Nicolo is a powerhouse of that deep energy.... you know what I mean, the kind of energy that transcends through your entire being, At least for me.. :) I have had the privilege of working with Nicolo Fonte most of my career, we first met in 2012 my second season with the Tulsa Ballet. Nicolo choreographed a piece called Axis Mundi, where I was fortunate to be second cast in one of his consistent jaw dropping trios. As I transitioned back to my home state of Utah joining Ballet West Nicolo had been Resident Choreographer for about two seasons already and since then we have shared the many paths of life's journey together. In this episode we dive into Nicolo's path to becoming a dancer and choreographer. His time with Nacho Duato and the space he provided for his dancers to create. We talk about how one finds their niche, and when that stamp of approval from oneself is actualized. There are many more delicious moments within this episode including how recently Nicolo became an Iyengar Yoga instructor this past November and how that has personally provided for him and his community and of course more Nicolo bits of wisdom and how one can feel more satisfied within their journey of life. I hope you enjoy this episode.
All my love,
From your Sister Keefer

Bashaun and I go back at least thirteen years, he was one of the first dancers to welcome me into Utah Ballet and made me feel like I had every right to be there. He made the rehearsal process a light-hearted experience where the time spent was more about the journey rather than the destination. After graduating from the University of Utah Bashaun quickly joined Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company and found himself spending hours on end outside of the studio playing catch up on how to move through the floor and let it feed into his movement when approaching modern dance. Bashaun was a member of Ririe-Woodbury for a decade and has smoothly transitioned into being a husband, father, and choreographer. It felt surreal to be podcasting in person again and to be sitting down with a dear friend I have had the privilege to see through his amazing journey as a renaissance man or a jack of all trades. Keep it going B. I hope this episode offers you some wisdom. Stayed connected with Bashaun through his Instagram - bwill4realz

Bashaun Williams is a native to Lubbock, Texas. He started dancing at the age of 16 with Ballet Lubbock, under the Artistic Direction of Yvonne Racz-Key. While in high school, Bashaun was the only Sophomore to play Varsity basketball for Lubbock High. He went on to become the captain of the Varsity team during his Junior and Senior years. Bashaun excelled artistically and academically while at Lubbock High school, performing numerous roles in many of Ballet Lubbock’s professional productions, and received the top honor of being named All-Westerner Boy during his Senior year. Bashaun was offered a full academic and artistic merit scholarship to attend the University of Utah.

At the University of Utah, Bashaun was a member of the resident performing company, Utah Ballet. During this time, he performed numerous Principle and Soloist roles while graduating with Honors in 2011.

Upon graduation, Bashaun was offered a contract to join the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, where he danced for an entire decade! As a member of the company, he toured extensively throughout the United States, Africa, France, Japan, Mongolia & South Korea to perform and teach master classes. He has performed the works of many renowned choreographers such as Alwin Nikolais, Murray Louis, Stevan Novakovich, Edward Truitt, Val Caniparoli, Rick Tija, Johannes Weiland, Bill T. Jones, Adam Barruch, Charlotte Boye-Christensen, Doug Varone, Yin Yue, Raja Feather Kelly and Daniel Charon, among others. Not only did his passion for performing grow during this time, but also, his passion for teaching. Bashaun has had the privilege of teaching master classes at renown universities such as Georgia University, The University of Utah, Utah Valley University, Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University, Brenau University, & Loyola Marymount University, to name a few. He has also had the privilege of setting choreography and teaching creative movement classes in over 100 Utah schools!

Tony Kemmochi a Sports Psychologist for Intermountain Healthcare has been working with Ballet West dancers and many other athletes whether professional or pre-professional on how to master our minds and perform at the caliber we have as athletes strived to achieve. Tony shares his journey through being an athlete in Japan to shifting his focus on how athletes can succeed at their dreams with the right approach and focus on mental health. The biggest takeaway I took from our conversation is how we are just at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to mental health within the Ballet Industry. Tony mentions how ballet dancers have a harder time shifting and flowing in and out of perspectives due to the controlled environment we experience on a daily basis compared to other athletes and how we need to begin creating new habits within our minds to be less like an ice cube and more like a flowing river. I really enjoyed getting to know Tony's story and I am looking forward to seeing the growth in all of us dancers as we prioritize our mental health. Thank you to Dr. Tony Kemmochi and to Intermountain Healthcare for taking care of us Ballet West Dancers!

Book: Way of the Peaceful Warrior By Dan Millman


Dr. Tony Kemmochi provides psychological services to professional and student athletes in the greater Salt Lake region. His treatment approach is based on Control Mastery Theory, an innovative theoretical orientation that combines Psychodynamic, Humanistic, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. As a bilingual immigrant, he is mindful of multicultural factors that impact our experience in the world. He has worked with highly diverse clientele in terms of nationality, culture, race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender identity, religion, spirituality, age, socioeconomic status, disability, etc.



He obtained his doctoral degree from the American School of Professional Psychology in the San Francisco Bay Area where he received culturally rich training and first-hand experiences in one of the most diverse communities in the world. He also possesses 2 master's degrees: Clinical Psychology and Sport Psychology. Prior to becoming a psychologist, he worked in the field of sports medicine as a certified athletic trainer, providing medical treatments in a variety of settings such as hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, orthopedic clinics, division I intercollegiate athletics, USA Track & Field Championship, etc.



As a clinical psychologist, he is well versed in the treatment of a wide variety of psychological struggles. He has worked with extremely severe psychiatric disorders in clinical settings, such as inpatient hospital units and neuropsychiatric programs. As a former athlete, an athletic trainer, and now a sport psychologist, he has deep appreciation for various challenges faced by athletes. He combines his clinical knowledge and sport psychology to provide comprehensive care, from emotional struggles to performance enhancements. While he incorporates evidence-based treatments, he recognizes the importance of practice-based evidence, especially when working with under-served populations, who have been overlooked by the mainstream research.



Thank you,



Tony Kemmochi, Psy.D.

Licensed Clinical/Sport Psychologist



The Orthopedic Specialty Hospital

Tel: 801-314-2221

5770 S 250 E, Suite 475

Murray, UT 84107

https://intermountainhealthcare.org/locations/the-orthopedic-specialty-hospital

Breaking down branding with Sonja McCord was a great refresher for me to sit down and reassess where I can align with my values and the reason why I want to continue to dance. Sonja provides a great starter kit of these questions to give each of us an opportunity to see what aligns with our personal brand, the artist we are aiming to present ourselves as, and how to be a more well-rounded individual who participates all aspects of life. . Take a moment and answer these questions. Why do I dance? Why is it so meaningful? What am I giving to the world through my creativity and artistry? What is the mission behind what I stand for? Once you have clarified what your personal brand is we are able to value our worth and feel more empowered behind what we deserve as a professional artists when it comes to contracts, jobs, and pay within our careers. As we trust in our self-worth and allow ourselves to experience the journey of the small steps leading up to the big steps we strengthen the belief in ourself and take the pressure off of what life looks like 3 years from now. Sonja was such a joy to have on the podcast and hearing her speak on each of us needing to celebrate one another more and to look at our careers as a gift rather than a burden was a great reminder for how lucky each of us are to move our bodies on a daily basis and experience our creativity to its fullest. I hope this episode offers you some wisdom.

Sonja McCord is a Dancer, Choreographer, and Artistic Director/CEO of The Sonja McCord X. She trains professional dancers to amplify their artistic brand, build independent work, elevate their talent,and monetize their art; all while increasing their marketability and visibility in the industry. A Certified Master Marketer, Sonja has worked 15+years in agency marketing and has had opportunities to perform with Pittsburgh BalletTheatre, Nashville Ballet, Alvin Ailey AmericanDance Theater, and Dance Theatre of Harlem. A former Pointe Shoe Specialist with Capezio BalletMakers, Sonja has traveled internationally to educate, lead, and advise professional dancers,artistic directors, and dance businesses on branding,visibility, marketing, and artist development. She has been featured in online magazines such asDance Informa, About.Me, BET.com, The Grio, SoulPitt Magazine, and served as a judge for DanceQuest Canada.

Instagram @thesonjamccordx
Website: thesonjamccordx.com

I had the privilege to share a conversation that touches not even the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the word trauma. Cory3Wing and I have known each other for decade or two as artists of the theatre. We have shared some very special moments on and off the stage together and it has been a beautiful journey learning and growing together as well as from the sidelines of one another. Cory reminds us of the Hero's Journey by Joseph Campbell and how the human journey is common between everyone of us and how duality is a constant part in our lives. The more we can step away from the problem solving mindset and sit in the groundlessness of our journey the more we are able to separate ourselves from our ancestral trauma and our own. As we dive deeper into our conversation we resonate with looking at life as an opportunity to choose the non reaction mindset and step away from the victimization experience. Cory3Wing shares his story of growing up with a single mother as a gay boy and how he leaned on the theatre to be his magical journey. He soon realized he hadn't done his dreamwork to step into his own authenticity to fully show up for his own joy and happiness and it caused many moments of wounding, but when he found his magic again the healing began and the community he surrounds himself with grew immensely when it comes to Creative Coaching. This episode holds so many gems of wisdom and I am truly grateful to have Cory3Wing in my life.

Mentors/Teachers mentioned:
Gabor Mate
Angeles Arrien

Creativity Coach, Life Producer, Circle Facilitator

When you CAN'T SAY NO, you get to say HOW, which is saying YES.

cory3wing Thorell is a Certified Magnetic Mind Method Creation Coach.

With training in NLP, Neuroscience, Epigenitics, the Silva Ultramind, and the Circle Way, cory3wing works one on one, in private focus groups, teaches globally, and presents workshops and online events.

For the last 35 years, Cory has been creating, designing, building and touring the world with large scale professional show business, making fantastical dreams into amazing stories.

The same process of creating at a massive scale applies to ourselves.

Creating is what we all do non stop with every breath we take, with every thought we feel. Everyone of us is already a master of creation, as we create what has our focus.

Mindset and consciousness awareness is the key to the lock on your life. Making the switch from running away from what is uncomfortable to flowing toward what you want to create is that golden key.

The LEARN~DO~TEACH model is the foundation of the human journey and sets the path for making lasting change in our lives..

Dreaming the Dream is the first step. How do you know what you want to create without a good place to begin?

With a clear vision of what you want, a plan of action can be made.

With a good dream, and a plan, setting your values in place at a high bar will keep you in alignment to actually move toward really creating.

Staying in alignment with your creator energy and perspective, especially when your old beliefs and habits pop up, is key to your success.

Understanding your resistance to your desires, and removing that resistance so you can flow toward your dream coming true is the work of the Magnetic Mind Method.

Everyone needs a coach, for we can not see our own blind spots.

To keep yourself in alignment with your values, to replay the dreaming of the dream, to remove resistance to that dream, and to manifest your true choices, work with a certified coach.

Start
creating a Life you Love to Live TODAY.

www.corytimeCOACHING.com

I had the privilege to share a lovely conversation with Elena Kunikova a few weeks ago on her upbringing during the Soviet Union. How she discovered ballet from her apartment window as a young girl, Elena shares a history of ballet that I believe many of us wished to have dipped our toes into. Being a Ballerina in Russia is still to this day looked at as one of the most prestigious careers to represent. I believe many of us American dancers particularly had hoped our society would view our careers in the same way. Hearing Elena share her story and response to the prominent events that happened throughout her career and to purely resonate with the magic I find offers us that reminder as to why we chose to be a part of this career whether your a seasoned dancer or just beginning. I hope you enjoy this episode featuring Elena Kunikova.


Elena Kunikova is a well-known authority on Russian classical ballet. She is a graduate of Vaganova Ballet Academy, the school of Mariinsky Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia. As a ballerina with St.Petersburg's Mikhailovsky Theatre Ballet, she performed a diverse repertoire of classical and contemporary ballets including Giselle, The Nutcracker, Carmen, Esmeralda, Paquita, Swan Lake, Cinderella, Anthony and Cleopatra, Macbeth, and many others.
Since moving to the U.S. Elena staged classics such as Don Quixote, Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, Les Sylphides, Grand Pas from Paquita, Little Humpback Horse, Esmeralda, Harlequinade, Grand Pas de Quatre, Pas des Odalisque, which were performed on the world's most venerable stages including New York's City Center, Joyce Theater, Paris' Theatre de Chatelet, London's Peacock, and Berlin's Deutsche Opera.
Over the past twenty years Elena staged a large portion of the current repertoire of Les Ballet Trockadero, for which the London Critics' Circle gave the company a prestigious "Best Classical Repertoire" award. Elena was profiled in many professional publications and documentaries, her work was featured in the BBC/CW series "Breaking Pointe" filmed during her staging of the Grand Pas from Paquita for Ballet West. Elena's most recent creation, a one act ballet Divertimento was commissioned and performed by Dance Theatre of Harlem and later adopted by Ballet West II.
Elena's students dance with premier companies all over the world, they excel at ballet competitions and are invariably recognized for their technical and artistic achievements. Among her teaching engagements were Steps on Broadway, School of American Ballet, The Julliard, Barnard College (technique and academic courses), Berlin Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Ballet West, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Kansas City Ballet and others.
Elena is often invited to teach master classed, conduct classical ballet repertoire seminars, and to participate in symposiums and panel discussions. She also contributed to Dance Magazine, Pointe, and Wall Street Journal Europe as a writer.

The conversation that we have all been craving within the dance world has slowly began to build traction and Turning Pointe written by Chloe Angyal takes the examination to an even deeper level. With Turning Pointe's release date just a week away I was fortunate enough to share a conversation with Chloe on what motivated her to write this book. The dance world has been perpetuating generations of abuse and communications styles that are not properly built off of a foundation of leadership. Promoting Principal dancers into Artistic Directors with a lack of education and explaining away our mental health, injuries, eating disorders, type-casting, and idealistic body types will continue in our industry if we don't address these stigmas now. Chloe Angyal writes about gender, sex and power and how they shape the lives of women and girls. She’s written about politics and popular culture for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, New York Magazine, Jezebel, Cosmo, Marie Claire and many others. Chloe has a PhD in Media Studies; her dissertation was about romantic comedies and the lessons they teach women about love, sex and feminism. She is a former editor at Feministing and a former Senior Front Page Editor at HuffPost, and was the founding Deputy Opinion Editor at HuffPost. She is currently the Contributing Editor at MarieClaire.com. Chloe is from Sydney, Australia and lives in the Iowa City area. I hope this episode challenges each of us to take a moment and sit with our triumphs and tragedies that we have experienced in dance. I LOVE Ballet and I wouldn't be the person I am today if I hadn't committed to artistry and sacrifices it takes to become a Professional Ballerina, but it is time we set our egos aside our selfish tendencies and address the generational abuse our idols and leaders have experienced and perpetuated consciously or unconsciously. We must heal for the generations to come to keep this beautiful art form thriving into the future. I hope this episode offers you some wisdom.

All my love from your Sister Keefer.

Its been about 4 months since I have recorded an episode and I feel a bit out of practice, but taking the time to sit with myself and question my inner being and how I represent me was a great space to be in, even though at times it was challenging. I discovered towards the end of February that I needed to make some adjustments for my health and found that I needed to be put on an anti-depresant. I have been on Citalopram for over a month now and I have found it has been able to support me in the moments where in the past my anxiety or panic attacks have been debilitating. I am able to handle overwhelming situations with a lot more ease and less moments of self-sabotaging thoughts. The podcast will continue to focus on guests and having a better connection to the Salt Lake Community and how we can become a more inclusive city. I will be reading poetry and maybe having a few meditation sessions on here. Thank you to the family and friends who encouraged me to get back into this space. I hope this episode offers you some wisdom or reminds you that you are not alone.

All my love,
Sista Keefer

Poetry:
Thich Nhat Hahn -Clouds to Trees
Marge Piercy - The Moon is Always Female; A Strong Woman

I tend to walk away from my podcasts feeling perplexed not only by the artist I just shared an in depth conversation with, but also by the fact that we are experiencing the same hardships and togetherness in life while residing oceans apart. Pauline and I met in The Hague at the NDT Summer Intensive and I was just enamored with her dancing and the weight of emotional connection that she portrayed through her movement. We dive into what the COVID times have been like for her as a Freelance Artist, how poetry has been her escape and how the path she has written thus far brought her to Paris. Please enjoy this episode featuring Pauline, I hope it offers you some wisdom.

Born in 1998 in Geneva, Switzerland, Pauline started dancing at the age of 5. She trained at l’École de danse de Genève under the direction of Patrice Delay and Sean Wood. At 15 y/o she joined the Ballettschule Theater Basel in Switzerland under the direction of Amanda Bennett, where she formed herself professionally in both classical and contemporary. During these three years Pauline had the chance to experience choreographic work from Richard Wherlock, George Balanchine, Heinz Spoerli and Armando Braswell.
In 2016, Pauline graduated and found her first job at Delattre Dance Company in Mainz, Germany. For three years she danced works from numerous choreographers, including Kaloyan Boyadjiev, Mohammad Sufri Juwahir, Connor Scott, Sharon Vazana, Can Arslan and Stephen Delattre. She was given the opportunity to tackle the role of Esmerelda in the ballet « Notre-Dame de Paris » by Stephen Delattre.
In August 2019, Pauline moved to Paris and started working as a freelance artist. She quickly found work in the production “the red shoes” choreographed by Tamara Fernando and the Paris Opera Ballet star Marie-Agnès Gillot, an adventure that brought her to the iconic stage of the “Folies Bergère”.
She has also spent time broadening her experience, working in different fields of dance including TV, commercials, and music videos for various music artists. Always inspired by art in general, she has been collaborating with a student from Paris’ Design School for a dance video project.
In parallel, Pauline continues to maintain her passion for writing and poetry, something she has been doing for a long time, keeping very intimate until recently. She hopes to be able to publish them soon in what will be her first ‘recueil’.

Tony Pavlantos has become a quick and genuine friend during this year of social distancing and a division within our society that has at times felt impossible to defeat. Tony dives into the minimalist mentality he had to quickly adapt into at a young age and how skiing in the mountains is his ultimate retreat. We talk about developing oneself personally and professionally and the impact he would like to have while breaking down the patriarchy of a man and being a white male in society. Tony is a creative and curious entrepreneur in our Salt Lake community who is reminding us to pay attention to the air we breath in the places we dwell, work, and the businesses we support. He is the co-founder of Prival USA, The Prival Foundation, and Arbor Concepts. Tony lives on the delicate line between environmental ethics and efficient business, believing economic development and the wellbeing of the natural world are compatible, viable, and crucial. Please enjoy this episode featuring Tony Pavlantos.