Experiencing the Democracy of Dance

PODCAST BY SILVA LAUKKANEN In this episode of DanceCast, Silva interviews Connie Vandarakis, a master DanceAbility teacher in Philadelphia. Connie shares her unusual entrance to dance, her experience in academia, how chronic hip pain and a hip replacement led her to DanceAbility, and why she deeply believes in the curriculum […]

December 6, 2018  |  Read Article

Promoting Freedom and Equality

PODCAST BY SILVA LAUKKANEN In this episode of DanceCast, Silva interviews Jana Meszaros, a DanceAbility instructor in Eugene, OR. Jana describes her small-town upbringing, how she discovered DanceAbility through contact improvisation, and her road to becoming a Master Teacher. She shares her belief in DanceAbility as a tool for creating […]

November 19, 2018  |  Read Article

Exploring Her Own Access and Excellence

PODCAST BY SILVA LAUKKANEN In this episode of DanceCast, Silva interviews India Harville, a dance artist and teacher in the Bay Area. India shares her journey to inclusive dance through yoga, body work, and her ongoing experience with temporary paralysis. She also describes her recent one-woman show, Enough, which explored […]

November 1, 2018  |  Read Article

Dance Is In My Heart

PODCAST BY SILVA LAUKKANEN In this episode of DanceCast, Silva interviews Tanya Winters, a dancer in Austin, TX. Tanya found her way into the world of dance in the early 2000s before becoming certified in DanceAbility in 2011. She currently performs with Body Shift. Tanya shares a bit of her […]

October 30, 2017  |  Read Article

Communicating More Than Movement: An Interview with Emery Blackwell

BY EMMALY WIEDERHOLT; PHOTOGRAPHS BY GREGORY BARTNING Most of us have a narrow definition of what it means to have a disability; it’s a label often imposed from the outside in. Emery has cerebral palsy and, though he is commonly labeled “disabled,” I have never met a dancer with a […]

November 7, 2016  |  Read Article