The Arts Today

As participation around the live arts wanes, here are some ideas on how to break down the barriers to "understanding" more classical forms of art while redefining what they mean to our generation.

Do you ever feel like art is pretentious? Like when you go to a museum and look at a lot of art that doesn't really “make sense“ to you and you just think to yourself, “it's cool I guess”? Or have you ever gone to a ballet or an opera, or even listened to a symphony that you just didn't “understand” and you fear that you missed the point? If so, don't worry, you are not alone. In this episode, let's think about art through a different, more flexible lens.

Tune in to the third part in my series with Andy Blankenbuehler to get a sense of what challenges arose from this pandemic and how those challenges are being faced, as well as to hear Andy's perspective on how the societal shifts that we have seen over the last year are changing the way we tell stories. Please enjoy

It seems that so many issues have come out of the woodwork over the last year. Some were new, others, not so much. No matter what the issues are, it seems that we have choices regarding how we respond to these issues, and the information within them. We can either turn a blind eye and say “everything was working fine before this issue was brought to light, so why do anything about it?” or we can confront the issues head on by acknowledging their complexity and magnitude, and ultimately learning and understanding what kind of change is possible. Tune in this week to “out of sight, out of mind” to ponder our responsibilities to self and society while confronting new or resurgent issues in this crazy time. Also, mark your calendars for This Friday, the final episode in my series with Tony Award winning choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler will finally release! Be sure to spread the word, you and your friends won't want to miss it.

In this weeks episode featuring my conversation with Tony Award winning choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler, I wanted to learn a little bit more about Andy's choreographic process. Tune in to hear about Andy's process while choreographing a show, and you might be lucky enough to get some behind the scenes information and knowledge surrounding the inner workings of "Hamilton". Please enjoy. 

 To understand and connect with an artist, we must first understand the processes and experiences that helped shape their artistic and creative identity. In this sense, I felt that there would be no better way to get to know Andy than to hear his story first hand. “Andy's Story” is just that. Tune in to get a sense of the processes, people, and experiences that helped Andy find himself as an artist, dancer, choreographer, and story teller. If you like this episode, please consider sharing it with at least one friend. Over the next couple of weeks, I will release the following episodes of this series, so make sure you subscribe to this podcast so that you don't miss an episode. Please enjoy.

This week, an exciting series comprised of three episodes releases. My guest? None other than director and Tony Award winning choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler. You may be familiar with Andy's work if you have seen a little musical called "Hamilton", or if you have seen the broadway shows "In The Heights" and Bandstand". Even if you aren't an active musical theater patron, you may recognize his work on the major motion picture adaptation of the legendary musical "Cats". Tune in to get a sense of what this past year has looked like on Broadway, what reopening theaters for live performances will entail, and how Andy sees the future of storytelling through choreography. Please enjoy. 

Many of us know that the arts can be used to convey ideas, influence public opinion, and empower individuals. But what can be said about the power of art to inspire young minds and initiate the process of rebuilding communities affected by war, and the traumas that come with it? My guest today is Okurut George, a yoga, meditation, and dance instructor who is taking his knowledge and passions for dance, mental and physical health, as well as fitness across Africa to teach communities of children how to connect with their minds and bodies, and the beauty of being able to express one's self through dance and movement. Okurut's story is truly fascinating, and offers and intriguing perspective into the powers and importance of art and mental wellbeing. Please enjoy.

Over the course of this historic pandemic period that has now engrained itself into our definitions of normalcy, sometimes it feels like all we can do is watch the events of the world from the metaphorical passenger seat. Whether we are talking about the damage that has been done to the global live arts and culture industries, or the social events happening within our societies that cannot be ignored, it can be easy to feel like we are just an unwitting passenger on this journey of uncertainty. How can we take a primary position of action in the middle of all of this? Join me as I sit down with Dylan Gutierrez, a principal dancer with the Joffrey Ballet, and co-founder and director of Action Lines, a new ballet company that Dylan helped create. We discuss how in the middle of so much chaos, Dylan was able to take a position of action within the arts world, and the potential of his new company to redefine how we see the arts. Please enjoy.

So much has happened in the world since my last episode. We are seeing an increasing number of people being vaccinated against covid-19, ballet companies and museums among other organizations are able to reopen in some capacity, and the general feeling is that we can't wait for everything to be back to normal by summer, right? Let's ask ourselves, what kind of normal do we want to come back to? Tune in to hear my thoughts on how we can create an even better "normal" than we had before. Please enjoy. Don't forget to check out The Arts Today's new website by heading to theartstoday.wordpress.com.

The world we live in seems to be changing. Every day, more Americans are being vaccinated against this rampant virus, and some performing arts companies are beginning to come back to work in some kind of capacity. But this past year has been so hard on so many artists, so let's discuss how we can bring these issues into mainstream conversation, and let's see how we can create an environment where art is not only valued, but invested in. 

In a time where our collective societies are calling for social change, ballet companies and live arts organizations help carry that echo of change. After all, art in itself paints a picture of the times we are in that can be held up to society as if to say "look at what is happening". Join me today as I sit down and talk with Jonathan Batista, a principal dancer with Oklahoma City Ballet. Tune in as we discuss the interesting crossroads we as dancers find ourselves at, and how we can be proponents for good in our day to day lives. Find out how Jonathan envisions ballet becoming more equitable, accessible, and inclusive. The work is on all of us. Don't forget to check out Jonathan's youtube channel, which we discuss in the episode. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL_9mlDwKmA_ihg7YL_rQEw

 As we are approaching one year mark of the first series of lockdowns, it's a good time to reflect on how this pandemic has affected us. Think of this pandemic as a double edged sword, there has been so much we artists have lost this past year, but the loss of our daily routine and work should not detract from everything we have learned about ourselves and the world we live in. So join me as we discuss Andrew's choreographic journey, how his vision has progressed and gave way to his own ballet collective, and how we can effectively start the tough conversations around the arts. As always, please share this episode with at least one friend. That's the only way to get the word out about this show. Please enjoy.

 In today's episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down and chatting with Xander Parish, a principal dancer with one of the most prestigious and historic ballet companies in the world: the Mariinsky Theatre. Join me as we discuss Xander's career, his move to Russia, and his accomplishment of being awarded as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. Along with how his life has looked throughout this pandemic, and how he sees our current situation in the arts world as an opportunity to try and do new things in regards to performing our art. Please enjoy.

As we find ourselves in the throws of the coronavirus pandemic, people across this world are tired of quarantining and frustrated that we can't go back to a normal life. But let's take this opportunity to exercise gratitude for the things we do have in our lives. Join me as we discuss the technique of negative visualization and how we can adapt it to continually exercise our empathy and gratitude. As artists, we must ensure that we devote ourselves to the betterment of our industry and practices, so let's talk about how we can jumpstart the difficult conversations around art and discuss how we can personally contribute to this idea. Stay tuned for some exciting interviews with some really exciting guests, and as always, please enjoy.

Thank you for tuning into this episode of The Arts Today. In today's episode, I have the honor of sitting down and conversing with Annabelle Lopez Ochoa on a number of different topics including how artists all over the world are fairing throughout this pandemic, how the social and political discourse of a nation can be felt across the world, and how to keep moving forward even in times of great upheaval.

The Arts Today is a podcast dedicated to conversing with artists and leaders of arts organizations to understand the societal, cultural, and financial challenges facing our industry.