The Dance Union

In this episode of The Dance Union Podcast, j. was joined by two entrepreneurs, Antuan Byers and Tamisha A. Guy, to discuss why and how their organizations, Black Change Makers and HUETAPE, respectively, came to fruition. How did their experiences as Black dancers in the industry lead them to found organizations that filled a need of the Black community that the general dance industry was not answering? How did they deal with transition after primarily being online during lockdown? What is life like after answering that call? What does it mean to HAVE to answer the call?

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(Recorded: March 9, 2024)

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Antuan Byers (he/him) is a dancer, creative entrepreneur, and organizer, who focuses on using movement to facilitate change. He is the founder and Creative Executive Officer of Black Dance Change Makers, described as “a group of Black dancers

redefining performance through choreographed movements of change,” as well as the Vice President of American Guild of Musical Artists and founding member of AGMA Black Caucus. Along with his work as an organizer, he has performed and worked with organizations such as Ailey II, Mark Morris Dance Group, and the Washington National Opera Ballet.

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Tamisha A. Guy (she/her) is a dance artist, instructor, and maker, who currently performs with A.I.M. by Kyle Abraham and teaches as a Lecturer in Dance at Barnard College. She is the founder of HUETAPE, described as “a skin-toned kinesiology tape brand.” Along with performing with the Martha Graham Dance Company, she has also been awarded the 2022 Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Dance and was named one of the 2017 Best Dancers of the Year by Dance Europe.

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Black Dance Change Makers

IG: @blackdancechangemakers

blackdancechangemakers.com

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HueTape

IG: @huetape_

huetape.com

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Antuan Byers

IG: @antuanbyers

antuanbyers.com

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Tamisha A. Guy

IG: @tamishaguy

msha.ke

tamishaguy.org

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The Dance Union

TheDanceUnionPodcast.com

IG: @thedanceunion

FB: www.facebook.com/TheDanceUnion/

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*SUPPORT THE DANCE UNION PODCAST*

Patreon: www.patreon.com/danceunion

Venmo: @Dance-Union

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HOSTS

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j. bouey

www.jbouey.com/

IG/Twitter: @j_bouey

Patreon: patreon.com/S_A_T_U_R_N

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Edited By: Jon Reyes

In the latest episode of The Dance Union Podcast, Sydnie L. Mosley (she/her) chats with j. bouey (they/them) about the challenges and lessons learned in running a start-up. They dive into the gaps in knowledge that an MFA can't fill, the importance of building relationships and a network that can help fill these gaps, and the struggles of navigating large institutions that often lack adequate support. Sydnie also shares insights on leadership and her experience in exploring new models of distributing leadership in the dance community, exploring the nuances between shared and decentralized leadership, and the ripple effects these models can have on relationships.

(Recorded: March 8, 2024)

Sydnie is an artist-activist and educator, who is a founder of SLMDances, a dance collective. She uses her work to advocate and organize for gender and racial justice and to facilitate a model for dance-activism, with her repertory including The Window Sex Project, Body Business, and, most recently, PURPLE: A Ritual In Nine Spells at Lincoln Center. Awards and recognitions of Sydnie’s work is definitely not limited to, but includes being recognized as 2024’s “25 to watch” by Dance Magazine and performing as part of the Bessie Award winning cast of Eva Yaa Asantewaa’s The skeleton architecture, the future of our worlds.

Sydnie L. Mosley

https://www.sydnielmosley.com/

IG: @slmdances

The Dance Union

TheDanceUnionPodcast.com

IG: @thedanceunion

FB: www.facebook.com/TheDanceUnion/

*SUPPORT THE DANCE UNION PODCAST*

Patreon: www.patreon.com/danceunion

Venmo: @Dance-Union

HOSTS

j. bouey

www.jbouey.com/

IG/Twitter: @j_bouey

Patreon: patreon.com/S_A_T_U_R_N

Edited By: Jon Reyes

foster (she/they) and j. discuss the experience that sparked foster’s inspiration for Black Intimacy Practice and PLAY CHURCH, delving into the necessity of these spaces for fat Black queer and disabled folks. How does one who is fat Black queer and disabled reclaim access to their body (physically, socially, and spiritually) in a culture that makes it painful to do so? What is play and how do we use that to manifest joy in our practices as we navigate such a hostile culture?

(Recorded: March 5, 2024)

Join j. and foster as they discuss how foster is developing their Black Intimacy Practice to navigate these questions, not only within spaces like PLAY CHURCH, which foster has cultivated, but also in the personal decisions they make in presenting their dance practices.

foster JANAE weems (she/they) is an interdependent-disciplinary artist and a dance artist of the Black improvisational dance universe. In other words, all art forms they practice coexists with the other; their dancing does not exist without their visual art and their musicianship does not exist without their drawing. foster’s work includes that of Black Intimacy Practice (a space for fat Black queer and trans artists) and PLAY CHURCH (a space for Black queer and trans folks in Charlotte, NC).

foster JANAE weems

https://linktr.ee/churchofplay

IG: @churchofplay

The Dance Union

TheDanceUnionPodcast.com

IG: @thedanceunion

FB: www.facebook.com/TheDanceUnion/

*SUPPORT THE DANCE UNION PODCAST*

Patreon: www.patreon.com/danceunion

Venmo: @Dance-Union

HOSTS

j. bouey

www.jbouey.com/

IG/Twitter: @j_bouey

Patreon: patreon.com/S_A_T_U_R_N

Edited By: Jon Reyes

How do we gain the confidence to advocate to tour management for the support that we and our co-artists need? How do we grapple with the desire to join and support an organized movement in our community and the reality of financial circumstances? What is HR, what do they actually do, and why do many dance environments not have HR? How do we deal with constantly being under surveillance and unable to truly exercise our freedom of speech during tour contracts, even in instances that are meant to be private?

(Recorded: January 22nd, 2024)

One of our own members of The Twerk Team, Veronica Jiao, joins j. bouey to discuss the management support (or lack of) given to them during tours they have been on, as well as the risks dancers face when they speak out about the abuses they endure on tour.

Veronica Jiao (she/her/hers) is a Filipino-American dancer and administrator, whose work centers on using dance improvisation and writing as a vessel to preserve the Asian-American experience, with the goal of contributing to the dismantling of white supremacist structures. She is a former member of Dance/NYC’s Junior Committee and has appeared on guest episodes on the podcasts The Dance Union and Thomas + Adrianne’s You’re Welcome and contributed to Dance Magazine and In Dance to facilitate discussions centering around equity and inclusion.

Veronica Jiao

https://veronicaraejiao.com/

IG: @vrjiao

The Dance Union

TheDanceUnionPodcast.com

IG: @thedanceunion

FB: www.facebook.com/TheDanceUnion/

*SUPPORT THE DANCE UNION PODCAST*

Patreon: www.patreon.com/danceunion

Venmo: @Dance-Union

HOSTS

j. bouey

www.jbouey.com/

IG/Twitter: @j_bouey

Patreon: patreon.com/S_A_T_U_R_N

Edited By: Jon Reyes

Did you know Makini does taxes?! Well, they certainly do and they have some great advice to share with us on how we can navigate through this tax season and the ones to come.

(Recorded: March 12, 2024)

Makini (jumatatu m. poe)

http://thefabulistsagenda.com/makinidoestaxes/

The Dance Union

TheDanceUnionPodcast.com

IG: @thedanceunion

FB: www.facebook.com/TheDanceUnion/

*SUPPORT THE DANCE UNION PODCAST*

Patreon: www.patreon.com/danceunion

Venmo: @Dance-Union

HOSTS

J. Bouey

www.jbouey.com/

IG/Twitter: @j_bouey

Patreon: patreon.com/S_A_T_U_R_N

Edited By: Jon Reyes

Have y’all ever applied for funding and wanted more transparency about what’s going on behind the scenes? Well, Melanie and j. bouey are here to discuss just that from their many experiences around the application and funding processes.

(recorded: August 07, 2023)

The Dance Union

TheDanceUnionPodcast.com

IG: @thedanceunion

FB: www.facebook.com/TheDanceUnion/

*SUPPORT THE DANCE UNION PODCAST*

Patreon: www.patreon.com/danceunion

Venmo: @Dance-Union

HOSTS

J. Bouey

www.jbouey.com/

IG/Twitter: @j_bouey

Patreon: www.patreon.com/JBoueyDanceProjects

Melanie Greene

www.methodsofperception.com/

IG: @laniereene

Patreon: www.patreon.com/melaniegreene

Edited By: Jon Reyes

Lee joins Melanie in a conversation to discuss cultivating community after graduate school. It isn't as easy or hard as you'd expect.

(Recorded: March 23, 2023)

The Dance Union

TheDanceUnionPodcast.com

IG: @thedanceunion

FB: www.facebook.com/TheDanceUnion/

*SUPPORT THE DANCE UNION PODCAST*

Patreon: www.patreon.com/danceunion

Venmo: @Dance-Union

HOSTS

Melanie Greene

www.methodsofperception.com/

IG: @laniereene

Patreon: www.patreon.com/melaniegreene

Edited By: Jon Reyes

"The Discotheque is where I go to experience unmatched joy and profound sadness". Peter Elizade talks with us about making performance for the club, and the freedoms and challenges supported in that environment.

(Recorded: March 2, 2023)

The Dance Union

TheDanceUnionPodcast.com

IG: @thedanceunion

FB: www.facebook.com/TheDanceUnion/

*SUPPORT THE DANCE UNION PODCAST*

Patreon: www.patreon.com/danceunion

Venmo: @Dance-Union

HOSTS

J. Bouey

www.jbouey.com/

IG/Twitter: @j_bouey

Patreon: www.patreon.com/JBoueyDanceProjects

Melanie Greene

www.methodsofperception.com/

IG: @laniereene

Patreon: www.patreon.com/melaniegreene

Edited By: Jon Reyes

Brian Polite joins us to reflect on the evolution of club culture, Dance's impact in shaping the culture, and the fight, of many, to not be washed away in the roaring sands of time.

(Recorded: March 14, 2023)

The Dance Union

TheDanceUnionPodcast.com

IG: @thedanceunion

FB: www.facebook.com/TheDanceUnion/

*SUPPORT THE DANCE UNION PODCAST*

Patreon: www.patreon.com/danceunion

Venmo: @Dance-Union

HOSTS

J. Bouey

www.jbouey.com/

IG/Twitter: @j_bouey

Patreon: www.patreon.com/JBoueyDanceProjects

Edited By: Jon Reyes

Nubian Néné is a Waacking phenom and world-class performer cultivating spaces for Black folks to experience the liberative power of Waacking. She joins us to talk with us about the history of Waacking and her journey with it.

(Recorded: May 23, 2023)

The Dance Union

TheDanceUnionPodcast.com

IG: @thedanceunion

FB: www.facebook.com/TheDanceUnion/

*SUPPORT THE DANCE UNION PODCAST*

Patreon: www.patreon.com/danceunion

Venmo: @Dance-Union

HOSTS

J. Bouey

www.jbouey.com/

IG/Twitter: @j_bouey

Patreon: www.patreon.com/JBoueyDanceProjects

Edited By: Jon Reyes