Finding Your Artistry Beyond Words with Stefanie Nelson
One of the beautiful things about dance is the ability to express yourself without words. You can just dance. Joining Erin on the podcast today is Stefanie Nelson, Founder and Director of Stefanie Nelson Dancegroup (SND), a contemporary dance company based in NYC. Stefanie also established Dance Italia, an international summer dance program in Lucca, Italy. Today, she shares what kickstarted her lifelong love of dance and the influence that Alice Teirstein had on her journey. She also offers insight into her college journey and what it takes to make it as an artist in New York City. Tuning in, you’ll learn how she transitioned from dancer to choreographer and how 9/11 ultimately led her to Italy. She details her time dancing and choreographing in Italy before returning to America and shares her vision for Dance Italia. To learn more about Stefanie’s career highlights, challenges, and the different projects and initiatives that keep her busy, be sure not to miss this episode of Movers & Shapers. Thanks for listening in!
Key Points From This Episode:
· How quitting piano led Stefanie to a lifelong love of dance.
· Alice Teirstein and what led her to become a dancer.
· What it means to “make it work” as an artist in New York City.
· How Stefanie eventually transitioned into creating her own work as a choreographer.
· Running away to Italy after 9/11 and how it played out.
· Highlights from her time dancing and choreographing in Italy.
· Details about the Dance Italia festival and the vision behind it.
· How the organization and planning for Dance Italia have changed over the years.
· The different projects and initiatives that Stefanie is busy with.
· Insight into her upcoming work in 2025 and beyond.
· Highlights, challenges, and other obstacles from Stefanie’s career journey.
· Her hopes, aspirations, and dreams for the future.
“There’s something very beautiful about being able to express yourself without having to articulate words, ideas, thoughts, and sentences in a linear way.” — Stefanie Nelson
Stefanie Nelson is the Founder and Director of Stefanie Nelson Dancegroup (SND), a contemporary performance group based in NYC; DANCE ITALIA, an international summer dance festival in Lucca, Italy; and Motore 592, a bold, new, center for contemporary movement practices in Lucca, IT.
For more on this episode: Movers & Shapers
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Creating a Modern Dance Culture and Community with Kathy Dunn Hamrick
Establishing a modern dance company is no easy feat, but today’s guest managed to create a successful organization and build a wonderful modern dance community in Austin, Texas. Today on Movers & Shapers, we welcome Kathy Dunn Hamrick, the Artistic Director of Kathy Dunn Hamrick Dance, to discuss her work and how she helps dance grow in Austin. Kathy found a love for dance at a young age and quickly decided that she needed to dedicate her life to it. In this episode, you’ll hear all about Kathy’s life and career, her decision to teach, and how her desire to be ‘in charge’ led her to start her company. We discuss the difficulty of balancing a family and career, her gorgeous piece choreographed on platforms on a lake, and starting the Austin Dance Festival. We delve into Kathy’s recent cancer diagnosis and how her community has showed up for her, and Kathy opens up about next steps of sharing her knowledge with the next generation of dancers and choreographers. Finally, we walk through Kathy’s career highlights and struggles. To hear all this and more, press play now!
Key Points From This Episode:
· We delve into the who behind Kathy Dunn Hamrick and learn about how she got into dance.
· The wonderful mentors Kathy has had and how they shaped her career.
· Kathy tells us about her move to New York and why she decided to get her MFA.
· Transitioning into the role of dance teacher and founding namesake company; Kathy Dunn Hamrick Dance.
· How Kathy balances her family and business while keeping her career interesting for herself.
· The incredible dance piece that was choreographed by Kathy and performed on a lake.
· The modern dance culture in Austin and why Kathy started her dance festival.
· How COVID affected Kathy’s business and festival.
· Kathy’s diagnosis with stage four cancer and what’s next for her and the organization.
· Why finances have always been Kathy’s biggest business struggle.
· The highlights of Kathy’s career and the wonderful dance community she’s built.
“From a very young age I knew I wanted a family and I knew I wanted to dance and I’ve achieved both of those [things] so I’m living my best life honestly.” — Kathy Dunn Hamrick
Kathy Dunn Hamrick is the Artistic Director of Kathy Dunn Hamrick Dance Company and the Founder and Executive Producer of Austin Dance Festival.
For more on this episode: Movers & Shapers: A Dance Podcast