From Blog Director Jill Randall:
First off, I want to start from a place of gratitude. Thank you to all of the readers of Life as a Modern Dancer; thank you to all of the contributors throughout 2019. The site brings a lot of personal joy and satisfaction in my own life, and I hope that each year it continues to support and inspire dancers near and far.
I love a "recap," and today I wanted to highlight 12 ideas from Life as a Modern Dancer in 2019.
Dancers Virginia Broyles and Lydia Clinton rehearsing for Lauren Simpson's Dance Exhibit, which premiered at the Minnesota Street Project SF May 9-19, 2019. Photo by Robbie Sweeny. Read an interview with Lauren Simpson about the project here.
Artist Profiles
Did you know that the "artist profile" is how the whole site began, publishing interviews with artists? To date we have published 168 profiles. Check out two of them here with Tanya Chianese and Lauren Simpson, from 2019.
Artist Profile #167: Lauren Simpson (San Francisco, CA)
Artist Profile #168: Tanya Chianese (Oakland, CA)
Blog Series: Studio Time
Eight artists offered a window into their studio practice. How do you use time and space?
Thank you to Shana Simmons for writing this latest guide. This now makes for 17 on the site. Find out more about cities throughout the country in terms of where to train, festivals, how to get teaching and performing gigs, and much more. Whether you are visiting or considering a move, read more here.
A New List: MA and PhD Programs
2019 seemed like a great year to make another program list – this time about MA and PhD programs. (View the MFA list here.) You will see a variety of areas of emphasis (dance, dance education, arts administration, performance studies) as well as options for full-time and part-time study. There are even a few fully online options to pursue an MA or MAAA in Arts Administration.
New Dance Books in 2019
One of my favorite activities each year is to compile this list of books about dance, movement, arts education, and somatics. I am a longtime dance book lover and collector. I also now have the privilege of writing book write-ups/short reviews for Dance Teacher Magazine each issue.
I hope you find a title or two here to purchase for yourself or to add to your course's reading list.
Reading Lists for Undergraduate and Graduate Level Courses
I updated 4 of the lists this year – free and fresh content for your course (pulling material from the Life as a Modern Dancer site):
For an Undergraduate Composition Course
For a Graduate Level Choreography Class
45 Questions and Prompts for Post-Performance Discussions (For an Undergraduate Course)
Here's a fun, robust list of ideas to try out with your students this coming semester – for small and large group discussions, writing prompts, and more.
Dancing Around Race Public Gathering (February 28, 2019)
Thank you to Bhumi B. Patel for her reflection after the February gathering in San Francisco.
21 Performance Reviews
Back in 2012 when I began Life as a Modern Dancer, I did not initially envision it being a site for dance reviews and dance criticism. But as the site grew and changed each year, the need arose for a new platform for dance criticism in the Bay Area. I am thrilled to be able to host this, and I am so grateful for my incredible roster of writers, including: Sima Belmar, Bhumi B. Patel, Todd Courage, Molly Rose-Williams, Garth Grimball, Sarah JG Chenoweth, and Michelle LaVigne. 2019 was a big year, with 21 performance reviews/reflections/responses of performances in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Divining by Katie Faulkner. Photo by Stephen Texeira. Check out the 16 audience responses through One Good Quote here.
One Good Quote
Still going strong, One Good Quote is a platform on Life as a Modern Dancer for audience members to share feedback and impressions after a performance. Ten artists engaged with One Good Quote this calendar year.
Teaching Tip – For Subbing
There is a whole series on the site about Becoming a Teaching Artist. Here is a recent post I wrote, dedicated to a young colleague, about Subbing Teen and Adult Technique Classes (10 tips).
Juilliard's New Dances 2019
To round out the year, I was excited to launch another small project….writing and reflecting about Juilliard's New Dances concert each December. I have heard about it for years and was happy to have Phoebe Ballard attend a performance and share about her experience. One of my areas of interest is artmaking going on at the college and high school levels – true teaching artistry in action.
This Juilliard's New Dances 2019. This Great Wilderness by Jamar Roberts. © Todd Rosenberg Photography
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Plus, 4 other highlights from other publications and sites:
Honoring Frank Shawl
We lost a very special dancer in October of this year – my longtime friend, mentor, colleague, and boss Frank Shawl. Thank you to dance-teacher.com for publishing my tribute to Frank – 5 Lessons I Learned from Frank Shawl.
kNOwBOX Dance Podcast
Have you checked out the awesome work that kNOwBOX Dance is doing – podcasts, Evolving Laboratories, film festivals, and more? I was honored to be featured on a podcast this fall about Life as a Modern Dancer and the role of social media in the dance field.
DIY Dancer – Magazine and Website
The folks at DIY Dancer are publishing beautiful pieces both online and in print. Check out issue 03 – Seen Unseen – right now (hot off the press). I am thrilled to have an interview with Eva Yaa Asantewaa in it; Eva is the Senior Curatorial Director at Gibney.
DIY Dancer also regularly publishes work on their site. This year I had 3 interviews shared on diydancer.com:
Molly Heller + Molly Rose-Williams
Tanya Chianese + Heather Arnett
Dance Teacher Magazine
Last, I wanted to give a shout out about Dance Teacher Magazine. This publication has a lot to offer in each issue – practical resources and stories from the field. I am honored to be a Contributing Editor and to write the 4 pages of news content each issue. I hope that you will subscribe in 2020!
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Life as a Modern Dancer 
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