Enjoying the Art, Expression, and Freedom of Dance with Julie Lemberger
Welcome to the latest episode of the Movers and Shapers podcast, where today we're delighted to welcome our guest, Julie Lemberger. Julie is a multifaceted individual — she's had a life as a dancer, dance photographer, and educator. She has dedicated over 15 years to capturing the ephemeral beauty of concert dance. Her lens has encapsulated the essence of New York City's dance scene at the turn of the 21st century. Julie's stunning dance photography has graced the pages of prestigious publications like The New York Times, Dance Magazine, and numerous national and international journals and websites since 1993. Join the conversation to hear about what sparked her interest in dance, why she was initially turned off of modern dance, and how her ballet journey led her to places like The Netherlands, Germany, and New York. We delve into her diverse dance ventures and then pivot to hear about her transition to Plan B: starting college. Julie shares the fascinating intersection of her worlds; photography and dance, and articulates the emotions she experiences when capturing dance through her camera. Don't miss out on this intriguing discussion! Tune in now to hear all this and much more. Thanks for listening!
Key Points From This Episode:
· We discover how The Nutcracker sparked Julie’s interest in dance.
· Her thoughts on being more of an artist and enjoying ballet for the artistry of it.
· Why she decided to stick to the discipline of ballet while growing up.
· Julie shares a turning point, and realization, in her dance career.
· She delves into her time in Europe (The Netherlands, Germany, England).
· We are transported forward, back to New York, and her other endeavors at the Graham School, Jacob’s Pillow, and more.
· Her Plan B: starting college.
· Why starting college was the saddest day of her life.
· She recalls the time she got her first camera, at age 23.
· When the two worlds collide: dance and photography.
· What Julie enjoyed most about dance photography: her master’s degree experience.
· She expresses what taking photos of dance makes her feel.
· Julie highlights what she’s excited about, and what gives her energy, these days.
“I realized that having my photographs judged was so much easier than having my body and my dancing judged.” — Julie Lemberger
A former dancer, Julie Lemberger photographs dance in New York City for 30 years, and whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Dance Magazine and many other journals, books and digital platforms. Check out her coloring book Modern Women: 21st Century Dance.
More on this Episode: Movers & Shapers
Being part of the global dance community can be deeply rewarding but it also has the potential to be exceptionally challenging and toxic. Not only are you competing for highly limited resources, but you also need to contend with how your self-worth can become contingent on the opinion of others. Today’s guest, Betsy Miller, has experienced many of the highs and lows familiar to almost any dancer but ultimately counts herself blessed and deeply fortunate to have found genuine places of community within the dance world. Join us as we talk with Betsy about her early love of dance (and fashion!), her studies at Connecticut College, and how she uncovered her love of teaching while earning her MFA at The Ohio State University. She shares how establishing a collective with her former cohort allowed her to work in the collaborative models that would come to define her later approach to dance and how she earned her position as the Associate Professor of Dance at Salem State University, where she still finds herself today. We also learn about her ongoing american / woman dance project, and the circumstances that inspired it, before discussing how she chose to reorient the fundamental relationship between choreographer and dancer. For an expansive conversation on creative research, the beauty of being part of a dance community, and much more, be sure to tune in!
Key Points From This Episode:
· Betsy’s early love of ballet and fashion and her discovery of modern dance.
· The incredible faculty members and guest artists she studied under at Connecticut College
· How she co-founded the Propel-her dance collective with her former cohort and friends.
· How grad school helped her uncover her love of teaching.
· How she became a tenured professor
· The multitude of factors that led Betsy to start the american / woman project.
· How she has used the american / woman project to interrogate the title subject matter and reorient the choreographer-dancer relationship.
· Betsy shares the highs, lows, and biggest challenges of her career.
“It's always about community and the places in which I find community in the dance world. Something about the way that we bring our bodies into the spaces and that we are allowing ourselves to be vulnerable because we are embodied, makes this community really special.” — Betsy Miller
Based in Salem Massachusetts, Betsy Miller is a dance artist, educator and facilitator whose current mission is to collaborate with women-identifying dancers in every state of the country.
More on this episode: Movers & Shapers