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

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IG: @thedanceunion

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HOSTS

j. bouey

www.jbouey.com/

IG/Twitter: @j_bouey

Patreon: patreon.com/S_A_T_U_R_N

Edited By: Jon Reyes