JAM Joe and Michelle's Dance Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Hey Jam Fam!  Our episode today features a creator and dance educator making moves in NYC.  Originally from Italy, Amanda Spilinga has founded her own company and created a style of movement fusing the fundamentals of contemporary, jazz and hip hop that brings energy to her style.  We hope you enjoy todays episode! Amanda Spilinga started her journey of becoming a versatile artist...

Send us Fan Mail Our episode this week features the truly talented Matthew Donnell!  An educator, professional ballet dancer, published author and Dad, we hope you enjoy our conversation. Matthew C. Donnell is a native of Mt. Airy, North Carolina. He received his formal training from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) and the Rock School of Pennsylvania Ballet. He spent hi...

Send us Fan Mail Tara Harrison is our guest today, and we take a look at the wellness side of dance and fitness.  Thank you Tara for sharing your time and story with us and our listeners Tara is the owner and operator of Resilient Fitness Inc with over 15 years of Pilates and GYROTONIC® instruction experience.  After a dance injury in 2004, Tara turned to Pilates and GYROTONIC® as part of her reha...

Send us Fan Mail We loved talking with Daniel Gold and we know you will love listening to this episode! Daniel Gold is an NYC based artist that stretches in numerous areas of the arts world. They work as a performer, choreographer, teacher, and try to bring artists together through their non profit, Leg Up On Life. They have toured across the country on the 1st National Broadway revival tour of Mi...

Send us Fan Mail Former Radio City Rockette, Keisa Parrish joins us this week with a great discussion on goals (past and present), wellness and how to make the most out of all your experiences. Keisa Parrish has been teaching dance and choreographing for the past 25 years, judging dance competitions for the last 17 years and helping to develop dance programs for over 15 years. She is a graduate of...

Send us Fan Mail Hey Jam Fam!  We are excited to share today's episode with you, featuring Phil LaDuca!  We know you know the name for being the shoe maker to the stars, but there is so much more to his story.  Thank you Phil for honesty and carving out time for us!   Most recognize the name LaDuca as the pinnacle of dance shoes, but before shoes, there was Phil LaDuca, the performer, who wen...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back Jam Fam!  Hard to believe we are streaming our 4th season, but we couldn't be happier.  We can't wait to share with our Jam Fam the great guests and their stories this season.  Thank you to all of our listeners and followers.  We do this for you!  Let us know how we are doing and drop us a line to tell us who you want to hear from and what kind of stories yo...

Send us Fan Mail What an incredible season this was.  Thank you to all of our guests for taking the time to sit with us and share their passion and knowledge. Thank you to our listeners for tuning in and being our Jam Fam!   We hope you enjoy our recap of season 3! Thank you for listening Jam Fam!  Make sure you follow us across social media and don't forget to like and subscribe anywhere you...

Send us Fan Mail We are so honored to have Dr. Chelsea Pierotti back to close out season 3 and give us some insight with working with our students.  We hope you enjoy this Mind, Body and Soul episode Chelsea Pierotti, Ph. D. is a Sport Psychology Consultant for dancers through her organization, Passionate Coach LLC. As a former professional ballet dancer and dance team coach she focuses on mental...

Send us Fan Mail A fun episode with our guest and friend, Allynn Simons ALLYNN SIMONS - is an NYC based freelance casting director who has the pleasure of casting for TV/Film, commercials, theater and print.  She holds a B.A. in Musical Theater with a minor in dance from Point Park University.  While in school, Allynn was chosen to dance in original pieces choreographed by Kiesha LaLama and Kiki L...

Send us Fan Mail A fun conversation with our guest, Oren Korenblum! Oren Korenblum is an NYC-based artist, performer, choreographer, dance instructor, and the founder/director of O.K. DANCE Company.   He is a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in New York City.  He has trained as a tap and jazz instructor at the International Dance Teacher’s Association (IDTA), as well as...

Send us Fan Mail We are excited to bring you our second episode in our Mind, Body and Soul series with guest, Shannon Dooling-Cain Shannon Dooling-Cain was born in New Mexico, grew up dancing in the suburbs of Philadelphia, and moved to Arizona in 2016 after spending six years in the Washington, D.C. metro area. She enjoys a multi-faceted career as a dance educator, choreographer, performer, arts...

Send us Fan Mail We hope you enjoy our episode with  Lesley Mealor as much as we did! Lesley Mealor has been professionally involved in all facets of the dance world for the past 15 years. Originally from Marietta, GA, Lesley grew up dancing under the instruction of her mother, Brenda Mealor, at The Dancers Studio. She then went on to graduate from Oklahoma City University with a degree in Dance P...

Send us Fan Mail Our first episode in the Mind, Body and Soul series features Anna Meighan! Anna is a licensed professional counselor in the state of PA and a recreational and competitive tap dance teacher at Donna's school of dance in Murrysville PA. She grew up dancing competitively at Rosalene Kenneth Professional School of dance, under direction of Rosalene Kenneth, Donna Denmark (deemark...

Send us Fan Mail We have talked to so many great guests, and we find that a lot of our conversations on the podcast talk about wellness and health.  We have decided to start a series on JAM, focusing on the mind, body and soul.  No, we are not experts, but as long time dance educators, we feel that there is a need in the industry.  Our guests are professionals in their fields and we hope that you...

Send us Fan Mail A wonderful chat today with incredible educators, Kristin Deiss and Michelle Loucadoux Kristin Deiss and Michelle Loucadoux have a shared sixty years in the dance industry. Both have worked extensively as professional dancers and are well-versed and experienced in the realm of dance education. After working together in the education field for seven years, the idea of Danscend was...

Send us Fan Mail A wonderful talk with our friend, Brandon Kelly Brandon Kelly (he/him) is an NYC-based choreographer, dancer, and teacher. He strives to cultivate teachings that combine dynamic movement, musicality, and engaging storytelling. He has created entertainment experiences for cruise ships, theme parks, and events around the world. Choreography credits include: Escape to Margaritaville...

Send us Fan Mail We were so lucky to speak with the queen of precision dance, Kenna Morris Garcia! Kenna has had a performing and teaching career that has taken her all over the world. After graduating from the Youth Performing Arts School (Louisville, KY), she attended the University of Oklahoma where she studied modern dance and earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Therapy. Kenna cont...

Send us Fan Mail Hayley Podschun takes the mic as our guest this week! Hayley Podschun was last in Sacramento as Penny Pingleton in Hairspray ('08).  Broadway: Wicked (Glinda, National Tour), Hello, Dolly!, Something Rotten, Chaplin (Mildred Harris), Anything Goes, Pal Joey, Sunday in the Park..., Hairspray, The Sound of Music .  Film/TV: Hairspray (Tammy), Fleishman is in Trouble (FX on Hulu...

Send us Fan Mail Such a blast talking to Leonard Sullivan on this weeks episode! Leonard E. Sullivan made his broadway debut performing in the Book of Mormon .  A Detroit native; Nat’l tours;  Book of Mormon , Hairspray, Disney’s High School Musical ,  European tours;  A Chorus Line, Smokey Joe’s Café , And The World Goes Round .  He has performed at the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre,  Maltz Jupiter...

Send us Fan Mail This week we feature, Courtney Ortiz! Courtney Ortiz, a native of,Baltimore, MD, is a 2007 youngARTS award winner in Modern Dance. Her professional career has allowed her to travel the world performing and teaching in places such as: Dubai, Canada, Alaska, Mexico, Spain, Germany, Australia and France. Her career spans from stage to screen with credits including: Company Member wit...

Send us Fan Mail Season 3 kicks off with the incredibly talented, Will B. Bell! Will B. Bell began his formal training with the dance competition circuit at the age of 15 in the Baltimore area. After high school, Will attended Towson University where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance Performance. During his collegiate years, Will had the opportunity to train in prestigious summ...

Send us Fan Mail Thank you to all of our wonderful guests that shared with us this season!  We are so lucky to have such wonderfully talented, educated and humble artists willing to share a little of their personal stories and the journey that got them to where they are today.  We hope you enjoy a recap with Joe and Michelle Thanks for listening Jam Fam! Thank you for listening Jam Fam!  Make sure...

Send us Fan Mail Jam Fam, this episode is incredible.  Thank you to our guest, Lainie Sakakura, for lending your knowledge, humor and memories to this episode.  We were honored to have you as our guest.   LAINIE SAKAKURA is a NYC based writer, director, choreographer, educator. Most recently directed the new musical, Corner of Bitter and Sweet adapted from New York Times Best Seller, Hotel on the...

Send us Fan Mail Another great episode with another fantastic guest!  Thank you Rory Freeman for sharing your time with us and sharing your incredible journey as an artist. Rory Freeman most recently performed with recording artist Rita Ora at the People’s Choice Awards. He was a Principal Dancer with  Shaping Sound on the brand new show “After The Curtain.” He has toured with the company for the...