Being part of the global dance community can be deeply rewarding but it also has the potential to be exceptionally challenging and toxic. Not only are you competing for highly limited resources, but you also need to contend with how your self-worth can become contingent on the opinion of others. Today’s guest, Betsy Miller, has experienced many of the highs and lows familiar to almost any dancer but ultimately counts herself blessed and deeply fortunate to have found genuine places of community within the dance world. Join us as we talk with Betsy about her early love of dance (and fashion!), her studies at Connecticut College, and how she uncovered her love of teaching while earning her MFA at The Ohio State University. She shares how establishing a collective with her former cohort allowed her to work in the collaborative models that would come to define her later approach to dance and how she earned her position as the Associate Professor of Dance at Salem State University, where she still finds herself today. We also learn about her ongoing american / woman dance project, and the circumstances that inspired it, before discussing how she chose to reorient the fundamental relationship between choreographer and dancer. For an expansive conversation on creative research, the beauty of being part of a dance community, and much more, be sure to tune in!

Key Points From This Episode:

·       Betsy’s early love of ballet and fashion and her discovery of modern dance.

·       The incredible faculty members and guest artists she studied under at Connecticut College

·       How she co-founded the Propel-her dance collective with her former cohort and friends.

·       How grad school helped her uncover her love of teaching.

·       How she became a tenured professor

·       The multitude of factors that led Betsy to start the american / woman project.

·       How she has used the american / woman project to interrogate the title subject matter and reorient the choreographer-dancer relationship.

·       Betsy shares the highs, lows, and biggest challenges of her career.

“It's always about community and the places in which I find community in the dance world. Something about the way that we bring our bodies into the spaces and that we are allowing ourselves to be vulnerable because we are embodied, makes this community really special.” — Betsy Miller

Based in Salem Massachusetts, Betsy Miller is a dance artist, educator and facilitator whose current mission is to collaborate with women-identifying dancers in every state of the country.

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Happy Holidays from Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast! Listen to a special announcement from Host and Artistic Director of The Moving Architects, Erin Carlisle Norton.

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While dance is often underfunded and under-recognized, leaders in the field acknowledge the incredible talent that lives within every dancer, reminding them that they are, in fact, ‘Acrobats of God’. Today’s guest embodies the purpose of the Movers and Shapers: A Dance Podcast; to share insights from those who shape the dance field, and create an archive that preserves rich, personal experiences across generations. During this episode, Jeanne Ruddy shares what it was like to be a member of the Martha Graham Dance Company, and to work with Martha herself. You’ll also hear how she forged her own unique role in dance, how she encourages other artists to flourish, and her passion for nurturing future generations of dancers in Philadelphia. Tuning in, you’ll learn all about Jeanne’s journey as a dancer, and finding her way to creative expression thereafter. Join us to hear all about the highs and lows of our guest’s incredible career today. 

Key Points From This Episode:

·       Her first experiences of dance and her lifelong love of music.

·       The changing dance scene of the 1960s.

·       The pivotal period of time for a dancer between 16 and 21.

·       Her experience at North Carolina School of the Arts and Utah Repertory Dance Theatre. 

·       Traveling to New York and starting a company with no capital. 

·       Getting a huge break with Yuriko Kikuchi after auditioning with Getting to Know You. 

·       Being chosen to be in the Martha Graham Dance Company and enjoying a ten-year career. 

·       Why Martha would sit in the second wing, stage right, in a director’s chair, during performances.

·       The eventual decision to leave the company due to pain. 

·       The birth of the Performance Garage in Philadelphia.  

·       The program Jeanne currently facilitates for dancers. 

·       What Martha Graham taught: dancers are acrobats of God. 

“I walked out of Deaths and Entrances, I was definitely a child of the 60s, and I didn’t like it. Seven years later, I was playing one of the sisters in that very piece in Lincoln Centre. I loved it.” — Jeanne Ruddy 

Jeanne Ruddy is a former Principal Dancer with the Martha Graham Company where she performed throughout the World, on Broadway, served on the faculties of The Juilliard School, Alvin Ailey School, colleges and universities in the US and abroad, founded Jeanne Ruddy Dance, and a center for dance – the Performance Garage, in Philadelphia.

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The organization behind the podcast: The Moving Architects presents "O my soul", where fierce femininity and intergenerational dance meet. Dec 1 in Montclair, NJ. For more info: The Moving Architects

Creating a Vision for Kathak with Rukhmani Mehta

Today on Movers & Shapers, we are joined by Rukhmani Mehta (previously Rina Mehta). Rukhmani is a choreographer, dancer, educator, Artistic Director of Leela Youth Dance Company, and the Co-Artistic Director of Leela Dance Collective, which brings together leading artists from around the world to advance a collective vision for kathak, a classical North Indian dance. In this episode, Rukhmani speaks about her love for creating community through dance and her deep interest in and curiosity for collaborative projects and processes. What stands out most is Rukhmani’s resounding passion for her work and art form, despite the struggles she has had along the way, as well as the thoughtfulness with which she has built her life in dance, from co-leadership of her company to teaching to creating the first-ever endowment to support kathak dance and music in the US and more. Tune in today for an inspiring conversation about the power of collaboration, community, and preserving culture!

Key Points From This Episode:

·       How Rukhmani started dancing and when she fell in love with kathak.

·       What she learned about the art form from kathak master, Pt. Chitresh Das.

·       The profoundly transformational experience that studying kathak afforded her.

·       How she learned to follow her heart and commit to starting a professional dance company.

·       Steps Rukhmani took to build a life in dance, including teaching and the Leela Foundation.

·       Audience development and creating a future for kathak as an educator.

·       Unpacking Rukhmani’s belief in the power of collaboration.

·       Where the name Leela comes from and how it speaks to spontaneous creativity.

·       Insight into Rukhmani’s love for creating communities of young women through dance.

·       The process of building Leela as a collective and how it was impacted by COVID.

·       Joys and challenges of a dance career and what you can look forward to from Leela!

·       The heartwarming story of why Rukhmani changed her name from Rina.

“My work is about being an artist and putting the art form out in the world but – it has also become about creating the infrastructure that the artists who are carrying these traditions forward need.” — Rukhmani Mehta

Rukhmani Mehta brings a singular voice and vision to the art form of kathak, a classical dance genre from North India; she is a dancer, choreographer, educator, and Co-Founder/Co-Artistic Director of Leela Dance Collective. 

More on this episode: Movers & Shapers

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Continuing a Modern Dance Legacy with Samantha Géracht

There are many legends in modern dance that are responsible for making the art form what it is today. But how do we continue their legacy? Today we hear from one of the people responsible for continuing the legacy of Anna Sokolow, Samantha Géracht. Samantha is the artistic director at the Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble and in this episode, she tells us all about her incredible career, the multitude of amazing dance practitioners she has learned from and worked with, the difference between a Sokolow dancer and a Sokolow director, the challenges she faces in continuing Anna’s legacy, and so much more! From ballet to modern dance, Samantha has experienced it all as student, performer, and teacher. You don’t want to miss this one so tune in now!

Key Points From This Episode:

·       Samantha tells us about her upbringing and what made her interested in dancing. 

·       What made her switch from ballet to modern dance and breaking the stigma about modern. 

·       Samantha shares her experience at the Nikolais/Louis Dance Lab and who taught her.

·       Samantha’s early marriage and family life. 

·       Joining the Sokolow company and the teaching jobs she had while she was a dancer. 

·       Becoming a Sokolow artistic director and how it differed from being a Sokolow dancer. 

·       The legacy that Anna Sokolow left and Samantha’s special Sokolow choreography. 

·       Samantha shares the biggest struggles and challenges throughout her career. 

·       The support system Samantha has to help her continue Anna’s legacy. 

·       Some of the highlights of Samantha’s career and what she’s working on now. 

·       Where she sees the Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble in the future.

“Being a dancer and a modernist in an era that’s not that interested in modernism is it’s own struggle…..[I’m] giving myself a voice and figuring out what it is I want to do with Anna’s legacy and what that means.” — Samantha Géracht

Samantha Géracht performed with Anna Sokolow’s Players’ Project for eleven years and is artistic director and a founding member of the Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble. Catch In the Eye of a Dream, November 9-19, 2023 @ Theaterlab

Show Notes on this Episode: Movers & Shapers

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Translating Vision into Action with Alyssa Alpine

Whether it’s for communication, marketing, budgeting, scheduling, or meetings (and more!), we can attest to the level of detail, creativity, and make-it-happen-attitude required in the support to make dance happen! The role of the Arts Administration is dedicated to translating vision into action, and with great appreciation and admiration we introduce today’s guest, Alyssa Alpine. Alyssa, with her accompanying drive and passion, is the Founding Director of the CUNY Dance Initiative, a residency program for NYC choreographers on City University of New York (CUNY) college campuses. In our conversation with Alyssa today, we delve into the story of how her love for dance stems from both sides of her family and what has fueled her lifelong commitment. She takes us through her academic path and recounts the story of how she fell into a career as an Arts Administrator. Alyssa elaborates on the functioning of the CUNY Dance Initiative and highlights some of the challenges and peak moments she's encountered along her career journey. Tune in to this episode to hear more from Alyssa Alpine, a true master of wearing many hats (concurrently!) and doing them all successfully!

Key Points From This Episode:

·       We get to meet Alyssa and explore her passionate journey in the world of dance.

·       She talks about what got her started in dance and what made her stay

·       Alyssa's perspective on the Midwest and why she’d find it difficult to replicate her current life elsewhere. 

·       Hopping from one school program to another and figuring out the dance world. 

·       Alyssa recounts the dream and plan she had had coming out of undergrad. 

·       We hear about her time at Columbia and her academic path.

·       Her sentiments about living and working in New York.

·       Where she went after the Limon Foundation (and having had enough of the Arts world!)

·       She tells the tale of how she wound up at CUNY, managing the CUNY Dance Initiative. 

·       Her dance journey amidst working and what that looked like for Alyssa.

·       The strengths and skills she brings to her role as an Arts Administrator.

·       She elaborates on the inner functions (and systems) of the CUNY Dance Initiative.

·       She highlights some of the challenges she’s had to overcome throughout her career.

·       Alyssa shares some peak moments in her career journey. 

·       What Alyssa is energized for and currently looking forward to. 

“Dance is a special thing. I think it grabs some people and others, of course, are like, ‘I don’t want to move I just want to sit and watch!’ But I think for those of us, as you know yourself, it touches something in you and it is just very compelling and it’s something unique.” — Alyssa Alpine

Alyssa Alpine, the founding director of the CUNY Dance Initiative, has spent two decades in NYC’s performing arts world, with a career that’s spanned everything from rolling out marley to rolling down the steps of the NYC Public Library.

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

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The Independent Thinker, Liz Lerman

Liz is a choreographer, performer, writer, teacher, and speaker. For the past forty years, she has infused her artistic exploration with a personal touch, humor, intellectual vibrancy, and a contemporary edge. Her choreography has delved into a wide spectrum of topics, ranging from her experiences as a go-go dancer to an exploration of the intricacies of choreography and connections with community. Today, she shares with us insights into what ignited her love for dancing and reflects on the abundant influences that have affected both her life and artistic career. She talks about the importance and complexities of our feelings and how she rode the wild waves of her 20s to discover, for herself, what dance could mean for her. We hear about the impact of her mother’s life and death on her stubbornness to figure life out for herself, why rehearsals should always matter, and the unfolding of events that surround the founding of The Dance Exchange. She expresses and reflects on how she views herself as more of an interdisciplinary artist and her eagerness to be generous about spreading her wealth of knowledge. She then details her passion for the Critical Response Process (CRP) and how that was formed over the years. Join in as we delve into the chronicles of her life and her pursuit of understanding. Tune in now!

“One of my deep interests is the way we tell stories and what stories, and whose stories, and how they come across, and who’s listening, and all those kinds of questions.” – Liz Lerman

Key Points From This Episode:

·       Liz offers insight into where she comes from and what ignited her love for dancing.

·       A wild ride in her 20s: riding the waves of figuring out what dance could be for her. 

·       The impact of her mother’s life and death on her stubbornness to figure life out for herself.

·       How working intergenerationally moved and shifted her mindset.

·       The response she experienced when she started making work/performances.

·       Making rehearsals matter. 

·       More about the founding of The Dance Exchange. 

·       She goes into detail about how her different works unfolded uniquely.

·       Her thoughts on the nomadic life and being an ethical visitor. 

·       How she began to extract herself from The Dance Exchange: composting Liz. 

·       Reflections on how she views herself as more of an interdisciplinary artist. 

·       She talks about the Critical Response Process (CRP).

·       Liz delves further into her current projects and pursuits.

“There is so much pain and rudeness in the world of critique and what I have come to believe is that a lot of critique is just power. And if you actually want to – change the way power is absorbed and reignited in a different way in a circle then you should use CRP” — Liz Lerman

Liz Lerman uses dance to understand and change the world. Her relentless curiosity has transformed the field of contemporary dance with subject matter including aging, genetics, history, the ethics of justice, and the origins of the universe.

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

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Building Community through Arts Education with Anna Pasternak and Blair Brown of Movement Exchange

Our guests today are passionate about dance, dance education, and serving communities. Join us today as we share a podcast with you featuring an interview with Anna Pasternak, the Founder of Movement Exchange, and Blair Brown, the organization's current Executive Director. During our conversation, we hear about their journeys with dance, what captivates them about the arts, and how their life paths led them to Movement Exchange. Movement Exchange is an international non-profit organization that provides accessible and sustainable dance education to youth of all ages. They share all about how it started, how it evolved, and their plans for expansion. We hear more about their university chapters and international volunteer dance exchanges and how they build leadership development, cultural awareness, and a passion for community building through arts education. To hear more about their year-round sustainable programs in underresourced communities, be sure not to miss out on today’s episode with Anna and Blair from Movement Exchange! 

Key Points From This Episode:

·       Anna shares her personal history and transformative journey with dance.

·       She elaborates on her aspirations after high school and how getting into Harvard impacted her dance journey.

·       Fly and be free; the pull to see and experience everything the world had to offer. 

·       Anna talks about the exciting journey of founding the Movement Exchange.

·       Her biggest worry stepping down as Executive Director at Movement Exchange.

·       We hear from Blair about who she is, where she’s from, and what brought her to dance!

·       She elaborates on the biggest shift that altered her life as an artist: dance education. 

·       Meeting Anna and Movement Exchange; the second jump in her career.

·       We discuss the realization of the barrier to dance, even in the USA. 

·       They talk about any pushback experienced with Movement Exchange (and how they counter it).

·       How you can get involved in the Movement Exchange programs. 

“There will be nothing in my life that will be as important or have made me as happy as running Movement Exchange.” — Anna Pasternak 

Anna Pasternak founded the dance non-profit Movement Exchange in 2010 when she was 25 years old and living in Panama. She is a Fulbright Scholar, Harvard graduate, and currently supports Movement Exchange as a member of the board of directors.

“Dance is social. It’s all about community and how do we connect with that and make our communities stronger.” — Blair Brown 

Blair Brown received her BA in Dance from Loyola Marymount University, her MFA in Dance from UC Irvine, and spent 10 years teaching dance in under-resourced schools and programs in California and New York before becoming the Executive Director for Movement Exchange.

Learn more about Movement Exchange!

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

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Around the World with Mark Morris

From the age of seven, Mark Morris was enamored with dance. Immersing himself in everything from flamenco to Israeli folk to ballet to modern, Mark has lived, trained, and worked in many different parts of the world. In this episode, Mark takes us on a journey from the audition that signaled the start of his career to the Mark Morris Dance Company’s first show in 1980 to his years in Brussels, where he did his “grandest work.” We also take a look at the work that Mark devotes his time to these days, which involves choreographing “dances of the future” that are only intended to be seen by the public after his death.  His life has been eventful, to say the least, and this episode will give you a taste of the passion and flair that epitomize Mark Morris!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Where Mark’s love for dance originated.
• Different dance forms that he has been drawn to during his life.
• How his life changed when he was just 11 years old.
• Mark’s experience training and working overseas.
• Why he moved to New York and the various companies he danced for while there.
• The driving force for the founding of the Mark Morris Dance Group.
• Mark Morris Dance Group’s first show and how the company evolved from there.
• Some of Mark’s career highlights.
• The contradictory attitudes that he dealt with during his time in Brussels.
• How the Mark Morris Dance Center came to be.
• Where Mark finds inspiration to continue to choreograph.
• Insight into his “dance of the future” concept.
• The profound role that music plays in his life.

“I like excellence and I like surprise. I’m very interested in work that engages me and that’s not necessarily what everybody else agrees with.” — Mark Morris

Mark Morris is the founder and Artistic Director of the Mark Morris Dance Group for which he has choreographed more than 150 works since its founding in 1980, and has received numerous awards and honorary degrees for his achievements in the performing arts as choreographer, conductor, and director.

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

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Take Up Your Space with Confidence with Artistic Director Melissa M. Young

Often, as dancers, we have a choice to take up space with confidence or feel defeated and hold back. Our guest on today’s episode is one that continuously chose to take up space and inspired others to follow their intuitions, pursue what they love, and embrace their curiosity. This is an inspiring interview with the Artistic Director of Dallas Black Dance Theatre (DBDT), Melissa M. Young. Our conversation with Melissa is incredibly touching as she talks about why she loved the exploration of dance and remembers certain key impressions that impacted her greatly throughout the years. She tells us why she always chose to dance to the beat of her own drum and why she pursues uncovering herself in the most authentic ways before sharing about her time spent in New York City and how she ultimately ended up dancing at the Dallas Black Dance Theatre. She’s an amazing individual with a passion for dance and holds the responsibility of being an artistic director with such fervor. Tune in now to hear about the pure joy derived from Melissa’s life in dance. Enjoy. 

Key Points From This Episode:

·       Melissa talks excitedly about who she is and where her love for dance ignited from.

·       She talks about the impact of The Stack-Up by Talley Beatty (Alvin Ailey) on her life’s journey.

·       Melissa remembers taking a class from Donald McKayle and the impression it left on her. 

·       Why Melissa never put a timeline on her career and allowed the journey to flow. 

·       Navigating the shoulds, the coulds, and the woulds, and why she chooses to dance to the beat of her own drum. 

·       How the culture shock of moving to New York City made her feel more alive. 

·       How she came upon the DBDT audition notice and took a chance.

·       What it was like to move to Dallas: another culture shift.

·       She shares information regarding the current dance and art scene in Dallas. 

·       Looking back at her career, she reflects on some challenges she’s faced and overcame. 

·       Things that are sparking excitement in Melissa for the future.

·       Why she looks for great human beings first when looking at prospective dancers. 

“What I love about dance is I look at it like professional problem-solving. The choreography is the problem and the equation of how you get there working with everyone else, that’s how you get to the “answer”.” — Melissa M. Young

Melissa M. Young is the Artistic Director of Dallas Black Dance Theatre, celebrating her 29th season with the company.

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

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