Archive: Dance Writing, Reviews, and Podcasts

Studio Stories this week is with CANDY BOX 2025 Happy Hour Artist Yukina Sato for Episode 175 airing at noon on Thursday, March 13!

Yukina Sato is a Japanese dancer, choreographer, and filmmaker whose work explores the dynamic interplay of movement, identity, and culture. Her artistic practice delves into the liminal space of hybridity, capturing the unique experiences of living between two countries and navigating overlapping cultural landscapes.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.

Come see Yukina’s Happy Hour Showing at the 9th annual CANDY BOX Dance Festival on Wednesday, April 23 from 5:30-6:30pm. Tickets here!

We wrap up Season 16 of Studio Stories this week with Marge Maddux for Episode 174, airing at noon on Thursday, February 13!

Many of us know Marge from her time with the University of Minnesota Dance Program or through her significant contributions to the Ethnic Dance Theater. Marge is a scholar, author, dancer, teacher, choreographer, and professor emeritus.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.

Studio Stories this week is with Jennifer Glaws for Episode 173 airing at noon on Thursday, February 6!

Jennifer is the founder of Jagged Moves, a Minnesota-based interdisciplinary artist who describes her work at the intersection of media and dance that challenges our perceptions of space, time, and human connection.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.

Studio Stories this week is with Nancy Duncan for Episode 172 airing at noon on Thursday, January 30!

Nancy has a rich history, beginning her journey as a teacher with Contemporary Dance Playhouse now known as Minnesota Dance Theater from 1968 to 1981. In 1983 Nancy founded and based CoDanceCo in New York City. Her work with CoDanceCo earned Nancy a 1991 New York Dance and Performance Award (aka “Bessie”). Other career highlights include serving as Community Outreach Programs Director for Mikhail Baryshnikov/White Oak Dance Project’s production PastForward, Artistic Director/London Contemporary Dance Theatre; International Presenters Forum Coordinator; Pentacle’s Director of Booking, and Producer of Dancing in the Isles: British Invasion ’97, a four-week British dance festival in New York City.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.

Studio Stories this week with Susan Delattre for Episode 171 airing at noon on Thursday, January 23!

Susan Delattre is a dancer, activist, writer, facilitator and cultural worker.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.

Next up for Studio Stories, we hear from Justin Leaf for Episode 170 airing at noon on Thursday, January 16!

Justin Leaf is a Minneapolis-based ballet teacher, choreographer, and performance artist whose multifaceted career spans over two decades. A graduate of The Juilliard School with a BFA in Dance Performance, Justin’s training also includes The Kirov Academy, School of American Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet School.

As a dancer, Justin was a company member with James Sewell Ballet and Minnesota Dance Theatre and has also performed works by Ernesta Corvino, John Kelly, Morgan Thorson, George Stamos, and others through independent engagements.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.

Photo by Brad Rolfs.

We hear from Scott Killian for Episode 169!

As a dance musician, Scott is a regular accompanist at NYC’s Gibney 890 Studios and NYU Tisch School of the Arts. As a composer and sound designer for theater, Scott has created works for over 120 professional productions in NYC and at many regional theaters.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.

Photo by Travis Magee.

Studio Stories is back! This Thursday, January 2 at noon we hear from Wendy Ansley for Episode 168!

Born in Chicago, Wendy began dancing with nuns who taught from ballet records. Her vast experiences in dance crossed the country from UCLA to Colorado College to NYU, eventually landing her in Minnesota where she taught at Carleton College and served as a Roster Artist for the Minnesota State Arts Board, teaching in hundreds of schools across the state.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.

Photo by Michael Engel.

The Studio Stories series “NEW BREED” continues with Sarah McCullough for Episode 167. “NEW BREED” highlights dancers and dance makers who are somewhat fresh to the scene and shaping Minnesota’s dance future.

Sarah (she/her) is a Minneapolis-based movement enthusiast, freelance performer, yoga practitioner/teacher, and educator in contemporary forms. Originally from Virginia, she attended James Madison University as a Madison Achievement Scholar and earned her BA in Dance and Mathematics.

Since joining Minneapolis’ dance community in 2018, she has had the pleasure of performing in works choreographed by Alexandra Bodnarchuk, Berit Ahlgren, Carl Flink, Helen Hatch, Marisol Herling, Mathew Janczewski, Taja Will, and more. She currently teaches contemporary classes at Zenon Dance School, Hothouse, and Minnesota Dance Theater.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.

The Studio Stories series “NEW BREED” continues with Ruby Josephine Smith for Episode 166. “NEW BREED” highlights dancers and dance makers who are somewhat fresh to the scene and shaping Minnesota’s dance future.

Ruby is a contemporary dance artist, choreographer, and founder of the new company Ruby Josephine Dance Theater (RJDT). She is passionate about movement as a form of emotional expression, story-telling, and language. Ruby returned to her hometown of Minneapolis, MN in 2020 and has since choreographed works for Collab Arts, Zenon Zone, Threads Dance Project, and more recently two full-length productions under her company’s umbrella. She performs with Analog Dance Works and has appeared in work by Jennifer Mack and Jagged Moves.

Ruby has been a teaching artist for over 10 years and currently teaches regular contemporary classes at Hothouse and WestMet Classical Training. She also offers artist residencies and dance program consultation to the American International School Network where she has taught in France, India, and Vietnam.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.