The 'D' Word: Recent Episodes
dance: made in canada | fait au canada
Dance – it’s something you do in your kitchen, on the dance floor or something you show off to your friends, right?! But what if we told you that dance influences the world and how we fundamentally live our lives. The ‘D’ Word Podcast speaks with non-dancers and how dance has completely transformed their lives in ways you would never guess. The ‘D’ Word is crafted to expose the ways in which the world is affected by dance and movement, in order to highlight how fundamental it is in our lives.
Hosted by Aria Evans, Season 4 of The ‘D’ Word is focused on transformation – transforming the self, our relationships, our way of thinking and the social hierarchies we live within. We’ll be speaking with Robin Lacambra, Aurora Matrix, Cassa Pancho and Shannon Litzenberger about transformational experiences and how they are creating change locally, nationally…
Cassa Pancho, MBE and Founder and Artistic Director of Ballet Black, speaks to how her company has been changing the face of ballet. She shares the gutting and thrilling comments the company receives, calling forward the need for major change across the industry. Her efforts, such as the creation of two new tones for pointe…
As runner up of season 4 of Canada’s Drag Race, Aurora Matrix knows how to hold our attention. She spills the tea on her experiences as a drag queen in one of the top competitions and her hopes in pushing the industry forward in representation of queer asian drag queens. An ultimate form of transformation,…
Robin Lacambra shares her experiences of unease in Western wellness spaces, the power in affinity movement spaces and guidance on how to be a better leader within them. She blends psychotherapy and somatic movement in her practices in spaces such as GOODBODYFEEL and SACHA in Hamilton, Ontario. Robin Lacambra (she/they) is a queer Filipinx creative,…
What can leaders learn from dancers? A project working with a team of bankers sparks Shannon Litzenberger’s research into applying artistic structures in non-artistic spaces. Shannon speaks to the important processes of failing that build our capacity – capacity to think and dream anew. Shannon Litzenberger (she/her, Tkaronto) is an award-winning choreographer, director and embodiment…
On Episode Four of Season 3 of The ‘D’ Word, Aria Evans discusses the impact of music on babies with Laura Cirelli. Laura Cirelli is an assistant professor at the University of Toronto. Her research interests lie in infant development; music perception and cognition across infancy and childhood; rhythm-perception; pro-social development; and mother-infant song. Download…
On Episode Three of Season 3 of The ‘D’ Word, Aria Evans discusses the Dance for PD program at the Mark Morris Dance Group, and what dance can provide for folks with Parkinson’s Disease. David Leventhal is the director and a founding teacher of the Mark Morris Dance Group’s Dance for PD program. Founded in…
On Episode Two of Season 3 of The ‘D’ Word, Aria Evans discusses shifting trauma through movement with Snjezana Prujinic. Snjezana Prujinic is the founder of Circle Point Wellness, a business dedicated to contributing to social growth by elevating and prioritizing the well-being of people and systems. She is trained in body-based therapy, community justice…
On Episode One of Season 3 of The ‘D’ Word, Aria Evans discusses curiosity with Perry Zurn and Dani S. Bassett, authors of Curious Minds: The Power of Connection and what their research can mean for dance artists. Dani S. Bassett is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, with appointments in the departments of bioengineering,…
Hosted by Aria Evans, the artistic director of Political Movement, Season 3 of The ‘D’ Word is all about science and the mind. This season we will be exploring how ideas like curiosity, embodied physics, and shifting trauma through movement influence and interact with dance artists.
We have a surprise bonus episode to end our second season, hosted by Aria Evans. This week Aria talks with Danah Rosales. Danah Rosales (She/Her/Siya) is a Toronto based cis-queer millennial; second-generation Canadian-Filipinx; a daughter; a dawta; a sister; a sis; a mother of two little humans; a mutha of a kiki house; and an…
Our third episode looks at reclamation, with guest Ruthe Ordare. Ruthe Ordare (she/her) is the hips, thighs and bedroom eyes of Vancouver’s burlesque scene. She is a founding member of the all-Indigenous burlesque troupe Virago Nation and recently finished her fifth year as the Artistic Director for the Vancouver International Burlesque Festival. Her signature style…
For the second episode of our 2nd Season, Aria talks Care with Susie Burpee. Traversing both dance and theatre, Susie Burpee’s artistic work includes choreography, performance and teaching. She has been deeply inspired by artists and companies with whom she has worked: Serge Bennathan, Dancemakers, Lesandra Dodson, Hanna Kiel, Alyssa Martin, Le Groupe Dance Lab,…
To launch our second season, host Aria Evans talks representation with Ravyn Wngz. Ravyn Wngz, “The Black Widow of Burlesque,” is a Tanzanian, Bermudian, Mohawk, 2Spirit, Queer and Transcendent empowerment storyteller. Ravyn is an abolitionist and a co-founder of ILL NANA/DiverseCity Dance Company. She is a co-founder of Black Lives Matter Canada, a co-founder of…
This season we join host Aria Evans, the artistic director of Political Movement, to investigate the relationship between dance and activism. We are jumping into the work of three dance artists who through performance, choreography and production, are driving social justice. Through conversations about representation, caregiving and reclamation, we spotlight the issues that these artists care about…
For our final episode of the season, Mingjia talks with Doctor Dance himself, Dr. Peter Lovatt.
Dr Peter Lovatt is the co-founder of the Movement in Practice (MiP) Academy, a specialist provider of education in the psychology of movement and dance.
Peter spent twenty years working in university research labs. He set up the first Dance Psychology Lab in 2008, from where he studied how movement changes the way people think and solve problems, how it changes social interaction and increases pro-social behaviour, and how movement changes people’s feelings.
Peter’s new book, The Dance Cure, which was published by Short Books in the UK in 2020. The Dance Cure is being published in the USA by HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollins.
Peter has spoken at a wide range of international conferences, where he has addressed policy makers, business leaders and government ministers from around the world. In 2019 Peter shared keynote sessions with Oprah Winfrey, Barack Obama, Richard Branson and Geena Davis.
https://www.peterlovatt.com/ https://twitter.com/drpeterlovatt https://www.instagram.com/drpeterlovatt/
Read the episode transcript here: Dr. Peter Lovatt Transcript
This week Britta talks with director and producer Lucius Dechausay.
Lucius Dechausay is an award-winning director, editor, producer and illustrator whose films have been broadcast nation-wide and played at numerous festivals around the world. Currently, he is a Producer at CBC Arts, shaping series such as the anthology 21 Black Futures with Obsidian Theatre which empowered 63 Black creatives to ruminate on the future of Blackness through 21 filmed plays. He is also the creative behind the multiple Canadian Screen Award nominated dance series The Move. Premiering on CBC GEM in 2018, the three seasons of the show have received glowing reviews in the Globe and Mail and Toronto Star and produced its most recent season at the start of the pandemic in 2021.
Other notable works includes the multi-award-winning animated short, The Mark, the short dance film re-animating a historic Toronto landmark through the words of Assata Shakur, A Revolution of Love, TIFF TOP TEN êmîcêtôcêt: Many Bloodlines and Hot Doc’s KETTLE. Through his work, he aims to share diverse stories in an empowering and urgent way.
Click here the read the episode transcript: Lucius Dechausay Transcript
This week, Mingjia talks with architect Christie Pearson.
Christie Pearson (B.Arch, B.E.S., M.Arch, OAA) is an architect, writer, teacher and urban interventionist pressing at the limits of public space. She collaborates with communities, organizations, artists to create public events and build public places.
Christie has built upon her undergraduate studies in Environmental Studies graduate studies in Architecture to advocate for the public realm through multi-disciplinary community arts events, writing, speaking engagements, curation, teaching, and design practice.
She is a licensed practicing member of the Ontario Association of Architects, bringing twenty years of architectural experience in cultural, community and institutional projects with a focus on the arts, public and not-for-profit sectors.
Christie is a founding member and editor at the critical journal Scapegoat: Architecture, Landscape, Political Economy and teaches design at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture. Her numerous award-winning curatorial projects and cultural and community spaces have been published and presented internationally.
Click here to read the episode transcript: Christie Pearson Transcript
This week Britta B. talks with drag performer and Manager of Philanthropy Kyle Miller.
A graduate of The Randolph Academy for The Performing Arts, Kyle worked as an actor but soon his passion drove him into philanthropy in support of the arts he so loved. Kyle began supporting some of Canada’s most celebrated arts organizations including Canadian Stage, the Shaw Festival, The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Soulpepper and Tafelmusik. Kyle shifted to mission focused work most notably with Rainbow Railroad as part of the Development Team, as it aligned with years of LGBTQI activism through his work as drag artist, Vanity à la Mode. He has performed with Pride Niagara, hosted Sex-Ed Bingo at Brock University and Niagara College, and can be found as a regular guest at Drag Brunch at Glad Day Bookshop. In 2021, Kyle continued his human rights advocacy with a move to JAYU, a Toronto non-profit telling human rights stories through the arts. Kyle is excited to join the team at JAYU and help grow their Annual Giving program and support the organization's continued success.
Click here to read the transcript: Kyle Miller Transcript
This week Mingjia talks with vocalist Alex Samaras.
Alex Samaras is recognized as one of North America's leading singers in the jazz, experimental and new music idioms.
Alex’s band Tryal released their first record, companion, in 2017. They have performed their “lithe, dream-like” songs at festivals across Canada, and will release a new record in 2021. His vocal group Grex explores the extremes of the human voice and the body/voice connection. He has performed in several well-known bands, including Twin Within (Hidden Pony Records) and The Queer Songbook Orchestra. Both groups have released records to critical acclaim. He has also worked with the Meredith Monk Vocal Ensemble in NYC, and in 2019 he toured Europe and the United Kingdom with Beverley Glenn-Copeland.
Alex is also an active member in the Toronto theatre and dance community. He has premiered new operas and created roles in new musicals, most recently in “The Cave” by John Millard and Thompson Highway at the 2019 Luminato Festival. Since 2013, he has worked as a composer and collaborator with choreographers including Susie Burpee, Meredith Thompson and with Ame Henderson and Christopher House at the Toronto Dance Theatre.
Alex loves collaborating with people of all ages. He has taught at the University of Toronto Jazz Department, Humber College, Jazz Works Music Camp and National Music Camp, where he directs a chorus of 250 hundred high school students. He is also the founder of the PAL Chorale, a community choir for seniors at the Performing Artists Lodge in Toronto.
Alex can be found on Twitter @ofSamaras and Instagram @ronceyguy
Click here to read the transcript: Alex Samaras Transcript
For our first episode, Britta B. talks with author Catherine Hernandez.
Catherine Hernandez is a proud queer woman of colour and an award-winning author. She is of Filipino, Spanish, Chinese and Indian heritage and she is married into the Navajo Nation. Her first novel, Scarborough, won the Jim Wong-Chu Award for the unpublished manuscript; was a finalist for the Toronto Book Awards, the Evergreen Forest of Reading Award, the Edmund White Award, and the Trillium Book Award; and was longlisted for Canada Reads. She has written the critically acclaimed plays Singkil, The Femme Playlist and Eating with Lola and the children’s books M Is for Mustache: A Pride ABC Book and I Promise. She recently wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation of Scarborough, which is currently in post-production by Compy Films with support from Telefilm Canada and Reel Asian Film Festival. She is the creator of Audible Original’s audio sketch comedy series Imminent Disaster. Her second novel, Crosshairs, published simultaneously in Canada and the US and the UK this spring, made the CBC's Best Canadian Fiction, NOW Magazine's 10 Best Books, Indigo Best Book, Audible Best Audiobooks and NBC 20 Best LGBTQ Books list of 2020. Her third children's book, Where Do Your Feelings Live? which is a guide for kids living through these scary times, has been commissioned by HarperCollins Canada and will be published in winter 2022. She is currently working on her third novel PSW (Harper Collins Canada 2022).
https://www.catherinehernandezcreates.com/
Click here to read the transcript of this episode: Catherine Hernandez Transcript