Aside from creating and selling 3 businesses by the time he was 28, he has also been a Senior Celebrity Agent for 5 years managing top media and television personalities as well as being the touring manager for the Tony Award Winning musical Jersey Boys.
But at the end of the day, all roads lead me back to what he does best and what is my absolute passion in life...helping dance studio owners become more profitable and make a bigger impact in the lives of their staff and dance families.
He is back! As the most interviewed and only interviewer on the podcast! This week Calen and Lauren are all about the Teachers as Calen and Lauren open up some of their processes, approaches, and fails. Calen talks about the distinction between Contemporary and Lyrical, how he provides a space for play and where failing as a teacher is necessary. He also speaks to a flip in his leadership style that may inspire a new perspective for dance educators around the world!
He recently became the exclusive Canadian distributor of Miller and Ben tap shoes. Check out Tap Shoes Canada to buy the world’s best tap dancing shoes!
When did you feel like you "made it"? That was a question asked to the world-class faculty in a Q&A this weekend at a convention. Lauren shares their answers and what she knows about the process and unpacking of "making it" in this industry.
Once the AD for Cirque Du Soleil’s Vegas-based show “O”, Sandi's role has to maintain the artistic vision and focus of each show. As a performer she has been seen in such internationally famous productions as Celine Dion’s “A New Day”, Gloria Estefan’s “Unwrapped Concert”, Shania Twain “A touch of Broadway”, principal dancer with Tokyo Disneyland, soloist for Dance and Desire – a tribute to Bob Fosse and many, more.
As an instructor, choreographer and speaker, Sandi is in demand all over the world. It is no surprise that praise for her work as a Dance Educator parallels the praise she receives as a performer. She has been invited to teach in Hong Kong, Manila, Tokyo, Sweden, and throughout North America. Her popularity as a teacher, choreographer/speaker led to a successful & unique role as the Asian Pacific Marketing Representative for Capezio Ballet Makers and for Jean Ann Ryan Productions assisting in the audition tours, casting and the development and creations for new International theatrical and musical shows.
Sandi’s enthusiasm and presentational style leaves professionals and young artists-to-be with a sense of confidence and achievement – she has been called the perfect role model.
Jess Spinner is a former professional ballet dancer turned Health Coach and founder of The Whole Dancer. She supports dancers in reaching their body goals through one on one coaching and her online course, The Dancers' Best Body Program. Dancers from New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, and aspiring dancers from around the world have participated in individual coaching and group programs from The Whole Dancer. There are options to fit every need and budget and many resources are provided at no – charge in order to support as many dancers as possible to find balance and true happiness as you work towards your dance goals.
Anxiety. Finding your artistic voice. Stripping labels and connecting with humanity. We cover a broad spectrum with Juel D Lane. Juel is an American dancer, choreographer, filmmaker, and one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch.” With elite training from Tri-Cities High School and the Youth Ensemble of Atlanta, Lane earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts with a focus on Contemporary Dance. Currently dancing with Bessie Award-winning Camille A. Brown & Dancers, Lane made history in 2012 as the first local and independent black choreographer to have his work commissioned by the Atlanta Ballet. From there, he participated in the 2015-2016 Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation New Directions Choreography Lab, and collaborated with dance legends across the United States. His dance films, "Just Another Day," "How to Kill a Ghost," and "When The Beat Drops," showcase the complexity, playfulness and creativity within this dynamic choreographer’s mind.
Marjorie Goodson is breaking physical and creative boundaries with her luxurious, avant-garde coffee table book simply titled, MG. She is the daughter of Mark Goodson, the most popular game show creator and producer in the history of TV (Family Feud, The Price is Right, Match Game, To Tell The Truth, Beat the Clock)
Marjorie is a proud and active supporter of The Actors Fund's Career Transition for Dancers, and has been an avid dancer since childhood. For Marjorie, dancing is her need, her want, her strength, her desire, her pleasure, her energy and sometimes her pain. “It’s my purpose and my passion, and it feeds my soul,” said Marjorie.
With the release of MG, her book of photographic essays three years in the making, Marjorie most definitely pushes the artistic envelope to the pinnacle of creative performance.
The book includes 153 commanding and empowering images by noted Romanian born art and fashion photographer, Andreea Radutoiu. The life-long dancer is captured – in glorious color, dramatic black and white and stimulating sepia tones – the magnificent and glorious 55-year-old Goodson in multiple dance postures in her passionate pursuit of life that goes beyond age and into the stratosphere of the emotional and physical connection to one’s inner self. “I feel my time is now,” says Goodson. There’s always tomorrow – there’s always an opportunity,” she says. “It’s tapping into your youth and having the courage to be creative and to live in the body physical.”
MG is an artistic and visual collaboration between Goodson (concept and creative content), Radutoiu, and hair and makeup stylist, Torsten Witte (LaLa Land, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), set against some of Southern California’s most dramatic and historic locations including, The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Milk Studios, the Dunes at Pismo and Zuma Beach.
Goodson has always loved using her body to express art and with this exquisite tome, she hopes to inspire other women by letting them know they, too, can find their passion and confidence at any age.
After 15 years of experience in the dance world, Galit has worked as Assistant Choreographer for Prince, danced in numerous music videos, including Pharrell Williams' "Happy", has been featured in two dance publications, and currently works as a dance instructor and conditioning specialist in Los Angeles and around the country. She is the creator and host of Dance Speak podcast, a podcast dedicated to sharing conversations about the dancer's life in Los Angeles.
You might have seen him on Laurieann Gibson’s show “Beyond The Spotlight” or as a dancer for Laurieann on “The Four". King Chris has taken his technical background and transitioned into the LA commercial world. He heard a lot of "advice" and tried to fit in, but Chris shares his biggest lessons learned and what he wants the next generation of dancers to know.
We are talking Body with Anna Vollmar. Anna’s passion for body awareness and biomechanics led her to study at the respected Kane School of Core Integration where she is fully certified in mat and equipment Pilates, and will now be a Teacher Trainer for the school. Her training is specialized with information in anatomy, biomechanics, touch therapy, and experience with all populations of people in addition to dancers.Anna is proficient in contemporary, ballet, classic jazz technique, lyrical, and conditioning for dancers, and additional experience in pointe, musical theatre, tap, hip hop, modern. Her training in Pilates, Gyrokinesis, and yoga are fused into her warm-up and choreographic style. No matter what country Anna has visited, she has seen that the language of movement is universal and experiencing movement with others drives her passion for both teaching and for learning.
Chris Hale chats about his love for Ballet and the Body and getting to see the body in a new way will help every discipline of dance!
Seats have swapped and Lauren is in the interview chair as Calen asks about her journey and why the Golden Threads are so close to her heart.
Get to know Calen Kurka and why he loves his class Contemporary Mechanics. He gives you a sneak peek for what to expect in his classes and why it is so close to his heart!
For more than 20 years, her positive and encouraging teaching style has inspired students across the country to chase their dreams on stage and off as they learn to dance from the inside out! Having studied, taught, and performed extensively, Kim’s training and technical expertise shine through all of her classes. But it’s her contagious energy and compassion for each and every student that sets Kim apart in the industry. She has taught on Adrenaline, JUMP, NUVO, The Dance Teacher’s Summit, and hosted her own children’s event at DancerPalooza. Most recently, Kim has retired from the convention circuit to focus on her Studio Consulting firm and new company, CHANGING LIVES. She now travels across the country working directly with studios to provide parent seminars, business consulting, and to educate faculty in her teaching philosophy. No matter where she travels for CHANGING LIVES, the message remains the same: True success comes from within, so when you change how you think, it changes how you dance… even when the music stops.
If it doesn't exist- you can create it. You can create your job. You can create your community. You can create the spaces that will hold all of your favourite people and deepest passions. Lauren shares how & why she continues to create new work and new opportunities. PLUS! An amazing special announcement not to be missed!