DanceSpeak

Welcome to episode 103 of DanceSpeak with Moncell IllKozby Durden. Moncell is currently on faculty at the widely respected USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. Not only does he teach at USC, but some of the universities where he has taught include Drexel, Yale, Princeton, NYU, The New School, and Temple University. What is even more impressive is that Moncell did not gain a degree from college, rat...

Welcome to episode 102 of DanceSpeak, recorded LIVE in front of a senior class at dancers at Chapman University. And whom did we interview? The wise and glowing goddess that is KAchi Alcazar (she's 24 but don't get it twisted, she's like a Lil' Yoda). Kachi originally entered the DanceSpeak world in a shared episode (episode 37) two years ago, as she was in the earlier part of her journey pursuing...

Call your mom, auntie, uncle, bff, ex boo, cousin and let them know DanceSpeak has made it to episode 100 and our guest is none other than THE Robin Antin! Robin has established herself over the years as a choreographer, producer, director, designer and entrepreneur. She is a BOSS LADY and in our humble opinion represents what it can look like to blow the roof off of what it looks like to be a suc...

Welcome to episode 99 of DanceSpeak with Dancer/Choreographer: Kaity Martinez. Kaity originally graced us with her presence in 2016 as episode 8 of DanceSpeak. At the time, she had clearly found her brand, her look, and was on a path to thrive in the dance world. Fast forward to 2019 to find Kaity has worked with some of our favorite artists and you may have seen her on Lipsync Battle but that jou...

Welcome to Episode 97 of the DanceSpeak podcast where we deliver you a recording of a panel discussion from Jojo Diggs' Im-Power-Meant weekend in Los Angeles. The panel includes Jojo Diggs (Jabbawockeez, Diggs Deeper), Myself (DanceSpeak, WNBA), Luis Almario (Physical Therapist/Dancer), Pamela Health (The "Yes" Coach), Dana Wilson (La La Land) and Jade "Soul" Zuberi (Winner of Body Talk 2019). The...

Holy Moly! We are up to episode 96 of the DanceSpeak Podcast and this time our episode 52 alum, Teresa Espinosa, is coming through for her second interview. She is on an unimaginable journey the world could've never expected to take place! Am I excited enough? A little background... Teresa Espinosa is a veteran dancer and choreographer with credits that include Magic Mike, Britney Spears, Janet Fr...

Welcome to episode 95 of DanceSpeak with Dominique Kelley. He's done Broadway, he's toured, he was in Disney's the Princess and the Frog, he's danced on film... and on your favorite TV shows, he's got wit for days, and will warm your heart. With over 25 years under his belt as a professional, Dominique is the epitome of a seasoned dancer. Topics that we explore in this episode include: what some o...

Welcome to episode 94 of the DanceSpeak podcast with Peter Pinnock, an influencer who aspires to inspire. Peter shares how he's made his career his own and the journey that has lead him to the opportunities he has today. Peter is as open and conversational as one can be as we dive into topics that include overcoming injury, recommendations to those considering traveling as a dance teacher, views o...

Episode 93 delivers a candid and poignant conversation with last week's guest, Amy Allen (Usher, Chris Brown, Britney Spears, Aaliyah, and more) and her mother, Betty Allen. As our interview with Amy was coming to an end, we found it impossible to ignore the fact that her mother, Betty, was in the room with morsels of insight to share. The conversation starts with a simple question: "What would yo...

Episode 92 sits us down with Amy Allen, the savvy and inspired dance extraordinaire with credits that include Jason Derulo, Chris Brown, Usher, Beyoncé, SNL, American Idol, Pitch Perfect, 2 VMA nominated videos for choreography and way way more. What adds a unique dimension to Amy is that she has worked closely with so many of the best of best within the dance world's top tier creatives, including...

Welcome to episode 91 of the DanceSpeak podcast with our guest: Jojo Diggs. When Jojo gave us her first interview in 2016 (episode 15), she blew us away with her unique perspective, clarity and strength in the way she has made many a life-shifting decisions. Two year later, Jojo has moved from L.A. to Vegas, is a member of the esteemed Jabbawockeez cast on the Vegas strip, and has taken on a major...

Episode 90 of DanceSpeak brings you a unique delivery of the podcast as a recorded coaching call between professional Life Coach: Tania Friedlander, and Dancer/Choreographer: Bryant Anderson. During the coaching call between Tania and Bryant, common issues that come up when taking the leap to pursue a passion as career, quickly surface and are powerfully explored. Within my 18 years in the dance w...

Welcome to Episode 89 of the DanceSpeak podcast with the beautiful Jasmine Rafael. You may have seen Jasmine dancing with Ariana Grande on the recent VMA's or in her class videos from Millennium. Of course, I had to geek out a little on Jasmine's teaching and ask her about how she prepares for her classes, etc, but, the heart of this episode lives in us having a REAL human-to-human conversation ab...

Welcome to episode 88 of the DanceSpeak podcast with Mel Mah. As a dancer, credits include Janet Jackson, Justin Bieber, Kanye West, Britney Spears, and more. As Mel has been pursuing directing, in addition to her own projects, she recently assisted the director on the film: The Hate U Give. That's a big deal y'all. This episode covers stories and insights from Mel's experiences as a professional...

Welcome to episode 87 of DanceSpeak with Devin Solomon and Jimmy Weeden. Both originally from Indiana, these two friends bring a sense of calm in their demeanor, with a work ethic that is undeniable. I believe that this episode fulfills on the podcast's intention to have listeners feel closer to the guests they listen to and hopefully more connected to the sometimes-enigmatic dance world. Devin an...

Welcome to episode 86 of DanceSpeak with Lauren Ritchie, the host and creator of the Dance Podcast. There is a relatively small number of dance podcast-ers out there, so I was not only geeked to 'meet' Lauren, but dumbfounded to find her to be such a passionate dance educator, with a background in fitness (like me) AND a major care for self-development (like me!). This interview will take you thro...

Episode 85 with Tim Milgram (T.Milly Creative) takes you on the journey with one of the most impactful creators behind some of the most popular dance content on your computer, phone, and TV screens. (Yes, I know this is a super bold/blanket statement, but it's true... look up Tim's work). In this episode we cover - Tim quitting his computer programing career to pursue dance - Tim’s transition from...

Episode 84 of DanceSpeak proudly presents a re-release of our 2016 interview with Chuck Maldonado. In this episode, you'll find Chuck Maldonado celebrating his 20th anniversary as a professional in the dance industry. Carrying a resume of over 28 feature films and work on hundreds of television shows, Chuck is clearly someone we can learn a lot from. One of the first jaw-dropping facts I learned i...

Welcome to episode 83 of the DanceSpeak podcast where we give you a POWERFUL DanceByte from our 2016 episode with Chuck Maldonado. In this conversation, Chuck shares his jaw-dropping testimony on how his dance career found him in the most unexpected of ways. For more of Chuck's story, check out the full interview re-released as episode 84.

You might know the guest for episode 82, Liana Blackburn, through her body language class, her daily dancer diet Instagram page, or from her abundant resume (credits include Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Selena Gomez, Glee and more). Regardless of which avenue in Liana's career inspires you most, it is clear in each facet of her life that she cares to empower others and is stopped at nothing in her p...

Galen Hooks has a resume and accolades that could make you gasp, pass out, wake up, review, and pass out again. To name a few artists Galen has worked with Janet Jackson, Justin Bieber, Usher, Ne-Yo, on LXD (League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), Dream Girls... Galen has advocated for dancers rights through her 10 years on the Dancers Alliance board and, oh yeah, she has a law degree. Beyond being a...

Welcome to episode 80 of DanceSpeak with Christina Shipp, CEO of Accelerated Artist. In this segment we focus on how to powerfully be YOU while thriving in your business/success as an artist. (Also...Christina is really fun to listen to, period... regardless of what you do, she's just that kind of gem). Topics that we cover (some of them, at least) are: GETTING UNSTUCK when you feel you've been ta...

Episode 79 with Gigi Torres is HERE, woot woot, and ready to give you a deep and guided look into how Gigi built her career as a world-renowned teacher, choreographer and community builder. What I found so fulfilling in my interview with Gigi was the core story of how a determined person in the dance world can make their own lane. Some of the highlights of the episode include: how Gigi manages her...

Welcome to DanceSpeak episode 78 with Mykell Wilson (Justin Bieber, Prince, Gnarles Barkley). I feel that this episode can really serve as motivation to a person in any given field, and feel so lucky that the dance world has so much of him. As a dancer, choreographer, public speaker, singer, teacher, and author, Mykell’s talent, tenacity, and grit, shows what an epic work ethic looks like and what...

Welcome to Episode 77 where we explore what the term 'Masterclass' means and how it can be utilized in the teaching world. I took an unorthodox approach and interviewed piano expert and world-renowned teacher/professor Edna Golandsky on this topic. With over 50 years of teaching experience under her belt, a degree from Julliard, and as founder of the Golandsky Institute, I saw the opportunity to g...