Award-winning dancer/choreographer and Artistic Director of Paufve Dance, Randee Paufve, talks about teaching dance and shares some  pedagogical wisdom.

Award-winning dancer/choreographer and Artistic Director of Paufve Dance, Randee Paufve, talks about teaching dance and shares some  pedagogical wisdom.

Teaching Dance with Randee Paufve

Sima waxes poetic and cranky about dance’s visual/kinesthetic divide and speaks in defense of emotional manipulation in art.

Sima waxes poetic and cranky about dance’s visual/kinesthetic divide and speaks in defense of emotional manipulation in art.

Sima Muses (bonus)

In this episode, choreographer, poet, and former Alonzo King LINES Ballet dancer Maurya Kerr speaks antiracist truth to ballet power.

In this episode, choreographer, poet, and former Alonzo King LINES Ballet dancer Maurya Kerr speaks antiracist truth to ballet power.

Antiracism and ballet with Maurya Kerr

Bhumi Patel

This special live podcast recording features Sima in conversation with writer/choreographer Bhumi Patel to talk about the state and fate of the dance review.

This special live podcast recording features Sima in conversation with writer/choreographer Bhumi Patel to talk about the state and fate of the dance review.

To Review or Not to Review? With Bhumi Patel

Phil Chan

Phil Chan, author of Final Bow for Yellowface, talks about his mission to eradicate Orientalist caricatures from the ballet stage.

Phil Chan, author of Final Bow for Yellowface, talks about his mission to eradicate Orientalist caricatures from the ballet stage.

Dropping the Curtain on Yellowface with Phil Chan

Choreographer and Cal State East Bay Professor Nina Otis Haft joins Sima to discuss what “moving Jewish” means to them.

Choreographer and Cal State East Bay Professor Nina Otis Haft joins Sima to discuss what “moving Jewish” means to them.

Is there such a thing as a Jewish gesture?

Monique Jenkinson

In this bonus companion episode, Monique Jenkinson, aka Fauxnique, reads from her 2022 memoir, Faux Queen: My Life in Drag.

In this bonus companion episode, Monique Jenkinson, aka Fauxnique, reads from her 2022 memoir, Faux Queen: My Life in Drag.

Author Spotlight: Monique Jenkinson

It’s not every day that the author of a book and a subject of that book, who also wrote a book, appear on a podcast together. Well, today is that day. Drag artist Monique Jenkinson, aka Fauxnique, author of Faux Queen: A Life in Drag, and Selby Wynn Schwartz, author of The Bodies of Others: Drag Dances and their Afterlives, join Sima to deeply discuss drag dances in all their delightful daring.

It’s not every day that the author of a book and a subject of that book, who also wrote a book, appear on a podcast together. Well, today is that day. Drag artist Monique Jenkinson, aka Fauxnique, author of Faux Queen: A Life in Drag, and Selby Wynn Schwartz, author of The Bodies of Others: Drag Dances and their Afterlives, join Sima to deeply discuss drag dances in all their delightful daring.

Drag, Dance, Drag Dance

Paige Morgan Johnson, Assistant Professor of Performance &amp; Race, talks with Sima about how contemporary Waria (an Indonesian term for transgender women) nuance the relationships between language, performance genres, and the legibility of gender.

Paige Morgan Johnson, Assistant Professor of Performance &amp; Race, talks with Sima about how contemporary Waria (an Indonesian term for transgender women) nuance the relationships between language, performance genres, and the legibility of gender.

The Language of Movement, the Movement of Language

Sima has a heady discussion about dance photography and philosophies of capture with photographer Stephen Texeira.

Sima has a heady discussion about dance photography and philosophies of capture with photographer Stephen Texeira.

How to Take a Moving Picture

Dance Cast is a podcast produced by ODC San Francisco, and is dedicated to critical conversations around all genres of dance. It's for dance insiders, dance lovers, and the dance curious. ODC Writer in Residence, Sima Belmar, talks with choreographers, dancers, educators, designers, presenters, bodyworkers, journalists and scholars about dance theories and practices of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Transcripts of Dance Cast are available at odc.dance/stories

Margaret Rennerfeldt, Professor of Dance at Austin Peay State University, joins Sima to discuss the Fox show The Big Leap.

Margaret Rennerfeldt, Professor of Dance at Austin Peay State University, joins Sima to discuss the Fox show The Big Leap.

Is The Big Leap the smartest dance show on television?

To launch season two of Dance Cast, Sima invites listeners to share their dance stories and tells one of her own. A transcript of this episode is available at odc.dance/stories.

To launch season two of Dance Cast, Sima invites listeners to share their dance stories and tells one of her own. A transcript of this episode is available at odc.dance/stories.

And just like that...We're back!

Host Sima Belmar reflects on the future of Dance Cast, plans for 2022, and tells a story about her dance life.

Host Sima Belmar reflects on the future of Dance Cast, plans for 2022, and tells a story about her dance life.

Dance Cast Wraps Season One & Looks Ahead to Season Two

Chloë L. Zimberg (she/her), is a dancer, producer, curator, and arts program specialist currently leading ODC Theater as Creative Director. Her work centralizes on the strategic development of equitable performing arts platforms and the live arts sector. Zimberg is the Co-Founder of Chlo &amp; Co Dance, which curates and presents Drove, a twice-annual evening of dance performance by West Coast artists, as well as Tabled, an interdisciplinary discussion series highlighting universal issue areas in the national arts ecology. Zimberg is originally from the Puget Sound and holds a BA in Performing Arts and Social Justice from the University of San Francisco with concentration in Dance and minor emphases in Politics and English Literature. She is an alum of the National Arts Strategies and University of Pennsylvania Executive Program in Arts &amp; Culture Strategy.

Chloë L. Zimberg (she/her), is a dancer, producer, curator, and arts program specialist currently leading ODC Theater as Creative Director. Her work centralizes on the strategic development of equitable performing arts platforms and the live arts sector. Zimberg is the Co-Founder of Chlo &amp; Co Dance, which curates and presents Drove, a twice-annual evening of dance performance by West Coast artists, as well as Tabled, an interdisciplinary discussion series highlighting universal issue areas in the national arts ecology. Zimberg is originally from the Puget Sound and holds a BA in Performing Arts and Social Justice from the University of San Francisco with concentration in Dance and minor emphases in Politics and English Literature. She is an alum of the National Arts Strategies and University of Pennsylvania Executive Program in Arts &amp; Culture Strategy.

Let's Manifest Unicorns! A Conversation with ODC Creative Director Chloë Zimberg

Charlotte Moraga, Artistic Director of Chitresh Das Institute (CDI), and composer Alam Khan discuss CDI's new work, Mantram, an artistic creation exploring resonance through movement, music (composed by Khan), percussion, and vedanta, the world's oldest, unbroken oral tradition. Their conversation took place as part of ODC's This Is Also The Art series on October 14, 2021.  CDI brings to the stage ground breaking, traditional, and collaborative performances exploring the depth and versatility of North Indian classical kathak dance and music, and is a community-based educational institution, focused on world-class standards, holistic knowledge, and seva (service).

Charlotte Moraga, Artistic Director of Chitresh Das Institute (CDI), and composer Alam Khan discuss CDI's new work, Mantram, an artistic creation exploring resonance through movement, music (composed by Khan), percussion, and vedanta, the world's oldest, unbroken oral tradition. Their conversation took place as part of ODC's This Is Also The Art series on October 14, 2021.  CDI brings to the stage ground breaking, traditional, and collaborative performances exploring the depth and versatility of North Indian classical kathak dance and music, and is a community-based educational institution, focused on world-class standards, holistic knowledge, and seva (service).

Bonus Episode: Excerpts from This is Also the Art with Chitresh Das Institute

Ann Carlson

Sima talks with Ann Carlson, Shinichi Iova-Koga, and Dana Iova-Koga about These are the Ones We Fell Among, a work that takes inspiration from the movements, myths, and metaphors of our endangered animal cousins – persons called by other names, like “elephant.” Conceived, choreographed, written and directed by award-winning interdisciplinary artist Ann Carlson in collaboration with inkBoat, These Are the Ones We Fell Among grapples with elegance in the face of extinction, looking for humor and grace amid excrement, entropy, fear, and fury. Performed by Shinichi and Dana Iova-Koga, with music by composers Carla Kihlstedt and Shahzad Ismaily, lighting by Allen Willner, and scenic elements by Amy Rathbone. In person, Friday-Saturday, November 5 &amp; 6, 8 PM PT; Sunday, November 7, 4 PM PT. Available for on-demand viewing November 12. A transcript of this episode is available at odc.dance/stories.

Sima talks with Ann Carlson, Shinichi Iova-Koga, and Dana Iova-Koga about These are the Ones We Fell Among, a work that takes inspiration from the movements, myths, and metaphors of our endangered animal cousins – persons called by other names, like “elephant.” Conceived, choreographed, written and directed by award-winning interdisciplinary artist Ann Carlson in collaboration with inkBoat, These Are the Ones We Fell Among grapples with elegance in the face of extinction, looking for humor and grace amid excrement, entropy, fear, and fury. Performed by Shinichi and Dana Iova-Koga, with music by composers Carla Kihlstedt and Shahzad Ismaily, lighting by Allen Willner, and scenic elements by Amy Rathbone. In person, Friday-Saturday, November 5 &amp; 6, 8 PM PT; Sunday, November 7, 4 PM PT. Available for on-demand viewing November 12. A transcript of this episode is available at odc.dance/stories.

Elephants Are Dancers Too: Ann Carlson with inkBoat's Shinichi Iova-Koga & Dana Iova-Koga

Sima talks with Christy Funsch, Artistic Director of Funsch Dance Experience, about her upcoming durational performance EPOCH, which takes place in-person and online on Saturday, October 2, 2021 from 10am to 10pm. In cheeky defiance of Doris Humphrey’s warning “All dances are too long,” EPOCH unfolds over 12 hours, in a gratuitous surplus of movement, interrupted by moments of nothingness, to challenge the valuing of acquisition and excess. Is endurance political? What bonds does an unlikely scenario forge? EPOCH features an original sound score by Cheryl Leonard and color theory-influenced lighting designed by Danielle Ferguson. EPOCH includes Wrecking by Maurya Kerr, Coral Martin, and Jes DeVille; each of these artists' re-imaginings of the choreography will be performed within the original work. A list of the key entry points will be provided and audiences are welcome to come and go throughout the day. A transcript of this episode is available at odc.dance/stories.

Sima talks with Christy Funsch, Artistic Director of Funsch Dance Experience, about her upcoming durational performance EPOCH, which takes place in-person and online on Saturday, October 2, 2021 from 10am to 10pm. In cheeky defiance of Doris Humphrey’s warning “All dances are too long,” EPOCH unfolds over 12 hours, in a gratuitous surplus of movement, interrupted by moments of nothingness, to challenge the valuing of acquisition and excess. Is endurance political? What bonds does an unlikely scenario forge? EPOCH features an original sound score by Cheryl Leonard and color theory-influenced lighting designed by Danielle Ferguson. EPOCH includes Wrecking by Maurya Kerr, Coral Martin, and Jes DeVille; each of these artists' re-imaginings of the choreography will be performed within the original work. A list of the key entry points will be provided and audiences are welcome to come and go throughout the day. A transcript of this episode is available at odc.dance/stories.

Is Endurance Political? Christy Funsch, Artistic Director of Funsch Dance

Raissa Simpson is an African American/Pilipino choreographer and artistic director of the San Francisco-based PUSH Dance Company. Her multidisciplinary dances are at the intersection of complex racial and cultural identities and centers around discourse on the complex experiences of racialized bodies. A graduate of SUNY Purchase, Simpson had an extensive performance career with Robert Moses Kin and Joanna Haigood’s Zaccho Dance Theatre. Her choreography honors include Magrit Mondavi Award, San Francisco Arts Commission, Zellerbach Family Foundation, San Francisco Foundation, Kenneth Rainin Foundation, and Grants for the Arts. Her choreography has been presented by Joyce SoHo, Aspen Fringe Festival, Dance St. Louis, Ferst Center, Los Angeles Women’s Theater Festival and Black Choreographers Festival. She has held creative residencies at Dance Initiative Carbondale, Santa Clara University, Bayview Opera House, Sacramento State University, Margaret Jenkins’ CHIME, African American Theater Alliance (AATAIN!) and CounterPulse. She received a Phyllis C Wattis Foundation with Bayview Opera House for her most recent work, The Motley Experiment. Check out Raissa's essay, “Writings on Dance: Artistic Reframing for Celestial Black Bodies,” out now in Critical Black Futures: Speculative Theories and Explorations (2021). A transcript of this episode are available at odc.dance/stories.

Raissa Simpson is an African American/Pilipino choreographer and artistic director of the San Francisco-based PUSH Dance Company. Her multidisciplinary dances are at the intersection of complex racial and cultural identities and centers around discourse on the complex experiences of racialized bodies. A graduate of SUNY Purchase, Simpson had an extensive performance career with Robert Moses Kin and Joanna Haigood’s Zaccho Dance Theatre. Her choreography honors include Magrit Mondavi Award, San Francisco Arts Commission, Zellerbach Family Foundation, San Francisco Foundation, Kenneth Rainin Foundation, and Grants for the Arts. Her choreography has been presented by Joyce SoHo, Aspen Fringe Festival, Dance St. Louis, Ferst Center, Los Angeles Women’s Theater Festival and Black Choreographers Festival. She has held creative residencies at Dance Initiative Carbondale, Santa Clara University, Bayview Opera House, Sacramento State University, Margaret Jenkins’ CHIME, African American Theater Alliance (AATAIN!) and CounterPulse. She received a Phyllis C Wattis Foundation with Bayview Opera House for her most recent work, The Motley Experiment. Check out Raissa's essay, “Writings on Dance: Artistic Reframing for Celestial Black Bodies,” out now in Critical Black Futures: Speculative Theories and Explorations (2021). A transcript of this episode are available at odc.dance/stories.

BIPOC Sanctuary with Raissa Simpson, Artistic Director of PUSH Dance Company

ODC Writer in Residence Sima Belmar talks with the artists responsible for ODC's first full-length film, Up For Air/Decameron: Brenda Way, Kimi, Okada, and Kate Weare. (NB: The fourth choreographer, KT Nelson, could not join us for the conversation.) The film features members of ODC/Dance and Kate Weare Company, and is inspired by Bocaccio's 14th-century novel Decameron. (No need to have read it to enjoy the film!) The novel is about the retreat of ten young Florentines seeking to avoid the plague of 1385. The work touches on the combustible nature of love, the need for connection and those values that help us survive catastrophic times: humor, resilience, and grace. Find out more at odd.dance/upforair. 

ODC Writer in Residence Sima Belmar talks with the artists responsible for ODC's first full-length film, Up For Air/Decameron: Brenda Way, Kimi, Okada, and Kate Weare. (NB: The fourth choreographer, KT Nelson, could not join us for the conversation.) The film features members of ODC/Dance and Kate Weare Company, and is inspired by Bocaccio's 14th-century novel Decameron. (No need to have read it to enjoy the film!) The novel is about the retreat of ten young Florentines seeking to avoid the plague of 1385. The work touches on the combustible nature of love, the need for connection and those values that help us survive catastrophic times: humor, resilience, and grace. Find out more at odd.dance/upforair.

Dancing During the Plague: ODC's Up for Air/Decameron with Kimi Okada, Brenda Way, & Kate Weare

Latanya d. Tigner has performed professionally with Dimensions Dance Theater within multidisciplinary works rooted in African diasporic dance forms since 1986. She holds a B.A. in Physical Education/Dance and a Master’s in Arts Administration. She directs Dimensions Dance Theater’s youth company and lectures at University of California, Berkeley and Mills College. In her 30-plus-year dance career, Latanya has created commissioned works for Dimensions Dance Theater, Black Choreographers Festival, Robert Moses’ Kin, UC Berkeley, Mills College, and has presented work in SF Ethnic Dance Festival, CubaCaribe, and Mabina Dance Festival (Congo-Brazzaville). She has also set choreography for Cal Shakes' black odyssey, SF Shakespeare's A Winter’s Tale, Ubuntu Theater's Dance of the Holy Ghost, Delina Brooks' An Open Love Letter to Black Fathers, Contra Costa College's In the Blood, For Colored Girls, and Godspell, and Li Smith's Victorious. Additionally, Latanya serves as Co-Artistic Director of the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival for the 2018–2021 seasons, and is a founding member of Oakland Anti-Racism Organizing Committee. Latanya has ongoing research on African dance retentions in African American social dance, which has led to the creation of Dancing Cy(i)phers, an annual symposium that connects the coded languages of African rooted dance. Transcripts of this episode are available at odc.dance/stories.

Latanya d. Tigner has performed professionally with Dimensions Dance Theater within multidisciplinary works rooted in African diasporic dance forms since 1986. She holds a B.A. in Physical Education/Dance and a Master’s in Arts Administration. She directs Dimensions Dance Theater’s youth company and lectures at University of California, Berkeley and Mills College. In her 30-plus-year dance career, Latanya has created commissioned works for Dimensions Dance Theater, Black Choreographers Festival, Robert Moses’ Kin, UC Berkeley, Mills College, and has presented work in SF Ethnic Dance Festival, CubaCaribe, and Mabina Dance Festival (Congo-Brazzaville). She has also set choreography for Cal Shakes' black odyssey, SF Shakespeare's A Winter’s Tale, Ubuntu Theater's Dance of the Holy Ghost, Delina Brooks' An Open Love Letter to Black Fathers, Contra Costa College's In the Blood, For Colored Girls, and Godspell, and Li Smith's Victorious. Additionally, Latanya serves as Co-Artistic Director of the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival for the 2018–2021 seasons, and is a founding member of Oakland Anti-Racism Organizing Committee. Latanya has ongoing research on African dance retentions in African American social dance, which has led to the creation of Dancing Cy(i)phers, an annual symposium that connects the coded languages of African rooted dance. Transcripts of this episode are available at odc.dance/stories.

From Sunu to Smurf: Back to the Root with Latanya d. Tigner

Dance Cast is a podcast produced by ODC San Francisco, and is dedicated to critical conversations around all genres of dance. It's for dance insiders, dance lovers, and the dance curious. ODC Writer in Residence, Sima Belmar, talks with choreographers, dancers, educators, designers, presenters, bodyworkers, journalists and scholars about dance theories and practices of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Transcripts of Dance Cast are available at odc.dance/stories

Dance Cast

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