State of the Arts Episode 16! My guest this week is award-winning online show producer/actor/director/writer Joshua R. Pangborn who is a dear friend and former classmate of mine from my alma mater, Manhattanville College. With a Bachelors of Arts from Manhattanville, a Doctorate in Literature from St. John's University and a great deal of experience in theatre, Josh founded Sidekick Productions. This online productions company (that has over 5,000 subscribers on Youtube) produces plus size-positive, LGBTQ-focused shows that addresses many important social issues with a daring comedic touch.  Their bevy of productions include the wildly comical Skeleton Crew, the morbidly fascinating Demon Doctor and their newest clever installment, The Art of Blowing It. Skeleton Crew has eight nominations and three awards including the Côte d'Azur Web Fest Award. Demon Doctor has thirty-one nominations and fourteen awards including  Best Comedy at the British Web Fest. A gifted, mutli-talented cast and crew makes Sidekick Productions run like a well-oiled machine. Despite all the success, Josh is still is as down-to-earth and fun as he was back in our college years. It was a privilege to have him on my podcast!    

State of the Arts re-releases a previous episode featuring artist Kelly Sisco who is of Irish-American descent. Kelly is a theatrical performer, visual artist, comedian, singer, graphics designer, writer and the occasional co-host of the Crisis Help radio show on WVOX. Being the daughter of award-winning performing/visual artist and writer, Fran Sisco, Kelly assists Fran on many projects as well. With choir singing, acting classes and Zumba instruction also on her schedule, Kelly is constantly active in the Westchester Community. It was such a delight to have interviewed such a dynamic, multi-faceted talent on my podcast!            

State of the Arts welcomes professional guitarist, singer and songwriter Sharon Ostrov. This eclectic indie musician is the host and producer of the Staten Island Community Cable variety TV show "The Music Express" and is a reoccurring guest on "The Cool Spot." She has released two Albums: "Strawberry Obsession" and "Emotional Rollercoaster." Since 2007,  she has performed at many venues, events and festivals including The Westleigh Folk Festival. She works mainly as a solo artist, but she does collaborate with other musicians as well. Sharon was also the founder of the North Shore Four. She gigged with greats Morty Jacobi and Stan Jay. With much enthusiasm, this creative wife, mom and legal assistant also gives back to the Staten Island community by regularly performing at nursing homes. Listen to a fascinating discussion about Sharon Ostrov's exciting career path, hear a demo of a surprise cover song and enjoy the hope she gives to all artists who dare to dream.

State of the Arts Episode 13 The great Argentine Tango teacher, producer, perfomer and choreographer Sergio Segura is my very special guest. Born in Argentina, he moved to New York City and discovered his talent for the Argentine Tango in New York. After extensive studies and interviews in his native city of Buenos Aires, he has developed a personal understanding of the roots of Tango and its historical evolution. He is the founder and director of the very well-known Strictly Tango NYC, a school for Argentine Tango. Through Sergio Segura Tango Productions, he organized many popular events including Amor y Tango in at the Highline Ballroom and the first NYC Queer Tango Festival which was featured in the New York Times and Revista VIVA. He has toured the world teaching and performing. He has also produced five Tango instructional DVDs. After much research, he has developed a signature Argentine Tango instructional system called The Tango Connection which is a cutting-edge approach to teaching the Argentine Tango. For the past decade, Sergio has worked at making Tango accessible to all through partnerships with NYC Parks and Events. He has also recently taken up photography, displaying his beautifully unique work on social media. It was a privilege to have this extraordinary Argentine Tango master and aficionado in many other art forms on State of the Arts!        

Tune in this week for a fun episode dedicated to Twinsandi, a YouTube Channel created by a wonderful Palestinian couple. I am thrilled to announce that I am joined by one of my best friends from my Manhattanville College days, Bushra M and her husband Mawafaq who is an architect and co-creator of Twinsandi. They started this channel last year around the same time the pandemic began. Twinsandi focuses on their day to day life in the West Bank with five young children. Watch them play clever games, explore local attractions and embark on educational experiences.  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5oNKaZL8Xkk9dnDNq_p77g

State of the Arts Episode 11. Eleni Antonatos had informal training as a teenager in traditional Greek folk dancing, jazz dancing, and belly dancing which is very popular in the Mediterranean region. Eleni is now a dance instructor at and manager of Mende Dance Studio. Eleni is originally from Greece. She has been dancing, performing, teaching and competing in Social-Style Classic Ballroom Dancing for twenty years. This business school graduate, who once managed a restaurant, became a full time teacher at Mende Dance Studio in 2001 after many months of  intensive training. She has also won first place in The Grand National Ballroom Dance Competition in Florida thirteen consecutive times. Tune in and listen to a heart-warming discussion about her journey, her thoughts on the beauty of partner dancing and her positive predictions for the future of this amazing art form.  

State of the Arts Episode 10, The Valentine's Day Special! Being a ballroom dancer, dance instructor (both independently and for Mende Dance Studio) and a podcaster on Spotify isn't easy. I am grateful to have a mate who is also an artist. I am blessed to have my perfect match standing by my side to weather the many storms that come with being in the arts. This week I'm joined by my loving husband who is my Valentine and soul-mate. My darling Joe is a music teacher, a pianist and an entrepreneur. He is also the marketing and technology manager for The Bob Mover Music Academy. Together we discuss the importance of artistic couples leaning on each other when the going gets rough in their chosen fields, pressing through a pandemic together, the beauty of two art forms complimenting each other and other intriguing topics.

State of the Arts Episode 9 Black Heritage Month Special! My podcast guest this week is photographer Wesley DeJesus Bruno. Originally from Puerto Rico, he is a senior photography student at SUNY Purchase and he also resides in the Bronx. As an ambitious Gordon Parks Scholarship recipient, Wesley focuses on photographing models of African descent, documenting the growth of his younger brother and capturing the Bronx culture on camera. His goals include photographing for Vogue one day, publishing books, having his work featured in galleries and revolutionizing the world of professional photography by making it more diverse. Tune in for a riveting talk on subjects ranging from authentic, cutting edge photography to being a photographer in these current times.      

My fellow ballroom dance instructor and podcaster Christopher J. Paige is an independent dance instructor who teaches classes as well as private lessons and organizes events in the Staten Island/New Jersey area. He spent sixteen years as a an instructor/choreographer for the Arthur Murray Dance Studio franchise. He was a coach for the Rutgers University Salsa Team for four years. He has appeared on MTV and Good Morning America. He is currently working with senior citizens and youths. He is also a Zumba instructor, a writer, a poet, a singer, a song writer, a photographer and a visual artist. He hosts his own podcast cleverly named "Just Some Guy Talking". Embark on this fascinating conversation about his innovative ways of safely teaching students under these tough circumstances, his predictions for the future in the world of dance, the positives that can be drawn from these bleak times and more! 

State of the Arts Episode 7 published today! My podcast welcomes the talented Manching Tom who is not only a certified yoga, stretch class and ballet instructor, she was also my Uncle Lawrence Lam's former ballet partner. Tune in to an uplifting discussion about health, wellness, artistry, navigating around a pandemic as an artist/fitness instructor and charity work.