Giving and Receiving: An Interview with Stella Matsuda

BY EMMALY WIEDERHOLT; PHOTOGRAPHS BY GREGORY BARTNING Stella’s dance was a spiritual act; she gave herself wholly to her passion for the art form, and her viewer received a sort of spiritual communion from watching her. As simply as slipping into song, meditation or prayer, Stella slipped into movement. And, […]

July 5, 2018  |  Read Article

Life’s Music in the Body

BY EMMALY WIEDERHOLT; PHOTOGRAPHS BY GREGORY BARTNING In a 14-day whirlwind filled with little sleep and lots of caffeine, I travelled with photographer Gregory Bartning from Los Angeles up the coast to Seattle, interviewing 25 dancers and hosting five public events to finish and promote our Dancing Over 50 Project, […]

September 21, 2015  |  Read Article

Dancing for More than the Self

An Interview with Sacred Dancer Stella Matsuda BY EMMALY WIEDERHOLT I recently found myself at a singing retreat with my aunt, and one of the participants was Stella Matsuda, a dancer who runs a sacred dance company. Since, in the handful of times I have attended religious services I have […]

March 20, 2014  |  Read Article