Life as a Modern Dancer

Category: Uncategorized

  • Artist Profile #161: Dayna Hanson (Seattle, WA)

    Photo: Stephanie Passantino Hometown: Seattle, WA Current city: Seattle, WA Age: 54 Attended an arts high school? No, but the public high school I attended had a great theater program. College and degree: University of Washington, B.A. in English literature Website: daynahanson.com How you pay the bills: Commissions, for-hire choreography, consulting, teaching, advising, freelance work across dance,…

  • Celebrating and Reflecting: 5 Questions with Carol Kueffer, One of the Original Members of David Dorfman Dance

    Carol Kueffer and David Dorfman at the 2017 celebration at BAM   Can you share about your years working in the company?  I danced with David Dorfman from 1985-1996. David saw me dance in the senior final performance at NYU. I then auditioned as a dancer for The Yard, a dance colony on Martha’s Vineyard,…

  • 5 Questions with Grace Kraaijvanger of The Hivery, A Co-Working Space in California

    Photo: Jacquelyn Warner Can you describe your dance background? I started dancing like so many of us, after seeing the Nutcracker when I was four. Years of ballet included studying with Ballet Arizona, Milwaukee Ballet School, North Carolina School of the Arts, and then in the dance program at the University of Arizona. I moved…

  • Blog Recap: Posts During the Month of October

    Missed a post? Click on any link below to read further. October was a record month on the blog with 43 posts!  Artist Profiles, Career Paths, and Stories Artist Profile #159: Laura Colby (Brooklyn, NY) Catching Up with Graham Brown (Artist Profile #54) Catching Up with Julia Burrer (Artist Profile #69) — Multiple Perspectives on…

  • The Performer’s Perspective: What I Feel, What I am Exploring….

    Over the years, I have asked various dancers to speak openly and proudly about their strengths as a performer, as well as what they are exploring these days on stage and their growth as a performer over the years. Looking back through the 150+ profiles, today we share 5 dancers' experiences. Next to each person's…

  • What Are the Skills a Modern Dancer Needs in 2017?

    Raja Feather Kelly; photo by Julieta Cervantes Throughout the year, I ask this question of artists who write profiles for the blog. Here are 5 perspectives from artists throughout the United States and spanning 4 decades: Laura Colby (Brooklyn, NY): An open mind. The ability to listen. A body that can recover. The ability for that…

  • Dreaming/Preparing/Dancing: The Anata Project’s Performances Tonight and Saturday Night

    From Blog Director Jill Randall: Lately, I have been thinking about dance writing and dance publicity. How do we share/invite/entice/preview a work for our potential audience members? Bay Area artist Claudia Hubiak and I are playing with this idea for the 7 days leading up to her show, Point of Dissolve, at the ODC Theater…

  • Dreaming/Preparing/Dancing: 1 Day Until The Anata Project’s Performance at ODC Theater

    Dancer: Yuko Monden. Photographer: Claudia Hubiak. (Thank you to meets the eye studios for donating the space and lights for the photoshoot.)  From Blog Director Jill Randall: Lately, I have been thinking about dance writing and dance publicity. How do we share/invite/entice/preview a work for our potential audience members? Bay Area artist Claudia Hubiak and I are…

  • Dreaming/Preparing/Dancing: 2 Days Until The Anata Project’s Performance at ODC Theater

    Dancer: Julie-Ann Gambino. Photographer: Claudia Hubiak. (Thank you to meets the eye studios for donating the space and lights for the photoshoot.)  From Blog Director Jill Randall: Lately, I have been thinking about dance writing and dance publicity. How do we share/invite/entice/preview a work for our potential audience members? Bay Area artist Claudia Hubiak and I are…

  • Dreaming/Preparing/Dancing: 3 Days Until The Anata Project’s Performance at ODC Theater

    Dancer: Mallory Markham. Photographer: Claudia Hubiak. (Thank you to meets the eye studios for donating the space and lights for the photoshoot.)  From Blog Director Jill Randall: Lately, I have been thinking about dance writing and dance publicity. How do we share/invite/entice/preview a work for our potential audience members? Bay Area artist Claudia Hubiak and I are…