THE BACKGROUND DANCER

Blog Bites to Savour!

June 4, 2025

Dance Meets Tech: How Silent Disco Events Are Changing the Nightlife Experience

Imagine walking into a packed dance floor — and hearing nothing but feet shuffling, people singing quietly to themselves, and the glow of LED headphones. Welcome to the future of nightlife. Once a niche novelty, silent discos have exploded in…

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June 4, 2025

The Role of Rave Fashion in Dance Identity and Self- Expression

At a rave, clothing is never just about what you wear — it's about who you are. From glittery bodysuits to glow-in-the-dark accessories, the outfits seen at EDM festivals and warehouse parties are far more than colorful aesthetics. Rave fashi…

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Jan. 20, 2025

Dance of International Collaborations, Relations and Diplomacy in the performing arts

Tasked with serving as a primary voice for dance and dancers throughout the Asia-Pacific region, the WDA-AP encourages the exchange of ideas and the awareness of dance in all its forms. Led by former president, Urmimala Sarkar Munsi, let's see what …

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Jan. 4, 2025

Accessibility, Inclusivity and Diversity with AXIS

Founded in 1987, California-based AXIS Dance Company has long been at the forefront of redefining dance and disability. Through world-class productions that challenge perceptions, AXIS quickly established itself as one of the first contemp…

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Dec. 23, 2024

Palette of the Modern Impresario

One of the most persistent misconceptions surrounding classical ballet, and traditional or folkloric genres in general, is the notion that they are too old-fashioned and rigid. However, true arts enthusiasts recognize the inherent diversity and mult…

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Dec. 9, 2024

Talking Circus with CircusTalk

At its core, circus arts encompass five central pillars: acrobatics, aerials, clowning, equilibristics, and object manipulation. So, when the opportunity arose to delve into this season's exploration of interdisciplinarity, I was fortunate enough to…

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Nov. 18, 2024

Accelerating the Dance Creative

In time, I stumbled upon a truly unique accelerator known as DanceGRiST. Positioned as a pre-seed collaborative social enterprise, DanceGRiST was established with the noble objective of elevating the income and status of dancers, multi-skilled artis…

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Nov. 4, 2024

Inside the Industry of Auditions

Shifting from performer to entrepreneur requires not just passion but also a high tolerance for risk and uncertainty. Without a strong appetite for the unpredictable journey ahead, many dancers shy away from the entrepreneurial path. Yet, those who …

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Oct. 21, 2024

Transforming the Dance Teacher

In our exploration of dance education during our first season, we delved into academia and the art of learning. Now, we take a closer look at the business of education, focusing on the creation of teaching resources essential for dance educators, a …

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Oct. 7, 2024

Pioneering Dance as Technique

A personal story told many times over on this podcast is my journey into dance which commenced gradually through the popular reality TV series, "So You Think You Can Dance." While the show's drama took center stage for many, what captivated me was t…

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Sept. 23, 2024

Grooving to Choreorobotics

When Boston Dynamics, an engineering and robotics design company went viral for successfully creating the now famous Atlas dancing robots video, it caught more than a few people in the world of dance by storm. Would our jobs be threatened by robots …

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Sept. 9, 2024

Into the Jackrabbit Hole of Technology

In our dynamic world of dance, where creativity and innovation reign supreme, the fusion of artistry and technology has become a driving force shaping the industry's future. From arcade games to virtual reality, technology has seamlessly integrated …

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July 22, 2024

Creativity in Screendance

Long before the formulation of the world’s first MA in Screendance by the LCDS, the genre had already dated as  far back to the early days of cinema. Gene Kelly emerged as a prominent figure during the 1940s and 50s after he starred in an…

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July 8, 2024

Puppetry in Dance Theatre

While most of us aspiring contemporary dancers will decide to undergo formal training under the foundations of Graham, Cunningham, Limon and various others, a small subset has diverted into the wondrous world of puppet theatre. One such performer, c…

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June 17, 2024

Dance of Costume Design in Performance

Costumes, costumes, costumes... they are everywhere, aren't they? From festive occasions to theatrical performances and even on the silver screen in movies. During my time at the HKAPA, apart from dance, the discipline that truly captivated me was c…

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June 3, 2024

Tailoring a Dancewear Venture

As a dancer, have you ever wondered about the significance of the clothes on your back? Why do specific shoes wield such an impact on your overall performance? The truth is, what you wear matters. Unless, of course, you're performing nude, a niche m…

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May 20, 2024

Dance Medicine at Harkness

Within a profession as perilous as dance, physical injuries are almost a somber rite of passage. Prior to my encounter with a tier 1 severe injury, I had contended with numerous minor afflictions that hindered my progress as both a dancer and a form…

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May 7, 2024

Pillars of Dance Science

Dance medicine is a multi-disciplinary study dedicated to treating musculoskeletal injuries and addressing other dance-related health needs, including mental well-being, of dancer patients. Dancers, often regarded as exceptional athletes, are equall…

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April 15, 2024

Pointe of Podcasting

What does it take to stand out as a podcaster anyways? Like in every other sector, the field of dance-related podcasts is now beyond saturated. You’ll get content of all kinds, from star interviews to business insights, and controversial polit…

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April 1, 2024

Dance of Art Journalism

Is journalism dead? What is the most trusted form of media today? While there isn’t a definitive answer, one company comes admirably close. Dance Media Publications is a multi-varied media platform that covers dance like no other and…

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March 18, 2024

Institutional Leadership and Culture at The Jacob's Pillow

Every year, thousands of people from across the U.S and around the globe visit the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts to experience one of the oldest dance festivals in existence. But when you hear the name Jacob’s Pillow, you may not necessa…

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March 4, 2024

Co-directing an International Dance Festival

Compared to a mere decade ago, we are now seeing contemporary dance festivals galore in literally every corner of the world! Such is the booming level of finances available as well as the burning desire for members of the community to continue perme…

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Nov. 1, 2022

Perceiving the Visual Culture of Fashion

Upon listening to the Fashion series, I realized how very interesting it was to listen to the duality of perspectives - photographer, Szabina Biro; and model, Ema Steindl, within an dance setting. Here are some major takeaways: Experience matters…

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Oct. 31, 2022

Do Not Go Gentle into that Mediaverse!

In this series on Art Media, Jason and his guests (Megan Castro & Melinda Gaskin) talked about media that disseminate dance knowledge by means other than real time dancing bodies, such as through magazines (or publications), podcasts and social …

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