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The American Dance Festival is one of the most important festivals and summer training programs in the United States. 2015 marks the 82nd year of ADF. Please join us on the blog this summer as Leah Cox, Associate Dean, offers a window into the festival through her lens as artist, teacher, administrator, and audience member. To read…

  Thinking Big Picture A shout out to all university dance majors this summer…  Summer is upon us. Oh, the glory of warm weather and extended daylight hours! These are the months we long for to break from academic classes and focus on earning extra money and/or taking class. What a treat! Hot, sweaty classes…

Photo: Keith Johnson/Dancers Looking back on the first 100 artist profiles shared on the blog, many choreographers around the United States shared what they look for in a dancer and how they find dancers. The audition format is used less and less. These descriptions offer us a window into performing work right now, and what…

There is still time to sign up for summer workshops and professional development throughout the United States. Today I would like to highlight an inspiring workshop that I myself participated in as an undergraduate. The work of Dance Exchange (founded by Liz Lerman) offers deep work to explore the intersection of dancemaking and changemaking.  As…

Hometown: North Hollywood, California Current City: Oakland, California Age: 41 College and Degree: UC Berkeley; major in Rhetoric, minor in Public Policy Graduate school and degree: Juris Doctorate (Law) UC Hastings (21-24 years old) How you pay the bills: Private practice – I focus on juvenile (foster care, delinquency, and special education) law (sitting as a pro…

This spring and summer, the Life as a Modern Dancer Blog will feature “city guides” for dance communities throughout the United States. Here is the first one – about the San Francisco Bay Area.  A Modern Dancer's Guide to….the San Francisco Bay Area We are seeking interested writers to share about: -Los Angeles -Salt Lake…

I am excited to share this new tool I developed for college undergraduates (as well as dancers of all ages). The goal of this simple survey is to consider the many jobs, roles, and tasks a modern dancer might have in 2015. Whether you are interested in performing, stage management, or teaching, this survey can…

  Art by Amber Heaton; http://www.amberheaton.com/ From Blog Director Jill Randall: I am currently pursuing my MFA in Creative Practice in the new low residency program at Saint Mary's College in California. Now with new eyes, I have a deeper appreciation for the advice given to choreographers in the artist profiles each week here on the blog. I…

Curious about classes and workshops through Movement Research in NYC? The blog has featured 7 of its teaching artists. Click on any name below to gain a window into each artist's work and teaching philosophy. Vicky Shick Jeanine Durning Jennifer Monson Jennifer Nugent Shelley Senter Joanna Kotze Anna Sperber To find out more about Movement…

Photo: Kate Enright Name: Ashley Thorndike-Youssef City: Washington, DC   Teaching artist statement: I teach to know. Creatively, personally, politically, I’m interested in the interplay—the space between us. What do we need to embrace, discover, dissect, or destruct? I teach teens; I teach executives; I teach peers; I teach college students. With each population, I…