The Dance Podcast

This is the last faculty Faculty Feature with The Moment Dance convention and we will be hearing from our show creator, Lauren Ritchie, as she is the Mental Skills Educator for dancers, teacher and parents at The Moment. Lauren shares her expertise on confidence, comparison, growth mindset, and the power of self talk as we pursue artistic and athletic growth.    Lauren Ritchie (MEd, BA, ESFCC) is...

A true legend! MARGUERITE DERRICKS is one of dance's most highly recognized and respected working choreographers. She is the first and only choreographer to have received three consecutive Emmy Awards for Outstanding Choreography, and is also the recipient of five MTV Movie Awards for Best Dance Sequence.   Marguerite's television credits include THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL, Netflix's GLOW, the revi...

This season we have been interviewing faculty from the newest dance convention experience called The Moment by KM Agency. Today we are speaking with Hip Hop educator and master teacher Draico. From his late introduction to dance, to comparison, to his Emmy nomination for the Aretha Franklin Story, to moving through creative blocks - we cover so much. Dondraico has created movement for artists like...

She is back for Round 3!  Liana believes that art is expressing one's self and their perspective honestly and vulnerably. That genuine expression permeates all aspects of her life and the connections she makes with others. As far as her career, Liana has been training dance since she was three, and choreographing, teaching, and dancing her way all over the world for the last 15 years working on TV...

Casey Gonzalez, an Arizona native, has always had a passion for movement. She graduated from The Ailey School Certificate program in 2012 and followed up with achieving a B.S. in Healthy Lifestyles and Coaching From Arizona State University, a classical comprehensive Pilates Certification and both GYROTONIC® and GYROKINESIS® Teacher Training certifications by 2017. Her dance career has bridged the...

Teddy Forance is a dancer, teacher, choreographer & entrepreneur in the dance industry. He has performed with Madonna, Janet Jackson, PINK, Usher, Lady Gaga, Florence & The Machine, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Kylie Minogue & Cirque Du Soleil. He has danced on the Oscars, Emmy's, AMA's, Billboard Awards, Britt Awards, Dancing With The Stars, ELLEN, & Good Morning America. He has choreographe...

Julia Pearson has been a dance instructor for the past 23 years, specializing in teaching children ages 2-12yrs in ballet, tap, and jazz. Ms. Julia has been a resident instructor at Danceology in San Diego, winner of 2022 Studio of the Year (The Dance Awards). She has coached & taught competitive dancers for the last two decades including national title winners, award-winning mini groups, and tik...

Blake Stanley is an internationally recognized educator, coach, and choreographer. He is a past mentee of contemporary dance legend Mia Michaels, and has spearheaded his own training method, Blake Stanley Techniques.   He received his formal education from many studios & educators across the USA, with most notable having been a full-scholarship student at the Indiana Ballet Conservatory. He consis...

Known for his signature smile and captivating dance moves, So You Think You Can Dance Season 12 fan favorite, Neptune, is a multi talented superstar! His fans highlight his ground breaking performances and charming personality. Neptune specializes in Freestyle (i.e. Krump & Popping) and Hip Hop. With no formal training, he surprised America and conquered every genre of dance thrown his way, includ...

Kim began training as a dancer at three years old. From the very start, she loved every second of dance. By age eight, she was training in ballet 30 hours a week, and at 12 years old she received 3rd in the nation at a National Tap Event sponsored by tap industry legend Gregory Hines. Mr. Hines was so impressed with Kim that he traveled to her studio in Dallas to give her a private lesson. At 24 y...

It has been another incredible season! In this episode, Lauren shares the words she needs to hear, a takeaway from 2020, and true facts about rest, recovery, high performance and pivots.    Lauren Ritchie Mental Performance and Mindset Educator, MEd, BA, ESFCC.   As a human, you can train three things: your mind, your body, and your craft. Lauren Ritchie has been studying, researching, and educati...

Julie McDonald is co-owner of McDonald Selznick Associates (MSA). She is the pioneer in the field of dance and choreography representation, having formed the first talent agency in 1985 devoted exclusively to dance. While breaking ground by representing her clients across all mediums of entertainment, she became an advocate for better terms and working conditions for dancers and choreographers and...

Erin is an online business coach for dance educators and host of the Dance Boss Podcast. She is a Jersey girl all the way, graduated from Montclair State University with a B.F.A. in Dance and received her Masters in Dance Education from New York University. Erin helps dance educators niche down, build an online business, and bring in additional revenue for them and their families. Erin began her c...

Matt Cady is an extremely creative, versatile, and dynamic choreographer and artistic instigator. Madonna said of his movement: "It's pristine.. wonderful staging." Adi Salant, Co-Artistic Director of Batsheva Dance Company, remarked: "His movement is very smart." An young introverted Matt started expressing himself in Sign Language freshman year of high school, which blossomed his interest in the...

Rosalynn Miller graduated from Point Park University, Conservatory of Performing Arts, with two dance degrees in 2008.  With a duel concentration in jazz dance and dance pedagogy (the art of teaching dance), Rosalynn, affectionately referred to as Roz by her students and peers, quickly landed teaching jobs at various prestigious dance establishments in the Pittsburgh area.  While in college she wa...

Known as one of "Tap's Leading Ladies" and cover girl for Dance Spirit magazine's Tap issue, Maud Arnold is a member of Syncopated Ladies and performed in their sold-out full-length concerts in Los Angeles, NYC, DC, and Dubai.    We dive deep into rejection and the mental skills needed for a long, healthy dance career. We pick apart topics like success, hustle and the impact of generosity and serv...

Lucie is a Chartered Psychologist and has published in peer reviewed articles, spoken at international conferences and worked with leading dance schools and companies across the world. After tears to both of Lucie's hips ended her dreams of a professional dance career, she redirected her curiosity and creativity towards a BSc Psychology from the University of Surrey. While there, Lucie quickly dev...

This one will leave you wanting more! Dana Wilson is a bright and vivacious content creator, choreographer, and performer. She illuminates everything she crosses from the worlds biggest stages to smallest cell phone screens. She may be best known for performing along side Justin Timberlake (on three world tours and at last year's Super Bowl Halftime Show), Dana's feature in Dance Magazine declares...

Richard Elszy is passionately dedicated to training the next generation of dancers through his technical expertise, and inspiring them with inventive and picturesque choreography. We talk about starting late as a dancer, how he had to work through alignment and his body type that wasn't technically ideal, the power of using imagery, the nerves that come with sharing his work on social media and on...

Expectations we put on our art and ourselves, how to cultivate our own self worth, embracing the growth and transitions as us  as artists and, of course, failure. We cover it all this week with Christie Lee Manning!   Christie Lee Manning is one of the UK's most versatile performers. Born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, Christie has worked with such artists as Lenny Kravitz, Nelly Furtado, and Mi...

Stacey Tookey  is back and sharing with us current industry conversions and plans, how she has become her own business, the true practice of self care and working through imposter syndrome.  After connecting with pre-professionals and professional dancers feeling lost and disconnected, Stacey has created a virtual program called The Bridge where dancers from around the world receive unparalleled t...

We talk about body-positive teaching, the impact of conscious educators and the impact of mindfulness within dance. She trained in the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) syllabus, and has completed their Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies (CBTS). She also trained at the San Francisco Conservatory of dance and performed professionally with Brisas de Espana, a Flamenco and Spanish dance company. She h...

She is back for round 2! Her first episode on the podcast, Episode 43, was a bomb of inspiration and love. Liana has worked with everyone from Britney Spears to Ricky Martin to Katy Perry. We loved her so much - we brought her back and this time to talk about her program, Body Language. Over the past few years, Liana has taken her love of dance and movement and brought back into an authentic exper...

Emmy Nominated Choreographer, and International tap star Chloé Arnold was discovered at a young age in Washington, DC by the legendary Debbie Allen. A leading lady of tap, Chloé has performed on stages around the globe and her choreography has been featured in over 50 episodes of The Late Late Show With James Corden, including the hit Crosswalk The Musical, Aladdin with Will Smith, Mena Massoud, a...

Let the inspiration flow! We are talking about goals and the complexity of goal setting, how to build confidence and the difference between performative success vs authentic love of the process and so much more. Justin Su'a is an Executive Coach for elite performers. He is currently with the Tampa Bay Rays (Previously Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Browns Organizations). He also travels the country...