Category: Uncategorized

Aaron Mattocks    Photo: Ian Douglas, courtesy of New York Live Arts From Blog Director Jill Randall: Freshman, sophomore, junior, senior……every year is the perfect time to discuss career paths. Today I was re-reading Aaron Mattocks's artist profile on the blog. Aaron is a full-time freelance artist based in New York City.  Aaron wrote: There is no…

From Blog Director Jill Randall: One year ago, I started a small project and experiment. Maybe you too have explored this idea/practice in your own life? My goal was to commit for one year and write down a key word or phrase each day related to my dance practice.  Going into it, I assumed I…

Saving for retirement is a grey area for many dancers. While holding down multiple freelance gigs, dancers usually do not have one main employer and the opportunity for a formal 401(K) program. But, that does not mean that dancers should not take this on on their own. Whether you are 22, 30, or 40, it's…

Keith Johnson "What are the skills a modern dancer needs in 2015?" I asked this broad question several times this year as artists wrote profiles for the blog. Here are three viewpoints from Keith Johnson (professor at CS Long Beach and former dancer with Doug Varone and Bill T. Jones), Onye Ozuzu (choreographer and professor…

Welcome Back to College! A Letter to Seniors in Undergraduate Dance Programs By Jill Randall, Blog Director   I am sending you best wishes for the coming year! May your final year be filled with new challenges, new connections, and new dreams for the future.  Let me begin by asking you a few questions. Where do…

Michelle Yard performing in the Mark Morris Dance Group ("Mozart Dances"); Michelle's profile is part of the Freshman Seminar reading list As you write a new syllabus and prepare for classes, please consider using material from the blog as current, fresh, accessible reading in your courses. I have curated several lists for 5 different kinds…

There are numerous ways to access, read, and browse the information found on the Life as a Modern Dancer Blog. Finally today, I did start a Facebook Page. If you "like" the page, then the posts will show up on your feed. Click here to see the Page: https://www.facebook.com/lifeasamoderndancer ———————

Student/Teacher/Performer/Admirer: A Correspondence with Ramona Kelley of Twyla Tharp Dance Many years ago, dancer Ramona Kelley was a student of mine in a teen modern class in Berkeley, California. Over the years, it has been exciting to see her head off to college at NYU and then launch into a professional career. Ramona merges technique…

  Jennifer Nugent   Beautiful words from four artists' profiles. Click on any name to read more:   Jennifer Nugent   Major influences:   My teachers. The choreographers I worked with, being in the studio creating material. My teaching, finding my own movement voice and teaching it heightened my experience of dance. Books, reading. Becoming a mom.…

Student/Teacher/Performer/Admirer: A Correspondence with Ramona Kelley of Twyla Tharp Dance Many years ago, dancer Ramona Kelley was a student of mine in a teen modern class in Berkeley, California. Over the years, it has been exciting to see her head off to college at NYU and then launch into a professional career. Ramona merges technique…