DanceSpeak

Welcome to episode 76 of the DanceSpeak podcast with Viktor Manoel. This episode brings you a little closer to Viktor, a very important dancer in BOTH the underground scene as well as the commercial dance world. Do I start with his connection to David Bowie or being on the first Star Search, or that he's the last left person standing from the 1st generation of dancers who started a dance style/for...

Welcome to episode 75 of the DanceSpeak podcast! This is where I give away the keys that played a vital part in my opportunities to work for Prince, having this very podcast right here that you are listening to, work for the WNBA, and the projects that I continue to churn out and enjoy working on. I cringed while writing the title, as I don't want it to sound like a gimmick, but really... This epi...

Welcome to episode 74 of DanceSpeak with Fresh Redding! Credits Include: Kendrick Lamar, Pharell, Justin Bieber, Will. I.Am, Busta Rhymes, America's Best Dance Crew, Nike, DWTS, Kia and more. Fresh has proven himself to be an accomplished dancer, choreographer, and a true entrepreneur. With a clothing brand, event company, and management company, Fresh epitomizes what it can look like to do it all...

Welcome to episode 73 of the DanceSpeak podcast with Derrell Bullock, Lee Daniel, Sienna Lyons, and Donyelle Denise. I'd like to start with how much I look up to this group of individuals. They have been in the dance world for a long long time working hard on their craft and each one is an exceptional teacher as well. This is a snapshot of where we were at this time: the end of 2017 and our though...

Sarah Elgart is a choreographer, director, and producer who’s scope of work and ability will blow your mind. To give you a taste: Sarah has created sight specific work in locations including LAX and LACMA, directed (yes, DIRECTED) the Mickey Mouse Club in the days of Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake, choreographed everything from the circus in Japan to Star Trek, writes a bi-weekly published c...

What do Justin Bieber, Beyoncé, Paula Abdul, Missy Elliott, Chris Brown, Omarion, You Got Served and Christmas trees have in common? Michael Vargas. They have Michael Vargas common. Before even sitting down to formally start the interview, Michael was sharing unbelievable stories that had me transported to wherever and whenever they took place. In this episode we hop around, as Michael shares open...

Episode 70 brings in Jose 'Hollywood Ramos' a creative spirit with a relentless work ethic. I have always been an excited viewer of Jose's career, as his hustle reminds me of P.Diddy's no-holds-barred style of executing his vision with finesse. In order of discussion, here are some of the notes on topics that we explore within the interview: - Jose's time as a counselor and daycare teacher - What...

Episode 69 of DanceSpeak with Cat Cogliandro blows the lid off surface talk and goes straight for the soul of what one might go through in this industry. As Cat says: "I was not put on this earth to keep my mouth shut." Here are some of the topics we go through in this episode: - How Cat defines the genre of contemporary dance - Cat's lesser known influences - How Cat takes care of her body - Cont...

When I saw Codie Wiggins 'killing it' next to Justin Timberlake during the most recent Superbowl Halftime Show... I thought to myself: we NEED to re-release his story. Episode 68 of DanceSpeak highlights these snippets from his original 2016 interview: How hard his parents worked and the seeds it planted for Codie, choreographing for Usher while working at Dunkin Donuts, how Codie got into dance,...

At last, we have reached the much-anticipated episode 67 of DanceSpeak with Nicole Kirkland (Prince, Iggy Azalea, Kehlani, Cee-lo Green). Here we are in the 'wild west' of social media where class videos and 'influencer' clout has become the center of both praise and controversy. I know that the heartache surrounding the negative impacts of social media on dance class culture and the art have been...

Welcome to episode 66 of the DanceSpeak podcast! After receiving such positive feedback on the group episode with Derrell, Andye J, and Hollywood, we decided to deliver to you the last segment of this recorded time we had together. We first focus on the idea of support and really GET INTO IT. What does support look like? What kind of problems can lack of support in the dance community cause? What...

Episode 65 of DanceSpeak takes us into the new year with solid steps on how to approach goal-setting and intentionally causing movement in your life. We start off with a conversation around Tia Rivera's path as a motivational speaker and coach (in addition to her role as dancer/choreographer). Then we delve into how you can bring your goals into reality in a way that is feasible and easily-applied...

I had a ball co-hosting this episode with Derrell Bullock where we follow our 'Happy Hour' format (thank you Derrell) as we get into nitty gritty dance topics with Jose "Hollywood" Ramos and Andye Jamieson. We forget the mic is there and get into conversations that cover a wide range from when to give and take critique, to the teachers' journeys to becoming household names... agency talk (even on...

Chris Dupré is the quintessential dancer, choreographer... CREATIVE being. With credits that include Janet Jackson, Prince, and Diana Ross (literally, that's just a SLIVER of his resume...) and decades of experience under his belt, Chris is one of the most knowledgeable people on and in the dance industry. Chris shares on-the-job experiences from his professional career that started while in Middl...

I was going to jokingly dub this episode 1000 f--kin questions, as Derrell Bullock (credits incl Madonna, Madonna, Madonna) and I were discussing the universal (I think) post-class time where students gather around and start asking questions. Now, first, please know how much I/We LOVE students/people/humans/aliens/dancers asking questions. However, there is one vital question around improvement th...

Besides having very cool names, Brazil Siqueira and Kalyne Leonhardt are a power couple with a lot to offer the world. In this short-and-sweet interview, the two co-founders/presidents of Brazil-Lionheart Entertainment, share the do's and don't of entering a business relationship with a close friend or romantic partner. Additionally, we talk about how to balance personal life with business, the ty...

Episode 59 of DanceSpeak with Yusuf Nasir is not for the faint of heart! Yusuf, the passionate choreographer, seasoned dancer, incredibly intelligent teacher, shares his thoughts, his dreams, his disappointments, and his inner-workings with honesty and vulnerability. Before I go on, I HIGHLY recommend looking up Yusuf's work, because upon seeing it, you will WANT to know what his artistic process...

Nearly a year ago, in my first interview with Brazil, we learned about the son of two dancers whom proved himself in his young teens years as a video editor and directed video projects for artist whom I still DREAM of meeting. In this interview, we dance in conversation... beginning with the art of networking and how to affect your state, Brazil both informs me on how to sharpen my meeting-people...

Antoine Troupe is definitely one of those people I have an unlimited list of questions for. In less than a decade he has managed to become globally recognized, work with the legend, Prince, favorite artists such as Chris Brown, and new top artists including Kehlani. As if that's not impressive enough, Antoine is one of the co-founders of the KreativMndz Dance Academy and has recently launched his...

Episode 56 with Soraya Lundy (Missy Elliott, Drake, Alicia Keys and more...) represents my original vision of DanceSpeak: It is a full no-holds-barred conversation on life and dance, where we forget that there is a device to record our shenanigans and go IN. Soraya, as a dancer/choreographer/teacher who has done very well in the dance industry, has a clarity on her purpose as a mover, and a non-co...

Episode 55 brings you the inner workings, thoughts, and journey of the renowned Teacher/Choreographer/Dancer: Lee Daniel. Our interview moves across topics including preparation vs. luck, having a life outside of dance, and a breakthrough way of looking at time as something we construct rather than rush against. Lee allows us in on his earlier years in Los Angeles, as he 'figured out' how to creat...

Episode 54 introduces you to Melanie Buttarazzi, who is a dancer extraordinaire and founder of the non-profit organization: Fostering Dreams Project. In this interview, we explore the mindset that has allowed Melanie to pursue her successful career while building an organization, a way to be able to discern one's own intuition, and what it takes to build a non-profit. Melanie shares very touching...

She's down to earth. A Beatfreak. Worked as supervising choreographer and stand-in for... Madonna. Had a 4.3 GPA in school. Toured the world with Pink. Is choreographer for Magic Mike 1, 2, and Magic Mike Live. And makes sure to meditate for 10 minutes every day. Who is she? Alison Faulk! Get ready for Episode 53 of DanceSpeak Alison Faulk openly speaks about her journey from dancing as a child, t...

Episode 52 features the fascinating, the inspiring, the intelligent: Teresa Espinosa. The topics we cover are so varied that I am struggled to write this with eloquence, but I will do my best! When we speak about her contribution as a teacher, we dig through the debate of what it takes to be a teacher, as well as how Teresa has utilized her life experience to shape her classes. As a dancer and cho...