MOVERS & SHAPERS: A DANCE PODCAST

The personal stories, experiences, and ideas from those who shape the dance field.

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MSP 147: Annie Rigney

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PODCAST 147: Annie Rigney

Release Date: 12.26.22


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Dancing Across Continents, Finding Your Body, and Discovering the Ilan Lev Method With Annie Rigney

Who you are as an artist is undoubtedly influenced by the teachers you encounter along the way. Similarly, being exposed to different artistic practices can have a significant impact on your development. Today’s guest, Annie Rigney, started dancing at the tender age of three and hasn’t looked back since. She spent her childhood and teenage years rigorously honing her craft as a ballet dancer and even founded a local dance company with her friend, where she had her first experience as a choreographer. It was only after Annie arrived at the SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance that she became aware of the liberation that lay in other dance forms and approaches to movement. In our conversation, Annie recounts how she was first introduced to new techniques (like Graham and Gaga), the teachers that took the time to work with her one on one, and how these experiences gave her the tools to begin to move beyond the limitations of ballet. We hear about her time in Israel, her discovery of the Ilan Lev method, and why becoming an Ilan Lev practitioner was one of the best decisions she ever made. Annie then moves on to describe her return to New York, the culture shock she experienced after four years abroad, and how the American approach to dance and movement differs from those of Israelis. We wrap things up by discussing Annie’s recent return to choreography after a ten-year hiatus, why she felt she had needed to wait before returning to it, and what her plans are for the future. Annie’s love for dance is evident throughout this conversation, and the knowledge she has accumulated is nuanced, profound, and thought-provoking. Be sure to tune in to hear all this along with her wonderful insights on a range of fascinating topics, from healing through dance to the art of repetition! 

Key Points From This Episode:

  • Get to know today’s guest, Annie Rigney, and how she first fell in love with dance.
  • Annie’s love of music and her dedication to ballet throughout her childhood and teens.
  • The dance company Annie and her friend started as teens.
  • How running a dance company introduced Annie to choreography.
  • Annie’s time at SUNY Purchase and how she was introduced to modern dance.
  • The rigor, discipline, pain, and emotional abuse that characterized Annie’s early dance training.
  • How new dance techniques and teachers helped Annie rediscover her body.
  • The show by Batsheva that changed Annie’s plans to focus on choreography after college.
  • The Gaga dance course that Annie took with Bobbi Jene Smith and how it altered her trajectory.
  • Annie’s move to Israel and the time she spent training in Tel Aviv.
  • The support and love Annie has always felt from her parents.
  • An overview of the Ilan Lev method and how it transformed Annie’s mobility and movement.
  • How Annie became an Ilan Lev practitioner and how her understanding has grown over the past 12 years.
  • Why the Ilan Lev method is all about efficiency and effortlessness.
  • How conflict can stimulate art and healing practices.
  • Annie’s experience playing Lady Macbeth for three years in Sleep No More
  • What this taught her about repetition and performance.
  • The pressure Annie felt to create excellent choreography after her ten-year hiatus.
  • How the COVID-19 pandemic gave her the freedom to experiment with choreography.
  • What Annie is working on right now and how she has been influenced by surrealism and theatricality.
  • The community that Annie has been able to build around the Ilan Lev method in New York.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

ilanlev.org

annierigney.squarespace.com

Annie Rigney on Instagram

Conservatory of Dance | Purchase College

Gaga

Martha Graham Dance Company

Batsheva Dance Company

Bobbi Jene Smith

Ilan Lev

Moshe Feldenkrais

 

BIO

Annie Rigney is a New York based dancer, choreographer, Gaga teacher and Ilan Lev therapist. She is an Alumnus of the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase. Annie danced with the Batsheva Ensemble under the artistic direction of Ohad Naharin. She toured internationally with Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak Dance Company and was a cast member of Punchdrunk’s immersive theater production, Sleep No More, from 2015-2019.  She has freelanced with LeeSaar the Company, Zoe Schofield, and Gallim Dance. Annie is a certified Gaga teacher and teaches regularly at Gibney Dance Center, Mark Morris Dance Center, and is an adjunct professor at University of the Arts and SUNY Purchase. She is the director of the Ilan Lev Method Training program in New York and treats dancers for injuries and functional limitations. Annie was a guest choreographer for the Fall Concert at SUNY Purchase 2021 and her work has been presented by Batsheva Studios in Tel Aviv, at the Joyce Soho, Arts on Site, at Greenspace DanceNow(NYC), the Berkeley Repertory Theater, and the University of the Arts. Her choreographic work, “Galithea” was recently featured as a part of the 92nd Street Y’s Future Dance Festival and was presented at The Joyce by the Martha Graham Dance Company. Annie is currently working on a new commision for the Martha Graham Dance Company for the company’s 2023 Season. Additionally, her evening-length work entitled, “…she was becoming untethered.” will be presented by the 92nd Street Y in March of 2023. Annie is a recipient of the Moving Women Residency from Gallim Dance, a CUNY Grant recipient, and a current choreographic fellow for Robert Battle’s New Directions Choreographic Fellowship program at the Alvin Ailey School.

 

Podcast produced by: The Moving Architects
Interviewer: Erin Carlisle Norton

Movers & Shapers: Elizabeth Yilmaz-Dobrow, Mara Driscoll, and César Abreu

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PODCAST 146: Elizabeth Yilmaz-Dobrow, Mara Driscoll, and César Abreu

Release Date: 12.12.22


TO DOWNLOAD PODCAST OR LISTEN:

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ABOUT Elizabeth Yilmaz-Dobrow

Elizabeth Yilmaz-Dobrow is a professional dancer, teacher and producer in New York City. She received her B.A in Dance from Marymount Manhattan College where she now serves on the Dance Advisory Board as the Nominating Chair. She is a former company member with Ballet Hispanico of New York.  This is Elizabeth’s ninth season dancing with The Metropolitan Opera Ballet. Productions at the Metropolitan Opera include Bluebeard’s Castle, Eugene Onegin, Turandot, Le Nozze De Figaro, Meistersinger, Werther, Die Zauberflöte, Parsifal, Manon, La Traviata, Aida, The Magic Flute and Tannhäuser. The last five of which have been transmitted live in HD to over 70 countries across the globe.  Elizabeth is a co-producer of the salon series Art Bath NYC. Art Bath is part art party part immersive concert, featuring world renowned artists in the historic Blue Building on East 46th St.  Elizabeth toured internationally with “Angelina Ballerina, The Musical", danced at Walt Disney World, and is a proud member of the American Guild of Musical Artist Union.  Elizabeth teaches dance throughout the United States and is on faculty with the 92nd Street Y and the Joffery Ballet Trainee Program in NYC. She has also taught ballet and musical theatre for Regional Dance America, Mile Square Theatre, Marymount Girls School, the Passport to learning project in New Jersey, the National Choreography Intensive and private lessons in Manhattan, Metro-Atlanta, and virtually.

ABOUT Mara Driscoll

Mara Driscoll is a creative producer, arts administrator, choreographer, and professional dancer. She is the Program and Advancement Lead at the International Society for the Performing Arts, a network of 500 leading arts professionals from 60 countries. In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, she founded and produced Boulder Arts Outdoors, a multi-disciplinary performance festival in Boulder, Colorado.  In 2022, she co-founded Art Bath and has since presented major names in music, dance, opera, and visual art at Art Bath’s intimate, immersive salons in midtown Manhattan. As a dancer, Mara has worked with FJK Dance, Richmond Ballet, Armitage Gone! Dance, and the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, where she has danced for six consecutive seasons. Her choreography has been presented at The Phillips Collection in Washington DC, New York Theatre Workshop, New Chamber Ballet, and the Center at West Park.

ABOUT César Abreu

César Abreu, a native of Puerto Rico and former member of the Grammy-nominated international band sensation, Menudo, holds a BFA in dance education from the University of the Arts, Philadelphia, and an MFA in dance from New York University (Full Tuition Scholarship).  Capitalizing on a 16-year career as a dancer for The Metropolitan Opera, Abreu has also danced for The Santa Fe Opera and the Philadelphia-based Koresh Dance Company, among others, as well as for national Broadway show tours.  Having taught master classes, both nationally and internationally, César continues to choreograph and dance, but has built on his considerable professional performance experience, expanding his reach to produce, direct, and administer live performance, film and video.

CONNECT:

For more information or to reserve tickets, please visit ArtBathNYC

Art and Community with Elizabeth Yilmaz-Dobrow, Mara Driscoll, and César Abreu

Episode 146: Show Notes

Performers are always looking for creative outlets and creative communities. In this episode, we hear from three incredible people, Elizabeth Yilmaz-Dobrow, Mara Driscoll, and César Abreu, who have come together to form an exciting new project with a shared vision for performance. Art Bath is an immersive performance salon series that fosters community, exploration, and exchange within the community. Our guests share how they met while dancing at the Metropolitan Opera Ballet and why they decided to join forces to create Art Bath. We start by learning about each of their journeys to becoming the performers they are today, what they enjoy most about dance, and the unique way in which they have come together.  Learn about the power of the Art Bath platform, how art can help people connect and understand one another, and how they found the formula that works. We also find out how the various ways they support the salon, the challenges of building a solid support base, the ultimate goal of Art Bath, and what the future holds for this exciting creative production. Tune in to hear more about the power of art and community with today’s inspirational guests, Elizabeth Yilmaz-Dobrow, Mara Driscoll, and César Abreu!

Key Points From This Episode:

  • How each of our guests first became interested in dance.
  • Find out what forms of dance our guests first practiced.
  • What they pursued after graduating from high school.
  • Hear how their experiences shaped them into becoming artists.
  • The experience of performing on stage at the Met.
  • Mara’s unconventional path to becoming a professional dancer.
  • The sense of community amongst the dancers at the Met.
  • Learn about Cesar’s background as a child actor.
  • Why Cesar is passionate about performing and dancing.
  • The people that were advocates for Cesar to pursue dance.
  • How our guests first met and decided to start Art Bath.
  • The performance that ignited the development of Art Bath.
  • How they were able to find a location for their idea.
  • Discover the inspiration for the name of the studio.
  • Mara explains the concept and vision behind Art Bath.
  • The artists who perform at Art Bath.
  • How art can encourage open dialogue and conversation.
  • Learn how they fundraise and support the project.
  • Elizabeth outlines the type of audience who attend Art Bath shows.
  • How Art Bath creates a sense of community for performers.
  • What to expect from Art Bath and our guests in the future.

Movers & Shapers: Carmen Caceres

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PODCAST No.145: Carmen Caceres


Release Date: 11.28.22


TO DOWNLOAD PODCAST OR LISTEN:

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ABOUT Carmen Caceres

Carmen Caceres is a dance artist originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina. She received a BA in Dance and Education at SUNY Empire State College and deepened her studies in dance, performance, and choreography at the former Merce Cunningham Studio in New York. In her native city, she graduated from the National School of Dance and studied Dance Composition at the National University of the Arts UNA. Caceres has been creating and presenting dance works in Argentina and NY since 2009. In 2012, she founded DanceAction, a creative platform composed of artists from multiple disciplines to produce performing artworks in collaboration and provide educational opportunities. Her works have been presented in several venues, such as Dixon Place, Green Space Studio, Triskelion Arts Center, Teatro Sea, The Mark Morris Dance Center, the Center at West Park, and the Center for Performance Research. As a performer and collaborator, she has worked with Ines Armas, Katie Rose McLaughlin, Isabel Lewis, Jillian Peña, Lisa Parra, Elia Mrak, Jody Oberfelder, and Sarah Berges, among other artists. Carmen also works as a dance educator and program director for different art education programs in New York City, Brooklyn, and the Bronx. www.carmencaceres.com

DanceAction is a contemporary dance company based in New York, led by Argentinian choreographer Carmen Caceres. The company’s culturally diverse team is comprised of artists from several disciplines, such as dance, music, drama, media, and visual arts. Together, they create dance works that reflect social realities that concern people, relationships, and social justice with the purpose of interpreting these issues and using the works to propel change. DA participated in numerous festivals, and performance series in New York, and their works have been awarded the Brooklyn Arts Fund Community Grant, the Dance/NYC Emergency COVID-19 Grant, and most recently, the City Artist Corps Grant. DA has also been invited to numerous international dance festivals. Its first full-length work, Game Night, was part of the 2016 International Contemporary Dance Festival of Mexico City (FIDCDMX). In 2018, the company participated at the International Contemporary Dance Festival and Campus “Ticino in Danza” in Ticino, Switzerland, performing 2 Minutes Hate. The same year, this thought-provoking piece was also presented in NYC at Women Center Stage Festival – Directors Weekend II, organized and curated by Culture Project.

 

Movers & Shapers: Amanda Selwyn

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PODCAST No.144: Amanda Selwyn


Release Date: 11.14.22


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ABOUT Amanda Selwyn

Amanda Selwyn (Artistic Director/Choreographer) founded Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre/Notes in Motion in 2000 and in 23 seasons, has directed over 85 productions, developed a network of artists, and created the curriculum for Notes in Motion’s dance education programs. Amanda’s choreographic works include: Threads, Hindsight, Crossroads, Refuge, Renewal, It’s a Game, Detour, Five Minutes, Passage, Undercurrent, Hearsay, Interiors, Disturbance, Salut, Tilt, Tidal, Shift, Siren, Contradicting Unity, Save My Spot, Hold On, Momentum, and Behind Us. Amanda recently taught workshops at New Women, New York, the New York Gender Conference, and a Choreography Master Class at Temple University. Her 20th Anniversary Season was presented at Baruch Performing Arts Center as part of the CUNY Dance Initiative.  She has choreographed dance for Chicago’s Motivity; for theatre productions including House on Mango Street, Free to be You an Me, Once Upon a Mattress, The Wiz, Little Shop of Horrors, and Charlie & The Chocolate Factory; and for her original theatre productions which include Herland, Yellow Feather, and Slitting the Clouds. In addition to her choreographic work, Amanda has directed off-broadway theatre in NYC at John Houseman Studio, 30th Street Theatre, Grove Street Theatre, Kraine Theatre, Center Stage, and the Producer’s Club. Amanda teaches dance and theatre to New York City children and has been on faculty at The Brearley School, Brooklyn Friends School, Beit Rabban School, Solomon Schechter School, and the New Acting Company. She has taught dance composition and technique at the Berkshire Institute for Music and Art and taught dance and theatre in Israel at the Israel Museum, English Village, and the Arad Community Center. Amanda led the workshops “Accessing Inspiration for Dance-Making” and “Teaching a Choreographic Process” at the 3 NYC Arts-in-Education Roundtable’s Face to Face conferences. She has also presented her choreography at NYU’s Women and Theater conference and at Dance Teacher Summit. She is the recipient of grants from the NY State Council on the Arts, The Harkness Foundation for Dance, the Friars Foundation, Dizzy Feet Foundation, Bronx Council on the Arts, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs Cultural Development Fund, NY City Council Members Bill DeBlasio, Andy King, Carlina Rivera, Margaret Chin, and Rosie Mendez, Manhattan Borough President, Met Life, City National Bank, Credit Suisse, and the Bossak/Heilbron Charitable Foundation. Amanda participated in the Choreographer’s Lab program at Jacob’s Pillow. Her work has been presented twice on Jacob’s Pillow Inside/Out Stage, at Tribeca Performing Arts Center, in the DUMBO Dance Festival, APAP Conference, COOL NY Dance Festival, Wassaic Dance Festival, WestFest Dance Festival, Movement Research’s Performance Series, Earth Celebrations, Dixon Place, and Pushing Progress at Peridance. Amanda has a 500-hour yoga teacher’s certification from Laughing Lotus Yoga Center in NYC and teaches yoga privately and at Crunch Gym in NYC. She has a Masters from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in performance studies and a B.S. from Northwestern University in theatre, women’s studies, and dance.

 

 

Movers & Shapers: McClaine Timmerman

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PODCAST No.143: McClaine Timmerman


Release Date: 10.31.22


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ABOUT McClaine Timmerman

McClaine is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Contemporary Dance Choreography Festival (CDCFest). She is an awarded choreographer, Nationally Certified Pilates instructor, business owner, and dance educator.

McClaine received her MFA in Dance from the University of California, Irvine and her BA in Dance from Columbia College Chicago. Prior to receiving her degrees, she trained with Orlando Ballet School/Company and North Carolina School of the Arts in the ballet program. Post graduate school she held the position of Assistant Director of Dance and Adjunct Faculty at Sacred Heart University for 3 years.

Her choreography has been awarded “Best Choreography” in regional and national competitions, presented in the “New Grounds” Choreography Festival at University South Florida, the “EAST meets WEST” International Dance Festival at University California Irvine, the ‘Dance-Forms’ 72nd International Choreographer’s Showcase in Scotland, and the WHITE WAVE Solo/Duo International Choreography Festival in NYC, adjudicated in the ACDA Baja Regional Conference in Torrence CA, and competed in the 19th Annual McCullum Theater Education Choreography Festival as a finalist in Palm Desert CA. She was also a guest choreographer for the US International Ballet Company.

 

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