Interviews

Tender and frail. Eiko Otake, a slender, elderly Japanese woman dressed in a crumpled white gown, brow furrowed, worriedly looks at the ground in front of her. With bent limbs, elbows prominent, she clutches a woman familiar to her close to her body. Dressed in a lightly pinstriped red blouse with steel-colored trousers, this woman, Wen Hui, leans to the ground, gazing down at the edge of her fingertips.
Photo: Jingqui Guan
  • Interviews

Old Lessons for New Wars

ankita

We have all known war, but have we learned? 

Richard Move wears a tight sheer dress of a rich dark blue, with only their face, hands, and feet visible. Their legs are open wide, only the balls of the feet on the floor, and they extend their gripped hands to the left as they dramatically turn their head to the right. Fans of modern dance will recognize that this image is a recreation of the dance solo "Lamentations" by Martha Graham.
Photo: Josef Astor
  • Interviews

Being Martha at BAM

Brendan McCall

Richard Move on embodying Martha Graham in the 21st Century

Off center, an old woman sits on a metal chair in front of white curtains. Her hands sit comfortably on top of her stomach, and she smiles mischievously at the camera.
Photo: Ron Wyman
  • Interviews

Becoming “Not You” in Action Theater: An Interview with Skye Hughes

Brendan McCall

Skye Hughes talks about her experience with Action Theater

Christopher Kaui Morgan gazes off to the side, smiling serenely in a studio that radiates warmth. Outfitted in various shades of blue, his hands rest gently on his hips in the pockets of a navy cardigan, as his weight shifts over to one leg. He is an image of confident grace, wearing chunky high-heeled boots that add a splash of exuberance to his professional demeanor.
Photo by K.C. Alfred
  • Interviews

Infiltrating Institutions with Christopher Kaui Morgan

ankita

Christopher Kaui Morgan—infiltrator and advocate—holds the door open for Native Hawaiian and queer communities.

A composite still from Pajarillo, Como No Voy A Llorar? (Little Birdy, How Could I Not Cry). Travieso stands naked on concrete in front of an abstract gray digital background. With eyes closed, she holds a large black satin fabric that billows out to her left. Covering her body is an image of a large bird-like creature fallen on the ground in a desert landscape, with a child and adult looking on.
Photo: Yara Travieso
  • Interviews

Inside/Out Protest: Embodied Liberation with Yara Travieso

ankita

Softening into tender resistance and honest disobedience with NYC-based Cuban-Venezuelan artist Yara Travieso.

Caught in mid flight against a blurred background of golds, oranges, and blues, a Warbler arches its head up and pushes its wings down together in a lifting stroke. It has a golden brown head with a white throat under its small pointed beak. There is a small gold patch above its tail feathers and its wing and tail feathers are shades of black, grey, brown, and white.
Photo: Christine Cieslak
  • Interviews

Neighbor Watching

Emilee Lord

Dance and science create space for learning and hope.

Dancer Merián Soto kneels with one knee slightly higher than the other. Her body faces the camera but her eyes are downcast. Her medium length gray hair falls towards her face. She is wearing a flowy rust-colored top and loose khaki-colored pants. In her outstretched hands she holds two curved branches. The branch in her left hand is nearly bent in half and almost touches the floor. The branch in her right hand extends in a graceful arc above her head, mirroring the casual grace in Soto’s pose.
Photo: Bill Hebert
  • Interviews

I am the Archive

Ellen Miller

Still dancing, Merián Soto reflects on her storied career.

January, 2025. Lisa Kraus dances solo at Tictac Art Centre. Facing stage left, Kraus crosses her left thigh behind her right. Her knees meet. The tops of her left toes press into the ground as her right heel lifts in a demi releve. Kraus releases her sternum to the sky, elbows pulled back, forearms lifted, face tipped toward the ceiling.
Photo: Arnaud Beelen
  • Interviews

Part 2: On Dance Writing, Improvisation, and Dancing Forever—An Interview with Lisa Kraus

Charly Santagado

Kraus takes on the role ‘missionary for dancing forever’

It’s 1986. Lisa Kraus, positioned slightly to the right of center of the image, falls to the side over one ankle, the other leg outstretched behind her. She raises her arms upward and lifts her head back, hair flying behind her. She dances in a spotlight on a mat on the floor that reads “DESERT ISLAND” in all capital letters. The image, captured by acclaimed dance photographer Lois Greenfield, is in black and white.
Photo: Lois Greenfield
  • Interviews

Part 1: On Dance Writing, Improvisation, and Dancing Forever—An Interview with Lisa Kraus

Charly Santagado

Kraus reveals the origins of thINKingDANCE and discusses the relevance of dance writing.

A woman, Erin Carlisle Norton, wears a sleeveless cotton shirt. She stands casually and smiles. Her shoulder-length hair is loose and wavy. Her hands are crossed, and to the left reads a “Movers and Shapers: A Dance Podcast” Logo. The background is a prism of rainbow (blue and purple) colors.
Photo: Erin Carlisle Norton
  • Interviews

The Web: Celebrating Ten Years of Podcast Interconnectedness

Megan Mizanty

Movers and Shapers dances into the next decade