Life as a Modern Dancer

Category: Uncategorized

  • Dreaming/Preparing/Dancing: 3 Days until “death pod/kid subjunctive” at CounterPulse

    Funsch Dance's kid subjunctive. Photo by Robbie Sweeny. Pictured left to right: Emily Hansel, Shareen DeRyan, zoe huey, and Phoenicia Pettyjohn.   Dreaming/Preparing/Dancing: 3 Days until “death pod/kid subjunctive” at CounterPulse By Jill Randall, with Christy Funsch and Nol Simonse   Christy Funsch, Nol Simonse, and Jim Cave premiere new works at CounterPulse in San…

  • 10 Years, 1381 Posts, and Much Gratitude

    Dearest readers, friends, family, and colleagues, Today marks the completion of 10 years of this blog! This week has been a sweet moment to reflect on this time and this journey. Because I could not resist, I indeed went back and counted the number of posts from the past decade. The current count is 1381!…

  • Inside an Insightful Mind: An Interview with Dr. Doug Risner

    Inside an Insightful Mind: An Interview with Dr. Doug Risner By Camryn Eaglin Dr. Doug Risner is an accomplished, well-respected dance educator and scholar. With a focus in dance education, his research and practice is etched in humanizing dance pedagogy. From his extensive research throughout his Masters and Doctoral studies, to publishing his first book…

  • Higher Ed Prep: 13 Posts

    From Blog Director Jill Randall: This is one of my favorite times of the year on the blog – planning ahead for the upcoming school year. August also marks the 10th (!) anniversary of the start of Life as a Modern Dancer. While the blog serves many purposes these days, it is important to me…

  • Holding juxtaposition: post-performance reflections on “Four by Four”

    Holding juxtaposition: post-performance reflections on “Four by Four” By Emily Hansel Woohoo we did it! I produced my first evening-length choreographic work, and it was awesome! Cut to: everyone in the world asking me what I’m making next. I’m only half joking when I respond with, give me a few years to recover then try…

  • Circling Freedom with Risa Jaroslow & Dancers

    From left: Erin Yen, Chelsea Reichert and Sharon Dalke in Talking Circle. Photo by Robbie Sweeny.   Circling Freedom with Risa Jaroslow & Dancers By Garth Grimball   Six dancers enter. They sit in a circle. Gestures are passed from one body to the next in acts of listening. There is no unison in the…

  • 5 Questions for Julie Crothers

    Julie Crothers. Photo by Hillary Goidell. Last week, I got to connect with Bay Area artist Julie Crothers. Julie is an incredible performer, choreographer, and teaching artist. Her solo show – Are You There God? It's me, Jules – premieres at Noh Space in San Francisco this Friday and Saturday, April 15 and 16, at…

  • David Herrera Performance Company Ignites Language in “The Tip of My Tongue”

    Photo by Lara Kaur. Dancers pictured (L to R) – Katie Florez, Nicole Maimon, Olivia Caldeira Holston, Erik Debono, and Sawako Gannon. David Herrera Performance Company Ignites Language in “The Tip of My Tongue” By Garth Grimball Language shapes reality. Living across languages intensifies the power of the spoken word. For David Herrera, artistic director…

  • An Enduring Idea: 15 Years of RAWdance’s CONCEPT series

    CONCEPT Series 28 artists. Photo credits: (L to R) by Margo Moritz, Yasmina Mattison, RJ Muna, Robbie Sweeny, Emily Hansel, and Chani Bockwinkel. An Enduring Idea: 15 Years of RAWdance’s CONCEPT series By Jill Randall The other day, I had the pleasure of checking in with RAWdance co-directors Katerina (Katie) Wong, Wendy Rein, and Ryan…

  • Empowering Dancers through Contracts – By Emily Hansel

    Dancers Shareen DeRyan, Chelsea Reichert, and Alex Carrington in rehearsal with Emily Hansel.  Empowering Dancers through Contracts By Emily Hansel In my experience as a professional freelance dancer in the realm of contemporary concert dance, there are many instances in which I’ve been hired for work without a contract. There are also many cases in…