STUDIO STORIES: REMINISCING ON TWIN CITIES DANCE HISTORY
Stories are among our most potent tools. We need to unearth old stories that live in a place and begin to create new ones. We are story makers, not just storytellers. All stories are connected, new ones woven from threads of the old. (Paraphrased- Robin Wall Kimmerer) Join ARENA DANCES every Thursday at noon for Studio Stories, a podcast reminiscing on Twin Cities Dance history. Hosted by Mathew Janczewski, each week will feature a new renowned dance artist who has made an impact on the dance landscape in this big dance town. Know of someone whose connections should be shared? Let us know! Email us at arenadances@gmail.com
Episodes
160 episodes
Studio Stories: NEW BREED series with Alexandra Bodnarchuk - Season 15, Episode 160
Alexandra Bodnarchuk is a Carpatho-Rusyn American choreographer and cultural activist based in Minneapolis, MN. As the Artistic Director and choreographer for Doma Dance Theater, Bodnarchuk creates original works for the stage and screen that d...
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56:00
Studio Stories: NEW BREED series with Cheng Xiong - Season 15, Episode 159
Cheng Xiong is a local Hmong dance artist, choreographer, teacher, and community leader. Xiong was born in a refugee camp in Thailand, sponsored by family in the United States, and moved to St. Paul, Minnesota. Xiong started picking up Hip Hop ...
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52:18
Studio Stories: NEW BREED series with Jake Nehrbass - Season 15, Episode 158
Born and raised in Minneapolis Minnesota, Jake is a teacher and performing artist in the Twin Cities. Having danced since the age of three, and being trained in tap dance, ballroom dance, jazz dance, modern dance, as well as having an interest ...
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44:26
Studio Stories: Reminiscing on Twin Cities Dance with Julie Kerr-Berry - Season 14, Episode 157
Julie Kerr-Berry retired in 2023 after 35 years at Minnesota StateUniversity, Mankato (MSUM). In 2020, she became chair of theDepartment of Theatre & Dance. Throughout her tenure, she helped tobuild multiple degrees in Dance. Ju...
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44:24
Studio Stories: Reminiscing on Twin Cities Dance with Steve Paul - Season 14, Episode 156
Steve Paul received his BA in English from the University of Iowa in 1983, then immediately moved to Minneapolis.In 1984 he joined Red Eye Collaboration, where he was the resident “all things tech” until 1989.In 1989 he joined t...
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50:53
Studio Stories: Reminiscing on Twin Cities Dance with Raymond Terrill - Season 14, Episode 155
Ray Terrill | Dance Group has been performing in and around the Twin Cities since Ray relocated in 1994.Originally from the Pacific Northwest, he has extensive experience as performer, choreographer, teacher, presenter and arts program admi...
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45:28
Studio Stories: Reminiscing on Twin Cities Dance with Rebecca Frost- Season 14, Episode 154
Rebecca Frost, CMT, MSMT, MFA (she / her) After her career as a modern dancer, she's moved into life as a multi-disciplinary artist, writer, somatic therapist, educator and activist.Rebecca earned a BA in Theater and an MFA in Writ...
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54:16
Studio Stories: Reminiscing on Twin Cities Dance with Erika Thorne - Season 14, Episode 153
Erika Thorne has been a progressive activist, writer, facilitator and cultural worker since 1974. She focuses on cross-race coalition-building, anti-racism work with other whites, and diversity work. Erika has worked with environmental a...
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1:07:17
Studio Stories: Reminiscing on Twin Cities Dance with Melanie Lien Palm - Season 14, Episode 152
Melanie Lien PalmCurrently: Body Wisdom LLC as owner, practitioner, instructor, presenter, perpetual student (I would LOVE to offer a 6 hour class of BodyTalk Access and/or a 1.5 hour class of EmotionalResolution for DANCERS! ...
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1:02:14
Studio Stories: CANDY BOX Dance Festival special with jess pretty - Season 13, Episode 151
jess pretty is an Assistant Professor of Dance at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and the current artistic director of AUNTS; a punk/DIY performance series that hosts events/festivals/shows to hig...
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23:38
Studio Stories: CANDY BOX Dance Festival special with Tristan Koepke + Benny Olk - Season 13, Episode 150
Tristan Koepke (he/him) is a dancer, choreographer, and educator based in Portland, ME. He holds an MFA in Dance from the University of Maryland, College Park, and is currently Assistant Professor at Bates College and Associate Director of the ...
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33:20
Studio Stories: CANDY BOX Dance Festival special with Paula Mann - Season 13, Episode 149
Paula Mann has been creating dances for 44 years and is a graduate of New York University. She was full time faculty at the University of Minnesota Department of Theater and Dance from 1993-2013. She is co-artistic director of Time Track Produc...
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25:53
Studio Stories: Reminiscing on Twin Cities Dance with Margie Fargnoli - Season 13, Episode 148
For over forty-five years I was a movement educator, dancer and choreographer devoted to the exploration of the expression of the mind through the body. I graduated from the Juilliard School in 1971 and my first professional job was working in ...
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1:46:53
Studio Stories: Reminiscing on Twin Cities Dance with Joe Chvala - Season 13, Episode 147
Joe Chvala has created over 30 original works for the stage that have toured from New York to Paris and from Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival to Litle Falls, MN. He is the founder and artistic director of the highly acclaimed percussive dan...
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51:42
Studio Stories: Reminiscing on Twin Cities Dance with Zhauna Franks - Season 13, Episode 146
Swan Song Studies marks Zhauna's 6th full evening length production.Previous productions: The Dream Channel- Episodes 1 & 2 at The Ritz Theater, Episode 3 (in 3D) at Open Eye Figure Theatre, Her Hysteri...
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56:38
Studio Stories: Reminiscing on Twin Cities Dance with Thern Anderson - Season 13, Episode 145
Kathryn (Thern) Anderson started her dance training at the U of M in 1968 with Margret Dietz, Heidi Hauser and Judith Mirus. In 1971 she joined Margret’s Company, Choreogram ,and danced there until 1976. She then moved to Port Towns...
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44:23
Studio Stories: Reminiscing on Twin Cities Dance with Cathy Gasiorowicz - Season 13, Episode 144
When Cathy was 15, she fell in love with dance and mime while studying at the Children’s Theater School with Myron Johnson and Wendy Lehr. She went on to dance with Zoe Sealy’s Minnesota Jazz Dance Company where she met aspiring choreographer K...
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1:18:38
Studio Stories: Reminiscing on Twin Cities Dance with Maria Genné - Season 13, Episode 143
Maria Genné is a dancer, choreographer and educator, recognized as a pioneering leader in the intergenerational interactive participatory performing arts, and arts and health fields. Her national award winning work to create interactive ...
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1:02:45
Studio Stories: Reminiscing on Twin Cities Dance with Rita Mustaphi - Season 12, Episode 142
Rita Mustaphi is choreographer, dancer, educator and a disciple of the living legendPandit Birju Maharaj in Kathak style of Indian classical dance. She is known for hervisionary approach and innovations in dance, her multi-disciplinary ...
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52:26
Studio Stories: Reminiscing on Twin Cities Dance with Christian Burns - Season 12, Episode 141
Christian Burns is a Teaching Artist, Performer, and Choreographer. His body of work is built upon interdisciplinary projects relating to the intersection of Improvisation, Choreography, and Training.Some of his collaborators include Hop...
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1:10:46
Studio Stories: Reminiscing on Twin Cities Dance with Marilyn Habermas-Scher - Season 12, Episode 140
Myo-O Marilyn Habermas-Scher has an extensive background in the performing arts, including choreography, opera, vocal improvisation, performance art and story telling. She is trained in Qi Gong and Body Mind Centering TM, as well as pract...
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44:53
Studio Stories: Reminiscing on Twin Cities Dance with Pam Gleason - Season 12, Episode 139
Pam has been creating, teaching and performing dance for over 40 years. She was involved with the Nancy Hauser Dance Company/Hauser Dance from the mid-1980s to 2011 as an apprentice, company member, teacher and choreographer, along with freelan...
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56:56
Studio Stories: Reminiscing on Twin Cities Dance with Paul Herwig and Jennifer Isle - Season 12, Episode 138
Paul Herwig has been working for over 40 years as a professional visual and performing artist. Paul is the founding Co-Artistic Director/Manager of Off-Leash Area, a dance and theater company creating original interdisciplinary performan...
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57:52
Studio Stories: Reminiscing on Twin Cities Dance with Toni-Pierce-Sands- Season 12, Episode137
Toni Pierce-Sands (Founder & Artistic Director) Prior to co-founding TU Dance, Minnesota native Toni Pierce-Sands performed with Minnesota Dance Theatre, Tanz Forum in Germany, Rick Odums in Paris, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Thea...
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1:25:17
Studio Stories: Reminiscing on Twin Cities Dance with Deneane Richburg - Season 11, Episode 136
Deneane Richburg (Choreographer, Dancer, former Competitive FigureSkater, Founder/Artistic Director of Brownbody) grew up a competitive figureskater—in spaces where she had to check her blackness at the door, as worldskating was dom...
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