#10: Natalie Wagner | Professional identity in dance, speaking up, fighting for our rights, and finding power in unity Artwork

Inside Contemporary Dance

An intimate look into the world of contemporary dance artists, from the voice of a contemporary dancer. Amit Abend sits down with dance artists from all over the globe, in various stages of their careers to discuss their dreams, their triumphs, their challenges, their art, and everything in between. By listening to the stories of those who have come before us, we can gain insight and crucial advice for our own careers as dance artists, and learn to make more intelligent decisions, while finding solace in the experiences of our fellow movers. So pull up a chair… and come join us! It’s time to open up and share what we’ve learned.

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Inside Contemporary Dance

#10: Natalie Wagner | Professional identity in dance, speaking up, fighting for our rights, and finding power in unity

February 21, 2023 • Amit Abend • Season 1 • Episode 10

For this episode of “Inside Contemporary Dance”, I sat down to chat with the wonderful Natalie Wagner.

As a dancer, Natalie worked with and for choreographers such as Jérôme Bel, Katja Grässli, Charlotta Övferholm, Adi Salant, Lior Lev, and Noa Zuk. She also danced for Zaccho Dance-Theater, was employed full-time at the Gerhart-Hauptmann-Theater in Görlitz, and was a guest at the Stadttheater Giessen, Stadttheater Biel/Solothurn and at the Zurich Opera House.

This choreographer, dance teacher, and mentor has been working internationally since 2000 and she has created and directed numerous short and full-length productions. From 2006 - 2017 Natalie directed her own dance company, called the "naway company." By founding a junior company, she made it possible for young dancers to gain some initial experience and jumpstart their professional dance career.

Natalie completed her master's degree in dance pedagogy at the Zurich University of the Arts (2009-2011). She later completed her master's degree in choreography at the Palucca Hochschule für Tanz in Dresden (2018-2020). Natalie then received a two-year full-time scholarship from the state of Saxony and completed a meister’s degree focused on professional identity in dance.

Natalie has trained numerous professional dancers at the University of Contemporary and Urban Dance and works regularly as a guest artist, teaching master classes and professional dance classes at various educational institutions in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and Poland.

Natalie isn’t only active as a performer, choreographer, and dance teacher though. Throughout this interview, you’ll hear us talking about her activism in the dance community and the strong connection she has with Dancersconnect - a movement striving for better work practices for dance artists. In fact, Natalie was instrumental in including both the contemporary and the commercial freelance dance scenes in Germany in this movement which allowed these dancers to fight for their rights alongside their colleagues who are employed full-time in German theatres. More on this later.

Currently, Natalie is the artistic director and head choreographer of the Landesbühnen Sachsen dance company.

Please enjoy!

Follow Natalie here:
Website: https://www.nataliewagner.ch/
Instagram: @nawaydance

***Want to watch Natalie’s lecture on professional identity in dance?
All you need to do is e-mail Natalie at: nw@nataliewagner.ch. She will then send you a link with a password, in exchange for a donation payment of your choice.

Follow “Inside Contemporary Dance”:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insidecontemporarydance/
Website: https://www.insidecontemporarydance.com/

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My many thanks go to:
Naomi Gibson - Texts editor, general consultor & dear friend
Marco Dray - Original music
Dagmara Śliwińska - Podcast cover photo
Moritz Wright - Podcast cover photo design
Thomas Bewernick - Sound, recording, & being there every step of the way
My dear family - Because I love you
Last but not least - YOU. My dear listeners. You are the life and spirit behind the podcast. THANK YOU!