Fostering Creativity & Building Community: a dance education podcast Halle Mathieson

Hello and welcome back to the podcast! Today’s episode is a really unique one, as I will be talking with one of my first dance instructors, and in fact the first one who ever believed in me. Jenny McGrath (she/her) is the current owner of Fairgrieve School of Dance in western Pennsylvania, USA . Fairgrieve is a studio over 100 years old and boasts an impressive former student: the fabulous Gene Kelly! But history aside, "Miss Jenny" has set the precedent for how I approach dance pedagogy today. Running a dance studio full-time, Jenny has dedicated her passion to opening doors for those who want to explore their love for movement in a safe, non-competitive environment.

True to Miss Jenny's brand, she doesn't have public social media. And that's absolutely okay! Instead, keep scrolling to learn a bit about Jenny's dance studio, Fairgrieve School of Dance, and check out their website (listed below) to keep up with her adventures.

Fairgrieve School of Dance has taught the art of dance to students throughout Pittsburgh since 1919 and has served the North Pittsburgh region for over 50 years! Located in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, we are approximately 20 minutes north of Pittsburgh. Holding a strong belief that while dancers are athletic, dance is foremost an art and not a sport. We do not participate in dance competitions choosing instead to artistically and technically develop our students through classroom instruction and performance. Our performance opportunities include our annual recital as well as local community days, the Oakmont Lion's club annual show, Idlewild Park and Walt Disney World. These provide very positive experiences for our students at every age. We enhance our dance program by taking advantage of the wealth of professional venues and performers in Pittsburgh by hosting master classes with company artists, attending events in the cultural district and surrounding areas, and inviting professionals to share their knowledge on varieties of subjects concerning dance wellness. We rise to the challenge of creating a dance environment of age appropriate music, choreography, and costuming that reflects the values of ourselves and our families! We are very happy to answer any questions that you have!

https://www.fairgrieveschoolofdance.com/

FC&BC is dedicated to accessibility! Please email hallemathieson@gmail.com for this episode's transcript. Feel free to pop me a message to discuss any additional needs.

Welcome back, everybody! In this episode, I’m chatting with Pittsburgh-native dancer, choreographer, fitness practitioner and entrepreneur Maria Caruso (she/her). I had the incredible privilege of being one of Maria’s students while attending my Alma Mater, La Roche University. As part of Maria's unique program, I both trained with and taught for Bodiography, simultaneously existing in the professional dance world whilst still earning my degree. In the short time after graduating, Maria has become an off-Broadway phenomenon and continues to spreads her message and impact throughout the wider dance world. Tune into this episode to hear a bit about how she balances the many facets of her professional career, translates her experiences into valuable lessons for students, and defines creativity through her unique "dance as language" model.

Keep scrolling for Maria's bio, then be sure to give her a follow online to keep up with her adventures. Select social media and platforms listed below.

Full Biography
Maria Angelica Caruso is an American born dancer, choreographer, actor, director, producer, publisher, academic, social activist, fitness and wellness practitioner, and entrepreneur.  Chair of the Performing Arts Department at La Roche University, she is also the CEO of M-Train Productions, which houses Pittsburgh’s Movement Factory studios and theater, publishing editor of The Arts Inclusive, and leader of a network of interwoven companies that operate under the Bodiography brand.  This network of performance, wellness, production, and fitness entities are known for their commitment to health and wellness in the arts and their championing of positive change in communities regionally and globally. Caruso received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in performing arts and dance from Florida State University at age nineteen, and shortly after, earned a Master of Science Degree in Professional Leadership with an emphasis on management for non-profit organizations from Carlow University. Her dance career, spanning over two decades, is highlighted by her work with the world’s most prominent classical and contemporary companies, and she is known for her impeccable classical ballet technique nuanced by her strong roots in the modern dance vernacular.
Her work has been the foundation of significant collaborations with the likes of the Martha Graham Contemporary Dance Company, Buglisi Dance Theatre, Israel’s Karmiel Dance Festival, Brazil’s Cisne Negro, and numerous independent artists across the globe.  In 2011, Bodiography was trademarked as a movement vocabulary and it formed the basis of Caruso's unique research-based choreographic process.  During this time her movement vocabulary was codified as a language, and this systematization propelled her educational outreach efforts by appealing to a broad spectrum of audiences. These efforts provided her with an expansive portfolio of choreographic and teaching engagements at hundreds of conservatories, universities, and companies in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas.  In addition to her artistic efforts, the development of her Bodiography Fitness and Strength Training System and Bodiography Dance Movement Therapy System further catapulted her beyond the arts arena and into the fitness and wellness realm.
With the success of her artistic, fitness, and dance movement therapy endeavors growing the Bodiography organization, Caruso has also fulfilled her passion for education through the growth and restructuring of the dance program that she leads at La Roche University and her private dance conservatory in Pittsburgh.  Every day, Caruso is excited to watch the fusion of her multi-genre conservatory, Bodiography Center for Movement, with her La Roche University and professional programs, as their synergy impacts hundreds of young aspiring artists. Her students flourish in the top dance programs and companies in the world, and she is proud to watch her college grad

Welcome back, everyone! For Episode Two I'm jumping "across the pond" to discuss artistic practice with UK-based choreographer and dance practitioner Joss Arnott (he/him). Joss boast diverse experiences with his own professional dance company, Joss Arnott Dance, as well as with higher education through the University of Salford's MA Performance and Professional Practices program. He takes some time to talk about what creativity and collaborative practice means to him, as well as reminding us that we're all human at the end of the day. Aspiring choreographers, tune in for a range of topics that will feed your artistic practice and get you excited to jump into the wider dance industry.
Keep scrolling for Joss's bio, then be sure to give him a follow online to keep up with his adventures. Select social media and platforms listed below.

Full Biography
Founding Joss Arnott Dance in 2010, Joss is an internationally award-winning choreographer who has been supported and commissioned by leading UK dance agencies, venues and funding organisations. Recently shortlisted for One Dance UK's People's Choice Award, Joss has been commissioned to create work on professional dance companies including Rambert and for leading dance conservatoires. His artistic vision is fuelled by creating a portfolio of work for a diverse range of audiences which are at the heart of everything he produces, including indoor, outdoor and family oriented productions.
Joss has been a Focus Group Artist for Sadler's Wells National Youth Dance Company, BBC Young Dancer consultant and has worked with and produced multiple works for national Centre for Advanced Training Schemes. He is also a featured artist for AQA's 2020/21 Performing Arts Qualification. He received his first international dance award in 2016 for his solo work 'V' for Outstanding Choreographic Musical Interpretation and Dance Technicality from WARSAWZawirowania Dance International.
2018 marked the year of the newly formed partnership between Joss Arnott Dance and the University of Salford with the launch of a new MA Dance Performance and Professional Practices programme that established EMERGENCE, now a leading postgraduate performance company, that tours newly commissioned performance work by internationally acclaimed choreographers annually. In 2019 he became an Associate Artist at Déda. Later this year, Joss Arnott Dance were selected to be part of Surf the Wave, UK Dance Showcase and joined the Without Walls Programme with 'PULSE!', a dance and live music duet created for the streets set around a 3.5m high percussion wheel designed by Lindbury Prize winning artist Eleanor Bull and engineered by Rolls-Royce.
2020 marks Joss Arnott Dance's 10th anniversary and the company celebrated this key milestone developing the 'DANCE:CONNECTS - PULSE! 2.0' initiative. With support from Arts Council England's Emergency Response Funding and commission funds from Pavilion Dance South West, JAD were able to financially support more than 25 independent dance artists and work with hundreds of people of all ages from across the world including Asia, Africa, Europe, Australia and the USA through online live workshops, tutorials and accessible pre-recorded Learn at Home Videos. The legacy in this work is through film documentation and the existing and new global relationships the company developed. This includes the British Council with both films being selected to be featured as part of the 2020 UK-China Contemporary Culture Festival.

http://jossarnottdance.com/
https://www.instagram.com/jossarnottdance/
https://www.instagram.com/emergence_dance/
https://www.facebook.com/jossarnottdance.danceconnects/

FC&BC is dedicated to accessibility! Please email hallemathieson@gmail.com for this episode's transcript. Feel free to pop me a message to discuss any additional needs.

Welcome to Episode One! I'm kicking off this podcast series by chatting with the fabulous Lindsay Viatori (she/her), an associate professor and dance practitioner based in western Pennsylvania, USA. Using rich imagery and analogies, Lindsay talks through her creative practice (which, like the cell walls in our bodies, is a continuously permeable experience) and many aspects of educating students who are preparing to go into the professional dance world. Lindsay also discusses the importance of questioning outdated teaching practices, creating safe dance environments, peer learning techniques, setting boundaries for yourself, and many more topics for aspiring dance educators.
Keep scrolling for Lindsay's bio, then be sure to give her a follow online to keep up with her adventures. Select social media and platforms listed below.

Full Biography
Dedicated dance professional. After graduating with the Sarah Graham Kenan Fellowship of Excellence from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in 2002, Lindsay spent the following 10 years working steadily in the New York City dance community. Performing with many companies ranging from post modern to contemporary ballet to musical theatre and film, her versatility has allowed her to perform throughout the United States and Europe. Her choreography has been presented at many prestigious venues such as the Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theater, St. Mark's Church and University Settlement and she was commissioned to create work for VIA Dance Collaborative, SUNY Fredonia and Slippery Rock University. Lindsay recently received her Masters of Fine Arts with a concentration in choreography from the University of Iowa where she was awarded the Strategic Initiative Fellowship for excellence in her field. While at the University of Iowa, she created the syllabus and implemented courses for Beginning Ballet, Intermediate Ballet, Intermediate Modern and Intermediate Jazz. She also served as a TA for Dance History. Many of her works have been adjudicated to be performed in University sponsored concerts and her duet "View from Inside" was selected to represent the University of Iowa at the American College Dance Festival Association conference in March 2014. She has served as the Artistic Director of the Butler Center for the performing Arts where she also taught Ballet, Pointe, Modern and Jazz in the pre-professional division from 2010-2016. Currently, she teaches advanced ballet and modern technique at Slippery Rock University. She also co-directs FORGE summer dance intensive, based in western Pennsylvania.

linkedin.com/in/lindsay-fisher-6b333552
https://www.instagram.com/datfitdancechic/

FC&BC is dedicated to accessibility! Please email hallemathieson@gmail.com for this episode's transcript. Feel free to pop me a message to discuss any additional needs.