DANCE +: Daily Summaries Delivered

275.DANCE + MARIE SPIELDENNER

Marie Spieldenner is a self-proclaimed “substitue that stays”. She's assisted and/ or danced for todays biggest artists/ directors/ campaigns and she is a brilliant example of how supporting others can fuel support of yourself. We sat down to talk about support systems, psychology, and all about the gig that made her unshakable on set (spoiler, it’s almost certainly not the gig you think it is). We explore: What it took to save a shot with a 40-person cast at 6 am The reward system of the entertainment industry The big-sister-little-brother dynamic with Robbie Blue that taught her the difference between feeling ready and BEING ready. This one's for anyone who needs to be reminded of their worth. Watch the episode here. Show Notes: Connect with Marie on IG Learn more about The Seaweed Sisters Show “Weed Oh No” Listen to their episode Learn more about Fostering Dreams Listen to Diana’s episode Listen to Meisha’s episode Listen to Taya’s episode For more DANA For coaching with me, join the WTMM COMMUNITY To shop for GOODIES & SERVIES Watch and Subscribe on YOUTUBE Stay connected with us on IG and TikTok

274. DANCE + THE SEAWEED SISTERS LIVE Q&A

273. DANCE + ALAIN HURRIKANE

272. DANCE + DANIEL “CLOUD” CAMPOS: Breathing Life Into Your Work

This is DANCE + DANIEL “CLOUD” CAMPOS Most people find one creative medium and stay. Cloud Campos found dance — then learned stop-motion, animation, PLUS directing because he refused to let a story outrun his tools. He joined me this week to talk about premiering unreleased work at CLOUDFEST, real budgets, and the dog slide that had an entire room convinced it was rotoscoped. Spoiler: it wasn't. It was muscle memory. We explore: The festival Cloud built himself and WHY Why freestyle dance is the perfect training for stop-motion + why every filmmaker SHOULD learn stop-motion Emotionally, mentally, + physically what it costs to create Cloud’s worlds This one's for the makers who hide their fingerprints in the details, hoping someone will find them. Watch the full episode here. Show Notes: Connect with Cloud on IG Watch “Macho Man” Watch “Into The Cosmos” Watch “Hey” Watch “Todays The Day” Read “Figure It Out!” Try out “Magic Poser” For more DANA For coaching with me, join the WTMM COMMUNITY To shop for GOODIES & SERVIES Watch and Subscribe on YOUTUBE Stay connected with us on IG and TikTok

271. DANCE + REBRANDING: Know When to Pivot

This is DANCE + REBRANDING. This episode is a masterclass in when and HOW to pivot using our very own podcast as the case study. I'm telling you why, why NOW, and HOW I moved from “Words That Move Me” to DANCE + Here’s what you can expect from our pivot: Same great content, new name, logo, iconography, and then some! Spoiler: Rebrands are as much MIND MANAGEMENT as they are BRAND MANAGEMENT. Pivots aren’t just about new directions; they are an exercise in negotiating where you put your weight. They're a conversation with self (inward) and a statement of self (outward) that can expose a TON of unwanted feelings. Get ready for all the juicy details: The moment I KNEW beyond a doubt that I needed to change the name of the podcast. How Toni Basil influenced the new title. Why I decided to SHIFT, not STOP. 271 episodes in. We're just getting (re)started. Watch the full episode on YouTube. Show Notes: Hire Bree Reetz for your Brand Design! Listen to DANCE + Will Loftis Listen to DANCE + Toni Basil For more DANA For coaching with me, join the WTMM COMMUNITY To shop for GOODIES & SERVIES Watch and Subscribe on YOUTUBE Stay connected with us on IG and TikTok

270. Bret Easterling: In J.O.D. We Trust

Bret Easterling has spent his entire life (even pre-birth!) dancing, and his entire career building worlds on stage, on screen, and inside the communities that make dance possible. A producer, Juilliard-trained and award winning choreographer, former Batsheva performer, founder of LGBTQ+ nonprofit BEMOVING, and one half of the creative duo EICHTERLING, Bret joined me this week to talk about what it actually takes to make a dance film, why the logistics always threaten to swallow the artistry, and what happens when you let something be easy. We explore: Bret’s new film “True Love Will Find You in the End”. WATCH IT HERE The Clown Car Theory of a creative process What gets cut and why, finding the ending no one planned, and what that says about following ease. Teaching as space-making: Why Bret is never really in the business of telling people what to do, and how the most important thing a teacher can do is make someone feel capable of discovering something new. This episode is for anyone who's ever let logistics push the love of the work to the back seat, and those who need a reminder that the Joy of Dance is always there, waiting. Watch the full episode here. Show Notes: Connect with Bret on IG Watch “True Love Will Find You In the End” For more DANA For coaching with me, join the WTMM COMMUNITY To donate to WTMM through our Fiscal Sponsor, THE DANCE RESOURCE CENTER To shop for GOODIES & SERVIES Watch and Subscribe on YOUTUBE Stay connected with us on IG and TikTok

269: Tali: Representation, Range, and the Right Job for You

Tali has spent 20+ years at every level of the dance world, with credits ranging from Rihanna and P!nk to the West End production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. She joined me this week to talk about what it really means to advocate for choreographers, why freestyle is one of the most advanced skills in the room, and how a single conversation got one of her clients double the offer. Spoiler: Productions will lowball until someone teaches them not to. Tali's decided that's part of her job too. We explore: Can we just be storytellers? Tali on representing Black and Brown choreographers in an industry that too often boxes them into Black and Brown stories, and why the chance to choreograph a fantastical world, post-COVID, felt like a gift. The pros and cons of freestylers showing up in more traditionally "choreographed" spaces. Production not batting an eye when she asked for double the rate for one of her clients: What that says about bottom-line culture, and why asking is always worth it. This episode is for anyone who's ever watched an artist undercharge, underestimate themselves, or wait for permission to take up more space. Watch the full episode here. Show Notes: Connect with Tali on IG Join Tali’s Programme: “identity/ideas/industry” Read the Choreographer’s Guild Handbook Read The Choreographer’s Handbook For more DANA For coaching with me, join the WTMM COMMUNITY To donate to WTMM through our Fiscal Sponsor, THE DANCE RESOURCE CENTER To shop for GOODIES & SERVIES Watch and Subscribe on YOUTUBE Stay connected with us on IG and TikTok

268.Karen Chuang: Follow the Spark

Karen Chuang is a dancer, teacher, and choreographer based in Los Angeles who has toured with Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, Kanye West, taught across nine countries, and built a career that moves fluidly between the commercial and contemporary dance worlds. Spoiler: Excellence alone won't get you (and *keep* you) the gig! We explore: The Jack Johnson T-shirt moment. A moment when the most important lesson of your career arrives in a phone call you never expected. “Wherever you go, there you are.” The quote Karen has carried with her for years — and what it actually means to embrace a circumstance that isn't your ideal one, reframe it with intention, and then decide whether to stay or move yourself somewhere new. Financial literacy for dancers. What Karen wishes dancers knew earlier about money, and how her approach to educating at conventions like Hollywood Vibe has shifted from when she first started, and why that evolution matters for the next generation coming up. Being the cool auntie (or not). Karen reflects on what it means to be connected to her nephews not as a career success story, but just as family. This episode is for every dancer who has ever been told to pick a style, a lane, or a world, and needed one person to show them what's possible when you don't. Watch the full episode here. Show Notes: Connect with Karen on IG Learn more about Hollywood Vibe Learn more about Pathways in Motion For more DANA For coaching with me, join the WTMM COMMUNITY To donate to WTMM through our Fiscal Sponsor, THE DANCE RESOURCE CENTER To shop for GOODIES & SERVIES Watch and Subscribe on YOUTUBE Stay connected with us on IG and TikTok