Archive: Dance Writing, Reviews, and Podcasts

This Thursday, April 23, at noon, we hear about the inspiration, process, and work Rachel Lieberman will present as a featured artist for the upcoming CANDY BOX Dance Festival.

Rachel’s choreography engages themes of home/place/violence/time/throughline from queer, jewish, diasporist, and surrealist perspectives. Her work has been presented by Alternative Motion Project, Franconia Sculpture Garden, Black Label Movement, Walker Art Center, Threads Dance Project, and Red Eye Theater. Primarily a movement artist, she also enjoys playing with sound, set, and costume design, and in textile and textual arts.

Tune in here or wherever you get your podcasts for an inspiring conversation about artistry, community, and the transformative force of movement.

This Thursday, April 16, at noon, we hear from Eva Mohn discussing Dance Rec Pickup League and their presentation as featured artist for the upcoming CANDY BOX Dance Festival.

Dance Rec Pickup League is a group of friends who recreate together. Leslie O’Neill, Sarah Baumert, Erika Hansen, Gabriel Anderson, Jamie Ryan-Karels and Eva Mohn design proposals, scores, games and questions as a way to make dances.

Tune in here or wherever you get your podcasts for an inspiring conversation about artistry, community, and the transformative force of movement.

This Thursday, April 9, at noon, we hear from Ronna Rochell.

From early training in the Martha Graham tradition to performing with Chicago’s Joseph Holmes Dance Theatre, Minneapolis’ New Dance Ensemble, and Nancy Hauser Dance Company, Ronna Rochell’s journey traces a rich path through modern dance history. Now a beloved teacher and performer, she reflects on a life in movement—from concert dance to musical theater, and a lasting commitment to wellness and community.

Tune in here or wherever you get your podcasts for an inspiring conversation about artistry, community, and the transformative force of movement.

This Thursday, April 2 at noon we chat with Kaitlyn Gilliland.

Kaitlyn Gilliland—dancer, educator, and arts leader whose roots run deep in Minnesota dance history—trained at Minnesota Dance Theatre within the family lineage of Loyce Houlton and later as a dancer with New York City Ballet and Twyla Tharp.

Tune in here or wherever you get your podcasts for an inspiring conversation about artistry, community, and the transformative force of movement.

Next up, we hear from Joey “Joe Tennis” Weaver this Thursday, March 26, at noon.

Joe Tennis is a Brooklyn-based contemporary dancer and UMN graduate. A key Twin Cities artist (Honeyworks, Black Label, ARENA, Zenon), he now performs with ZviDance and collaborates widely across NYC stages. 

Tune in here to learn more about Joey or wherever you get your podcasts for an inspiring conversation about artistry, community, and the transformative force of movement.

Photo by Isabel Fajardo

Season 21 is here! And we kick it off by talking with Betsy Schaefer Roob this Thursday, March 19, at noon.

Betsy Schaefer Roob was born and raised in Elm Grove, WI. Now based in Minneapolis for over fifteen years, she has worked with Rhythmically Speaking, ARENA DANCES, Threads Dance Project, 43X94 Movement Research, Dance and Other Behaviors, faux pas, as well as nationally and internationally based choreographers Sasha Kleinplatz, Salia Sanou, and Pat Taylor, among others. Her own choreography for Rhythmically Speaking premiered at the Ordway Concert Hall in February 2026. Prior to landing in Minnesota, Betsy lived and studied in Michigan, Oregon, and El Salvador. She graduated from the University of Minnesota with a self-designed Bachelor of Individualized Studies in English, Dance, and Sustainability Studies. Her career path has encompassed the arts, education, and healthcare, and she is mama to one.

Tune in here or wherever you get your podcasts for an inspiring conversation about artistry, community, and the transformative force of movement.

Photo by Bill Cameron

As we head into Season 21 around the corner, Studio Stories now offers 200+ episodes in our always-available archives—an ongoing record of Minnesota’s dance history and creative voices.

Hear from writers, administrators, lighting designers, dancers, artistic directors, and more as they share where they began, what drives their passion for the art form, and the stories that shaped their journeys.

Tune in to the Archives here or wherever you get your podcasts for an inspiring conversation about artistry, community, and the transformative force of movement.

Pictured here is Wynn Fricke: Season 5, Episode 72.

As we head into Season 21 around the corner, Studio Stories now offers 200+ episodes in our always-available archives—an ongoing record of Minnesota’s dance history and creative voices.

Hear from writers, administrators, lighting designers, dancers, artistic directors, and more as they share where they began, what drives their passion for the art form, and the stories that shaped their journeys.

Tune in to the Archives here or wherever you get your podcasts for an inspiring conversation about artistry, community, and the transformative force of movement.

Pictured here is Colleen Callahan Russel from Season 2, Episode 29.

As we head into Season 21 around the corner, Studio Stories now offers 200+ episodes in our always-available archives—an ongoing record of Minnesota’s dance history and creative voices.

Hear from writers, administrators, lighting designers, dancers, artistic directors, and more as they share where they began, what drives their passion for the art form, and the stories that shaped their journeys.

Tune in to the Archives here or wherever you get your podcasts for an inspiring conversation about artistry, community, and the transformative force of movement.

Pictured here is Melanie Lien Palm, Season 14, episode 152.