Voice of the Artist

Content Warning: Suicide Sandy chats with Matt Pierrot, a veteran musician and businessman who has spearheaded a unique project called Bez Kept Secrets - a collaborative album and visual art project. Matt trained in his early years at Capilano University and then went on to spend the next number of years as part of a touring band and has now settled into a prolific life as owner of Bold Merchandis...

Sandy chats today with Serena Crouse about persevering in your career as a performer. Serena is an exceptional and passionate force of dance and performance throughout many areas of the entertainment industry. As an artist with who lives and works on both sides of the border as a US-Canadian Citizen, Serena has made her way from notable young “beyond her years” performer to an early presence in fi...

This week Sandy chats with Rachael Poirier, who has been a renowned dance instructor and award-winning choreographer since 1991. Rachael's choreography has captivated audiences across the world and has won numerous awards for their innovative style and originality. Rachael founded Danzmode Productions in 1994, which quickly established itself as one of Vancouver's elite dance institutions...

Sandy speaks with dancer and Choreographer Jeff Dimitriou about the challenge of fending for yourself in the dance industry—of agents and managers and a sustainable career, but then also some of the more distressing aspects of navigating it as a young dancer. Jeff is a seasoned dance professional who has created for film, television, world ceremonies, theatre, live events, and art installations. H...

Sandy welcomes career dancer, talent scout and choreographer Rick Tjia to discuss his notable life as a dance professional. From performing with various Ballet companies, to a company member in LaLaLa Human Steps to a Dance Specialty Talent Scout for Cirque de Soleil to developing online dance & choreography resources Rick has run the gamut of what a dancer can find to embark on as a full and...

Sandy speaks with dance artist and choreographer Sean Smith about the keys to sustaining a career in dance—about being malleable, disciplined, professional and tenacious. Sean has had a robust experience in numerous dance schools and companies and has continued to be sought after as a performer and choreographer.

Sandy chats today with Kirsten Wicklund, Director of Ballet Edmonton about life in a professional dance company. Kirsten is a lifelong dance artist and her years of training span numerous renowned dance training programs including Pacific Dance Arts, The Goh Ballet, The Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Modus Operandi to name a few and her professional career has had her involved with the Washington Balle...

Sandy chats with Menina Fortunato, dance business mentor and podcaster. Menina has been 3 decades in the dance industry involving herself on stage, in front of the camera and behind the scenes on numerous notable productions, tv shows and films—having collaborated with such artists as Brittany Spears, Beyoncé, Pink, Earth, Wind & Fire and many more. She is the mother of 3 and founder of “The B...

Over the past month our team has been in contact with our online community & have collected audio recordings from former students, teachers & friends to share with Sandy during this special episode. During this episode Sandy will be answering and asking questions for our listeners so stay tuned until the end.

Sandy chats today with a group of young dancers who are part of a pre-professional dance training program. They’re going to touch on the many opportunities and diverse dance journeys that are available to them and how they are approaching the idea of dance as a career.

Today Sandy chats with a whole family of artists - Linda Arkelian, David & Joylyn Secunda. Linda is involved in Ballet, Contemporary/Modern, Acting/Musical Theatre, David is a Writer|Visual Artist|Theatre Director, and Joylyn is an actor, dancer, mime, and puppeteer. They talk about sustaining life in the arts and how their collaborative work as a family has brought a wealth of creative synerg...

Sandy chats today with emerging dance artist, Kaitlin Cheung. Kaitlin is a contemporary dance artist who is currently a member of Ballet BC Annex. Kaitlin gives us some insights into the journey of establishing a career in dance. She is a recent graduate from the Modus Operandi Training Program and has worked with many notable choreographers.

Sandy chats today with physiotherapist, Erika Mayall, who has a special interest in dance medicine and science. As a former elite dancer, Erika’s passion lies in treating dancers and other performing artists. She has a keen interest in not only treating injuries, but also in injury prevention and maximizing performance potential in dancers.  They will be talking about how to develop a healthier, m...

Sandy Chats today with Shine Dance Festival Director, Tamara Thompson Levi. Tamara is a lifetime dance artist with a background in television, commercials and music videos as well as being a dance mentor, who leads programs that bridge communities and empower dancers, educators and business owners. She is deeply committed to promoting a wellness-centred approach to dance culture, has a Youth Prote...

Co-hosts Sandy and Danielle chat about the highlights of this season and add some of their own commentary on things that matter to them. Danielle Harvey is a seasoned dancer, choreographer and performer who now also enjoys being a mom. Sandy Rosen is a studio owner, dance mentor and choreography coach who owns and runs Bez Arts Hub.

Sandy and Danielle chat with Sherrie Scherger about choreography, inspiration and adjudication. Foundationally trained in RAD Ballet, Jazz and Tap, Sherrie was further educated in Dance/Music history, anatomy, kinesiology at Grant MacEwan. She has been an educator for 35yrs and adjudicator for over 20yrs. As a professional she has been principal dancer with various companies, is an international c...

Sandy and Danielle chat with Amelie Lavoie about the pleasure of getting people dancing and the joys and challenges of studio ownership. Amelie has carved out a dynamic professional dance career placing her in high demand within the entertainment industry, performing in various professional shows and teaching workshops. Amelie just can’t get enough of dance, so when she can’t perform or take a cla...

Sandy and Danielle interview accomplished dance artist, Kate Franklin. Kate has spent this time training, performing, producing, administrating, educating and creating. She has performed in works by nearly 50 different choreographers/creators/directors over the course of her career so far. Kate is now, as she was 20 years ago, a passionate, open-minded, optimistic and curious dance artist. She lov...

Sandy and Danielle chat with emerging artist, Tessa Davies to talk about the process of choosing and training in dance for a sustainable career. Tessa is a pre-professional dance artist and dance instructor who has set her sites on a career in dance. She trained in dance through her elementary and then high school years and now is about to complete a 4 year post-secondary dance training program (B...

Sandy and Danielle chat with veteran dance artist Carla Catherwood about building a healthy, holistic life as a mover. Carla Catherwood’s career has spanned almost three decades as a movement teacher, creator and facilitator, and 20 years building businesses as an entrepreneur. As she says she has “woven a unique path one step at a time.” In 2020, when the world shifted, she knew it was time to ex...

Sandy and Dannielle chat with Ashley Sweett about dance and motherhood and the ever-changing role that balances between the two.   Ashley is a dance artist who has collected 20 years of experience working locally and has had a broad and immersive experience in a variety of opportunities from film to stages to television to interdisciplinary work, making her mark amongst notable artists as perfomer...

Sandy and Danielle Harvey chat with Danielle Jeal about getting dancers and instructors organized and inspiring confidence in the classroom. Danielle Jeal is a  dance artist, instructor, and writer  from Vancouver, BC. Over the past twelve years Danielle has followed her passion, teaching, choreographing, and reviewing screen dance across the lower mainland. She created  Exult Dance  as a movement...

Sandy and Danielle chat with veteran dancer, teacher, choreographer, performer, Suzanne Ouelette about the evolution of dance and the dance community/industry. Originally from Vancouver, Canada Suzanne is well-known in the Canadian Dance and Theatre community, having performed on stage and screen as an actor, dancer and singer for over 40 years. She is a master ballet teacher, a stretch and body c...

Rachelle is a career dancer who spent years in Dance Academies, on cruise ships, in dance companies and as a dance instructor, but chronic pain began to force her to delve into other territories of creativity, specifically visual art - initially it became a way to cope with the dance void in her life, but it gradually became a “obsession”. Since 2010, she has made it her goal to create art every d...

Laura is a Vancouver, Canada based photographer focused on creating intentional and authentic portraiture, movement, and lifestyle images for all her subjects. Laura Zeke Photography was born out of Laura’s own love for dance. Growing up as a dancer has given Laura a particularly attuned eye to exceptional movement images, as well as essential communication skills to bring the best out of dancers ...