollinates her skills.

For more on Morgan with Show Notes & Links: The Moving Architects

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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 of growing up in an immigrant family on both herself and the TV show. Mickela unpacks how she worked hard to get her show off the ground, in the process starting a blog, and emphasizes the weight of storytelling in producing the episodes. She touches on what it's like going into different cultural settings, how she has overcome challenges throughout the year, and when she realized that Bare Feet was more than just a travel show! To hear more about Mickela's incredible journey, including how she navigated the ins and outs of the COVID-19 pandemic, and what hopes and dreams are coming into fruition in the near future, be sure not to miss out on another insightful episode. Thanks for listening!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Mickela shares the origins of who she is and her dance journey.

• How she took a middle-of-the-night dream and made it an award-winning TV Show reality.

• She recounts growing up in an immigrant family with an amazing storytelling Nonnapina.

• Mickela talks about Bare Feet, the TV Show, and the features of immigrant families in NYC.

• "The Plan" before Bare Feet came to be.

• Mickela shares how dance returned to her life.

• She tells the story of getting Bare Feet off the ground and ultimately starting her blog.

• The story of sneaking into a PBS conference and how it panned out.

• Mickela emphasizes the weight of storytelling on Bare Feet.

• The importance of working hard and intentionally pursuing what you're called to do.

• She talks about the hard juxtaposition of finding funding and support for the show.

• Mickela breaks down what it's like going into culturally different communities and learning from the people, the dances, and the spaces.

• The difference between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation.

• Overcoming challenges throughout the years: Mickela shares a real-life example of "figuring it out."

For more on Mickela with Show Notes & Links: The Moving Architects

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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 professional training in Toronto and the decision to return to Halifax, where she built an independent career before joining the company. Together, they reflect on the evolution of Mocean Dance from a dancer-centered company to a community-focused hub for creation, training, and sector-wide collaboration. They discuss how their friendship, complementary strengths, and improvisational ethos shape their working relationship, and they offer a look at the ambitious interdisciplinary and land-based projects that will define their next chapter. Listen in for a thoughtful conversation about collaboration, place-based artistry, and what it takes to sustain a thriving dance ecosystem outside major centers.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Sara's early pull toward dance and her first experiences in choreographing.

• Training across Canada and finding her voice through somatics and collaboration.

• Forming the SiNS (Sometimes in Nova Scotia) collective: building an early artistic community.

• Returning to Halifax and stepping into leadership at Mocean Dance.

• Completing her MFA at Smith College in the United States to deepen her artistic practice.

• Susanne's community-based dance beginnings and discovery of professional training.

• Moving to Toronto for conservatory study and early company work.

• Returning home to build an independent career supported by grants and local networks.

• Joining Mocean Dance and forming a co-artistic partnership with Sara.

• Learning the administrative demands of running a company.

• Shifting Mocean from dancer-centered work to community-focused programming.

• Expanding professional development offerings, labs, and training programs.

• Building interdisciplinary partnerships across art, ecology, architecture, and design.

• Developing land-based and relational works with Indigenous collaborators.

• Reflections on sustaining a long-term creative partnership rooted in trust and improvisation.

• Looking ahead to large regional initiatives and reimagined touring models.

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

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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 Juilliard was a blessing in disguise, her role at the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, and other early-career experiences, and everything that happened to instigate the second phase of her career. We also discover how Danielle began building websites, her journey as a brand strategist, why she chose the teaching route, and why it's possible (and healthy) for artists to have financial aspirations without compromising their art. To end, Danielle walks us through Dance News Daily — the news hub she built for the entire dance community — and we discover what she has planned for the near future as well as how to connect with her and her work.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Danielle Guillermo describes who she is and how she got into the world of dance.

• What drew her to ballet, and a journey through her time at dance school.

• How her support structures gave her confidence that she previously had to fake.

• The goals she had when growing up in dance school and how they've evolved.

• Rejected from Juilliard: The ups and downs of her dancing education after high school.

• The start of her career and her experience at Dayton Contemporary Dance Company.

• Her European adventure, and everything that happened post-DCDC 2.

• How Danielle's performance career ended and why she chose to focus full-time on teaching.

• Breaking Glass: How she approached a career crossroads at the age of 31.

• How artists can also have aspirations of financial freedom without compromising their art.

• Danielle's website-building career and how it's transformed her and her client's lives.

• The importance of building a personal brand and making it visible to the right people.

• Unpacking Dance News Daily – a news hub for the entire dance community.

• Danielle's upcoming projects and what she's focused on moving forward.

• How to connect with Danielle Guillermo and her work.

"It looks like you're taking the focus off of the art and you're talking about money. For me, it's not one or the other. We as artists need to survive. And not just survive, let's look at thriving." — Danielle Guillermo

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

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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 pandemic, Amber has never shied away from the uncomfortable or the uncertain. She's navigated performance anxiety, surgery and recovery, and the challenge of being involved in many facets of the dance world, from performing with David Parker to presenting work through platforms like Women in Motion. Today, with recent pieces like her show at Kestrels (set to return next year), she continues to build a career that defies the assumptions people often make about a life in dance. At the heart of it all is a simple, lasting dream: to keep exploring alongside the dancers who move her work forward. Thanks for listening.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Amber Sloan's upbringing in Virginia and her introduction to dance.

• How early experiences of improv and composition in high school shaped her career.

• Continuing her dance journey at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

• How the connections she made while studying helped her develop roots in dance.

• Working various jobs to pay the bills, including a role for Harvey Keitel's wife.

• Choreographing for the Joyce SoHo.

• Making an effort to do her work in a bigger way pre-pandemic.

• Navigating performance anxiety and doing what is uncomfortable.

• Being involved in many different areas of dance.

• How a 2015 surgery and recovery impacted Amber's career.

• Dancing for David Parker: rehearsals, footwork, and more.

• Amber's presenting work, including Women in Motion and more.

• Recent work including a show at Kestrels which will show again next year.

• Why a life in dance is often not what you might expect.

• Her ultimate dream for her work.

Amber Sloan is a choreographer, performer, teacher, and producer based in Jersey City and the New York City area.

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

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