Dance Dialogues: A Podcast

Join Dance Dialogues Podcast for this episode with dancer and choreographer, Taos Bertrand. We chat about her choreography, creative process, inspiration and influences. Taos Bertrand has previously worked with Christine and the Queens and collaborators including choreographers Olivier Dubois and Adam Linder, Erwan Ha Kyoon Larcher, Valentin Noujaïm, Jean-Luc Verna, the collective (LA) HORDE and pianist Koki Nakano. Her work is motivated by questions of writing and materiality, prophecy and trouble, ghosts and avatars.

S3: Ep1 Naomi Sorkin, one of America's leading classical and dramatic ballerinas, joins Dance Dialogues Podcast to talk about the life and work of Ida Rubenstein - the Russian dancer, actress and impresario who worked alongside iconic names like Diaghilev, Fokine and Nijinksy but herself remains relatively unknown.

Artistic director and performer Jean Abreu on pushing the boundaries of movement language.

Jessica Wheeler, principal of Elmhurst Ballet School, on the dance professionals of the future.

Embodiment teacher Mina Aidoo talks about the non linear movement method and creating space for support within the dance community.

Sophie Laplane talks choreography

We recorded Episode 10 with our guest artist Sarah Blanc a couple of months back, when coronavirus was something we'd barely heard of here in London and before we had any idea of the impact it would have, not only around the world but on the industry we work in. In the last week a lot has changed; most of us in the dance industry have lost our work and everything feels quite uncertain. Still, as this podcast is a place for conversations about our industry and the paths we find through it, we hope you'll still find this conversation with Sarah relevant (and entertaining!) even if in a slightly different light. Enjoy the episode and let's keep talking and moving forward together.  Sarah Blanc is a multi-award winning choreographer and performer. She creates solo work and is artistic director of Moxie Brawl, a fresh all female inclusive dance theatre company. Her choreographic work has toured extensively across the world and has been seen on artists and companies such as Complicite, Bryony Kimmings, Little Red Kettle along with commissions for large outreach projects led by Candoco Dance Company, R.A.D. Perth Concert Hall and Kings Cross. She is currently working with Dan Daw and Blink Dance Theatre and is excited to start a new family work based on Punk culture, collaborating with Brigitte Aphrodite and Quiet Boy. She is one third of AnnieVickySarah—a trio of collaborators who are questioning ‘inclusive’ dance practices within creative settings. Catch her on tour this year with her solo show My Feminist Boner. Rachel Elderkin is a freelance dancer and dance writer based in London. Her dance writing can be also be read in the Stage, londondance.com, Exeunt and British Theatre Guide. She is a member of the UK's Critics' Circle, and has previously written for publications including Fjord Review, the Skinny (Scotland) and LeftLion (Nottingham) where she was Art Editor. Credits: Host: Rachel Elderkin Guest: Sarah Blanc Editing and production: George Bushaway Produced for Fjord Review  

Performer and choreographer Sarah Blanc joins the podcast to chat about looking at the dance world through the lens of class.

Joan Clevillé is an independent choreographer based in the city of Dundee, Scotland, and Artistic Director of Joan Clevillé Dance. Born in Barcelona, Joan combined his dance training at Elise Lummis’ La Companyia with his studies in Humanities at University Pompeu Fabra. Following his interest in choreography, he obtained a masters degree with distinction at London Contemporary Dance School in 2012. He has worked for fourteen years as a dancer, teacher and rehearsal director in companies across Europe, including Scottish Dance Theatre, the Ballet of the Graz Opera (Austria), the company of the Choreographic Centre of Valencia, and Ballet Carmen Roche (Madrid). Joan has also collaborated as a performer with Lost Dog (directed by Ben Duke) and Dog Kennel Hill Project (London). He is currently a member of Collective Endeavours, a Glasgow-based music and dance improvisation collective. Joan also works regularly as a guest teacher for international companies and vocational schools including Skånes Dansteater, Norrdans and the Gothenburg Opera in Sweden, Codarts (Rotterdam University of the Arts), London Contemporary Dance School or Northern School of Contemporary Dance (Leeds). His works as a choreographer have been presented in the UK, Germany, Poland, Austria, Sweden, Italy, Spain and Japan. He has created pieces for choreographic platforms at the Graz Opera and Scottish Dance Theatre, which were toured nationally and internationally. He has also received commissions from Thomas Noone Dance (Barcelona), Café Fuerte (Austria-Switzerland), and Institut del Teatre (Barcelona) amongst others. Since summer 2014, Joan has been Associate Artist of the Scottish School of Contemporary Dance, and was Glasgow Tramway’s 2017 Associate Artist. In April 2019 Joan was appointed Artistic Director of Scottish Dance Theatre. Rachel Elderkin is a freelance dancer and dance writer based in London. Her dance writing can be also be read in the Stage, londondance.com, Exeunt and British Theatre Guide. She is a member of the UK's Critics' Circle, and has previously written for publications including Fjord Review, the Skinny (Scotland) and LeftLion (Nottingham) where she was Art Editor. Credits: Host: Rachel Elderkin Guest: Joan Clevillé Editing and production: George Bushaway Produced for Fjord Review    

Artistic director of Scottish Dance Theatre Joan Clevillé discusses creativity, choreography, and rural touring.

Under the direction of Tim Casson, Casson & Friends are a UK based Record Breaking Dance Theatre Company, creating unique performances that are accessible, interactive and joyful. The company works with a diverse range of collaborators, from filmmakers and musicians to computer programmers and psychologists, but most often collaborates with the public, inviting them to engage with dance in exciting and accessible ways. With a passion for bringing dance to people in new and unusual contexts, C&F’s work to date has been presented in a range of settings including Shopping Centres, Libraries, Hotels, Pubs, Offices and Football Stadiums. C&F also explore the potential of digital technology to create new ways of enhancing and engaging with dance performance. The company has presented work across the UK and Internationally including at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, Glastonbury Festival, Brighton Digital Festival, bOing International Family Festival, The Lyon Biennale, Downtown Dance Festival in New York, Festival Quartiers Danses in Montreal and Harare International Festival of Arts in Zimbabwe. Tim Casson is currently an Associate Artist (2018-2020) at DanceEast. Casson & Friends have previously been Associate Company at Pavilion Dance South West (2013-2015), Dance Digital (2014-15), and Tim was a Metal Change Maker Artist (2017-18). Casson & Friends were selected to curate their own ‘Wild Card’ evening at Sadler’s Wells in 2015. Rachel Elderkin is a freelance dancer and dance writer based in London. Her dance writing can be also be read in the Stage, londondance.com, Exeunt and British Theatre Guide. She is a member of the UK's Critics' Circle, and has previously written for publications including Fjord Review, the Skinny (Scotland) and LeftLion (Nottingham) where she was Art Editor. Credits: Host: Rachel Elderkin Guest: Tim Casson Editing and production: George Bushaway Produced for Fjord Review  

Tim Casson on bringing the joy of dance to the broader community.

Stuart Winter is a choreographer and director of movement. Building upon his classical foundation, Stuart adds intention and subtext to generate an honest movement language which, with its space for artistic choice, allows the individual to communicate. Stuart is also Artistic Director of Tracing Movement, a dance company exploring and pioneering Total Theatre. Rachel Elderkin is a freelance dancer and dance writer based in London. Her dance writing can be also be read in the Stage, londondance.com, Exeunt and British Theatre Guide. She is a member of the UK's Critics' Circle, and has previously written for publications including Fjord Review, the Skinny (Scotland) and LeftLion (Nottingham) where she was Art Editor. Credits: Host: Rachel Elderkin Guest: Stuart Winter Editing and production: George Bushaway Produced for Fjord Review

Stuart Winter, artistic director of Tracing Movement, dancer and choreographer, on how to stay inspired.

Grace Nicol is a choreographer, producer and academic. Grace is the founder and Artistic Director of the performance platform, Womxn SRSLY. Womxn SRSLY champions unique and challenging performance through platforms and support networks for artists experiencing disadvantage due to the performing arts sector’s bias toward cis-male-led work. To develop this practice further, Grace provides mentoring for female artists and university lectures, most recently working with Falmouth University and on the MA programme at ArtEZ. Grace’s choreographic work has been shown at The Place, CentrE17, The Yard, Guest Projects, Hackney Showroom, the V & A Museum and has toured nationally and internationally, winning a Stockholm Fringe Young STOFF Award in 2015. Grace is currently an Associate Artist at Dance Research Studio, member of Chisenhale Dance Space and completed her MA in Contemporary Dance at London Contemporary Dance School in 2018. Rachel Elderkin is a freelance dancer and dance writer based in London. Her dance writing can be also be read in the Stage, londondance.com, Exeunt and British Theatre Guide. She is a member of the UK's Critics' Circle, and has previously written for publications including Fjord Review, the Skinny (Scotland) and LeftLion (Nottingham) where she was Art Editor. Credits: Host: Rachel Elderkin Guest: Grace Nicol Editing and production: George Bushaway Produced for Fjord Review

Grace Nicol, choreographer, producer, and founder of performance platform, Womxn SRSLY.

Jorge Crecis holds a degree in Sport Sciences and studied contemporary dance at the Royal Conservatory of Madrid. After working as a professional dancer for different companies throughout Europe, he became a full-time lecturer at London Contemporary Dance School (The Place) for four years. Currently, Jorge is an award winning choreographer whose work has been performed in the main theatres around the world: from the prestigious New York City Centre (USA), to the avant-garde 798 District in Beijing (China) or Sadlers Wells and the Royal Opera House in London (UK). Following this motto and based upon his synthesis of sport and dance movement patterns, Jorge founded SQx (somoSQuien eXperience) leading workshops internationally and coaching professional companies such as Akram Khan Company, DV8, Punchdrunk, Rambert, etc. And in 2018 he obtained his PhD degree by Goldsmiths University of London. For the last 20 years, Jorge has been working to crack the secret of how to replicate altered states of consciousness using neurosciences, anthropology and phenomenology. The result is a cutting-edge methodology that he shares through workshop and a one of a kind online training that is called: Towards Vivencia. Rachel Elderkin is a freelance dancer and dance writer based in London. Her dance writing can be also be read in the Stage, londondance.com, Exeunt and British Theatre Guide. She is a member of the UK's Critics' Circle, and has previously written for publications including Fjord Review, the Skinny (Scotland) and LeftLion (Nottingham) where she was Art Editor. Credits: Host: Rachel Elderkin Guest: Jorge Crecis Editing and production: George Bushaway Produced for Fjord Review

Jorge Crecis, merging the athleticism of sports with the aesthetics of art.

Joel Brown is an American dancer based in London. He has toured extensively with Brown Rice Productions and AXIS Dance Company from 2011-2014 and is currently engaged with Candoco Dance Company since 2015. He has performed works by and collaborated with choreographers such as Yasmeen Godder, Arlene Phillips, Alexander Whitley, Trisha Brown, Yvonne Rainer, Marc Brew, and others. Joel was nominated for an Isadora Duncan Award for "Outstanding Achievement in Performance" in 2013 and was recently awarded an "Emerging Artist" grant from Unlimited to create a new duet with himself and former Scottish Ballet principal dancer, Eve Mutso. Rachel Elderkin is a freelance dancer and dance writer based in London. Her dance writing can be also be read in the Stage, londondance.com, Exeunt and British Theatre Guide. She is a member of the UK's Critics' Circle, and has previously written for publications including Fjord Review, the Skinny (Scotland) and LeftLion (Nottingham) where she was Art Editor. Credits: Host: Rachel Elderkin Guest: Joel Brown Editing and production: George Bushaway Produced for Fjord Review

Joel Brown (Axis, Candoco Dance Company) on becoming a dancer.