act/re/act

Conversation with Dr. S Ama Wray about Dance Improvisation, Embodiology, Jazz Music, Rhythm, Community Building, and Performance

In this episode of act/re/act I have the pleasure of talking with Dr. S Ama Wray, a dance artist and founder of Embodiology - a dance improvisation practice developed from Dr. Wray's expertise in jazz dance, African arts, and creative practice. This was an exciting conversation that touched on many aspects of the importance of art making, and a wonderful expression of the breadth of dance improvisation out in the world. 
Here’s a bit more about Dr. Way:
Dr S. Ama Wray is the creator of Embodiology® - a movement method, based on West African principles of human communications, that leads to human flourishing. She is a Professor of Dance and founder of the Africana Institute for Creativity Recognition and Elevation at UC Irvine. Embodiology’s distinctive breath-informed, rhythmic movement and music concepts have shown evidence-based efficacy in elevating vitality, well-being, and resilience, along with emboldened activation of community responsibility. Her virtual classes, Joy in Motion, begin with breathwork, supporting everyday people to transform their indoor spaces into experiences of 'co-liberation'. Wray has been a guest speaker/lecturer at the United Nations, Institute of Advanced Studies, TEDx, and other globally renowned organizations. Her roots in art making have been informed by collaborations with artists including Wynton Marsalis, Bobby McFerrin, Mojisola Adebayo, and Derek Bermel. Embodiology®  is registered as a trademark, rendering its creator and beneficiaries’ ethical responsibility to reciprocally return acknowledgment and resources to the Ewe community in Ghana, where its principles were uncovered - each time this work is shared. Her writing about Embodiology is published in edited volumes by Routledge and Oxford Books.
You can find out more about Dr. S Ama Wray at the following links:
Embodiology: https://www.embodiology.com
Joy In Motion: https://www.joyinmotion.io
2023 Summer Embodiology Intensive: https://events.embodiology.com
You can find my website here: https://www.danielburkholder.com/
Enjoy this conversation, please subscribe, and stay tuned for many more this season!
Take care, be well, and live spontaneously! 

Conversation with Keith Hennessy about Improvisation, Curiosity, Performance, and Politics

Welcome to act/re/act podcast, where we explore improvisation through conversations with remarkable artists.
In this episode I talk with Keith Hennessy, a dance artist who I have admired since I first saw him perform with Contraband, a seminal dance company from San Francisco, in the mid-1990s when I was working at Dance Place in Washington, DC. Keith is someone I’ve always seen as a visionary, provocateur, and really thoughtful and visceral artist. It’s really great to have him on the podcast.
Here's a bit about Keith: 
Keith Hennessy, MFA, PhD,  is a dancer, writer, choreographer, witch, and teacher. Raised in Canada, living in Ramaytush Ohlone territory (San Francisco) since 1982, he tours widely. Using improvisation, ritual, collaboration, and protest, Keith instigates queer embodied experiences that respond to political crises and heartbreak. Hennessy directs Circo Zero, co-founded the performance/culture spaces 848 and CounterPulse, and was a member of Sara Mann’s Contraband, 1985-1994. Awards include Guggenheim, NY Bessie, USArtist, and a few Bay Area Isadora Duncan Awards.
 
You can find out more about Keith Hennessy here: http://circozero.org/
You can find my website here: https://www.danielburkholder.com/
Enjoy this conversation, please subscribe, and stay tuned for many more this season!
Take care, be well, and live spontaneously! 

Conversation with K.J. Holmes about Improvisation, Contact Improvisation, and the Meaning of Play

I am than thrilled to share this conversation with K.J. Holmes. In many ways K.J. was my main teacher of contact improvisation, mostly while I was living in the San Francisco/Bay area, many years ago. K.J. is one of the most important contemporary improvisational based dancers working today, and I deeply respect her approach and love to see her in performance. In this conversation we get into her approach to creating work, her pedagogical approach, and the many artist that inform and influence her work. It is a really enlightening conversation. 
Here is a quick biography about K.J.:
K.J. Holmes, dance artist/performer/teacher has been exploring improvisation as process and performance since 1981, traveling nationally and internationally teaching, creating, directing. K.J. currently teaches at NYU/Experimental Theater Wing, Movement Research, the School for Contemporary Dance and Thought, and her own private classes in Yoga, Somatics and Ayurveda. Recent projects include performing in the film Redoubt and the performance installation Catasterism in 3 Movements of artist Matthew Barney; choreographing and directing Somatopia on the Polish dance theater group Living Space Theater, and continuing to develop her solo + immersion 900 Bees are Humming.
I hope you find this conversation as delightful as I did. Enjoy.
You can find out more about K.J. here: http://www.kjholmes.info/
You can find my website here: https://www.danielburkholder.com/
Enjoy this conversation, please subscribe, and stay tuned for many more this season!
Take care, be well, and live spontaneously! 

Conversation with Stringz about Jit dancing, Hip Hop, Cyphers, Improvisation, and Performance

Welcome to act/re/act podcast, where we explore improvisation through conversations with remarkable artists.
I'm thrilled to introduce you to Stringz, as he is another artist I didn’t know before we sat down and had this conversation. It is always a pleasure to add another Detroit-based artist to the mix - since I grew up kind of half way between Detroit and Ann Arbor. So, nice to have another Michiginian in the mix. Earlier episodes of act/re/act featured three other artists with connections to Detroit and Ann Arbor - Alvin Hill, a DJ, composer and multi-media artist, Melanie George, a Jazz dance artist and dance dramaturge, and Ed Sarath, a jazz musician and professor at U of Michigan - so, you can make your Michigan artist experience complete by checking out those episodes as well.
Here’s a bit about Stringz:
Stringz began his dance career path in the early ‘90s focusing on Breaking, and his hometown dance form known as the Jit. He founded his company Hardcore Detroit in 2001. “Hardcore” is the success after the struggle and overcoming obstacles to achieve victory. He is a multiple artist-grant recipient, and travels worldwide as an official cultural ambassador through the U.S. State Department. His award-winning film documentary, The Jitterbugs: Pioneers of the Jit is on Amazon Prime and Tubi TV.
You can find out more about Stringz here: https://hardcoredetroit.biz/
You can find my website here: https://www.danielburkholder.com/
Enjoy this conversation, please subscribe, and stay tuned for many more this season!
Take care, be well, and live spontaneously! 

Conversation with Rhiannon

Welcome to act/re/act, a podcast exploring improvisation through conversations with remarkable artists.
In this episode I had the pleasure of talking with vocal improviser Rhiannon, someone I did not know before this conversation, but someone I really enjoyed getting to know a bit and hearing about her improvisational practice. It is always illuminating to talk with improvisational-based artists who practice in different art forms than I, and this conversation is no different. Rhiannon is an extremely accomplished performer and teacher, and this conversation is filled with insights. I'm sue you'll be inspired by this conversation as much as I was. 
Here is Rhiannon's bio:
Rhiannon is a vocal artist with a vision of music as a vehicle for innovation, healing, transformation, and social change. A vibrant, gifted singer, performance artist, composer, and master teacher, Rhiannon has been bringing her unique and potent blend of jazz, world music, improvisation and storytelling to audiences for over four decades paving a unique path as an independent artist. Collaborations include the all-women’s jazz ensemble Alive!, a cappella ensembles SoVoSo and WeBe3, Bobby McFerrin - Voicestra and Gimme5, the instrumental trio Spontaneous, duets with pianist Laurence Hobgood, and improvised performance pieces with Japanese dancer Shizuno Nasu:The Ocean Regards Us All As One. Rhiannon’s book about her life and teaching methods, Vocal River, The Skill and Spirit of Improvisation, was published in 2013. Rhiannon lives and works on her farm on the Big Island of Hawai’i, currently building a teaching/performance space, Ha Lau Leo Nani, The Gathering Place, honoring culture and community.
Find Rhiannon on the web here: https://www.rhiannonmusic.com/
You can find my website here: https://www.danielburkholder.com/
Enjoy this conversation and stay tuned for many more this season!
Take care, be well, and live spontaneously! 

Converstation with Chris Aiken

Welcome to the new season of act/re/act, a podcast exploring improvisation through conversations with remarkable artists.
In this first episode I have the pleasure of talking with Chris Aiken, a wonderful dancer who has extensive experience in improvisational performance, contact improvisation, and improv pedagogy. He is truly an expert in weaving together the intellect and the visceral. I loved this conversation and I hope you do as well! 
Here is Chris' bio:
Chris Aiken is a leading international teacher and performer of dance improvisation and contact improvisation.  Over the past four decades his work has evolved through ongoing investigations of performance, composition, ecology, movement technique, the perception, and design. Chris has performed and collaborated with many renowned dance artists including Steve Paxton, Kirstie Simson, Nancy Stark Smith, Peter Bingham, Andrew Harwood, Patrick Scully, and Angie Hauser, among many others.  He has received numerous awards for his artistic work, including fellowships from the Guggenheim, the Bush and the Jerome foundations as well as commissions from the Walker Art Center, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, Dance Theater Workshop, Bates Dance Festival and the National Performers Network.
Find Chris on the web here: https://www.smith.edu/academics/faculty/chris-aiken
You can find my website here: https://www.danielburkholder.com/
Enjoy this conversation and stay tuned for many more this season!
Take care, be well, and live spontaneously! 
 
Photo: Male dancer balancing on one hand with legs perpendicular to body, beige floor and background and wearing grey pants and long sleeve shirt. 

Conversation with Kata Kovacs

Join me for the final podcast of this season, where I featured 8 artists who approach improvisation in their own unique ways - from dance to music to theater to performance. It has been an exciting season with lots of new connections made, and fascinating perspectives explored. I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have!
In this episode I talk with Kata Kovacs, a Berlin-based sound artist and interdisciplinary artist who has presented work internationally. Her work ranges from performing in bands, to sound installations, to improvisational performance work. It was wonderful to get to know Kata and learn about her work, which is intellectually rigorous, but also deeply embodied. I'm sure you'll enjoy our conversation as well!
Find more about Kata on the webs here: http://katakovacs.org/
Find me here: https://www.danielburkholder.com/
Until I return with more episodes (in the fall) - take care, be well, and live spontaneously! 
 
Photo by Frank Nagel

Conversation with Susan Murphy

Join me for another episode of act/re/act where I talk with Susan Murphy about her amazing career that includes working with aerial dance pioneer Terry Sendgraff, Action Theater creator Ruth Zaporah, Authentic Movement creator Mary Whitehouse, and even worked with Willem de Kooning.  We talk about all her adventures in a wonderfully delightful conversation. Susan offers a wonderful example of a truly creative life. Enjoy! 
Here's a link to find Susan out in the world: https://themarshstudio.com/
And, if you're interested in finding a bit more about me: https://www.danielburkholder.com/
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