LMU On Dance Podcast
Celebrating Dance in L.A.
LMU On Dance: Critical Conversations is a podcast dedicated to celebrating, discussing and supporting local, national and international choreographers who show their work in the greater Los Angeles area. Dance reviews used to be crucial to elevating a dancer or dance company’s reputation, and reviews have not been historically inclusive in their coverage in the dance field. With the number of dance reviewers in major publications dwindling in recent years, we saw an opportunity to add to the discussion on dance. On Dance brings you inspiring conversations with artists, including reviews, history, and interviews, with a goal of supporting our community and celebrating diversity – in all its forms - in dance. Join us!
Made possible thanks to funding from LMU College of Communication and Fine Arts BIPOC Initiative and a grant from the LMU Center for Media Arts and a Just Society (MAJS). Regular hosts are Laura Ann Smyth and Taryn Vander Hoop, both of whom are faculty members at Loyola Marymount University’s Dance Department.
Episodes
Prophet: The Order of the Lyricist by Marjani Forté-Saunders & Everett Saunders
Episode 1
In this episode, we’re reviewing Prophet: The Order of the Lyricist by Marjani Forté-Saunders and Everett Saunders, which we saw in September 2023 at REDCAT in Los Angeles. Then, we’re joined by Marjani to discuss the many people who came together to create this work and her influences throughout the process, as well as the impact reviews have had on her career.
Kyle Abraham / Abraham in Motion
Episode 2
Kyle Abraham is an American choreographer, dancer, and founder of A.I.M. (Abraham in Motion). Abraham has produced many original works as his mission is to create a body of dance-based work that is galvanized by black culture and history. His company draws from his personal experiences, often exploring themes of black life, emotion, and the relationship between visual art, music, and dance.
Laura Karlin / Invertigo Dance
Episode 3
Laura Karlin is the Founder and Artistic Director of Invertigo Dance Theatre, a teacher, choreographer, and movement activist. Since establishing Invertigo in 2007, Laura has created over 40 pieces for the company, including eight full evening-length works. Her work for Invertigo has been presented at venues including the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Ford Amphitheatre, Los Angeles Theatre Center, Broad Stage, and LACMA.
Donna Sternberg & Dancers
Episode 4
Donna Sternberg & Dancers (DS&D) is a contemporary dance company founded in 1985 by Donna Sternberg. Donna uses science as a framework to give shape and structure to many of her artistic explorations and interpretations, drawing parallels and metaphors between science and human behavior.
DaEun Jung
Episode 5
DaEun Jung is a Los Angeles-based choreographer/dancer who interlaces forms, principles, and methods of her ancestral and contemporary performance practices. DaEun has redefined the principle, form, structure, and function of Korean classical/folk dance in inter/multi-cultural settings as a continuation of her graduate study.
Akram Khan
Episode 6
Akram Khan is one of the most celebrated and respected dance artists of today, and Artistic Director and Choreographer of Akram Khan Company. His reputation has been built upon the success of imaginative, highly accessible productions, and his close collaborations with world-class artists and national ballet companies. In this conversation, we discuss his work Jungle Book reimagined, where we explore Khan’s choreographic process as a storyteller.
VersaStyle Dance
Episode 7
Versa-Style is a 501 C 3 non-profit organization and dance ensemble that consists of committed and conscientious artists representing the diversity and beautiful complexity of Los Angeles. Versa-Style Dance Company was created to promote, empower, and celebrate the artistry of Hip Hop and street dance culture.
Camille A. Brown
Episode 8
Camille A. Brown is a prolific choreographer with an emphasis on ancestral and contemporary stories of African American identity, balancing a career in stage, film, and television. She is the Artistic Director and Choreographer for her company, Camille A. Brown & Dancers. Camille is also the first Black woman to direct and choreograph a Broadway play since Katherine Dunham in 1955, and the first Black mainstage director at the Metropolitan Opera. In this episode, we share our experience seeing Camille and her company perform Ink at The Wallis in January 2024.
The Rite of Spring
Episode 9
In this episode we dive into The Rite of Spring, choreographed by the late Pina Bausch and recently performed at The Music Center in Los Angeles. We also discuss common ground[s], a remarkable work created, performed, and inspired by dance icons Germaine Acogny and Malou Airaudo, which was performed on the same bill. We explore the history of each of these pieces, and how the dynamics of age, race, and gender emerge throughout these performances, along with LMU Dance major, Katie Tuchi.
Annabelle Lopez Ochoa / Ballet Hispánico's Doña Perón
Episode 10
Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, a renowned Belgian-Colombian choreographer, joins us in this episode to discuss her production of Doña Perón for Ballet Hispánico, which was performed at The Music Center in Los Angeles in July 2024. Annabelle has created more than 100 works for 81 dance companies around the world, including Dutch National Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, and Alberta Ballet. She excels in choreographing narrative ballets and expands her dance choreography to the fields of theatre, opera, and musical theatre.