Episodes

Are you compromising your art for more exposure, followers and following on social media? What do artists really need? Simply, we need to be discovered by people who are interested in what we have to share. Just think about it. Instagram is not a search engine like Google or YouTube where you can easily type, for example – ‘dancers’ – choose style of dancing, and you get a list of 100 000 dancers around the world with which you can filter out and identify exactly what you want. In the end, you’r...

Is the overall environment on social media just absurd? Is it appropriate to place art next to irrelevant content such as pets, pranks and political correctness? But that herein lies the problem we face when squaring up to mass content on platforms that treat us not as the content itself, but the product in which to profit off from. The reality is, we cannot expect social media to change. We need to assume accountability and build a new one that is designed for art and artists with conditions th...

Does social media actually downgrade your creativity? What are the obvious disadvantages of constantly churning out content for such platforms? A lot has changed from their humble beginnings and who knows how much more is changing as we speak. Even photographers who once upon a time came flocking over to Instagram, are now finding themselves leaving along with their dreams. Still think this doesn't concern you? Think again.Welcome to a brand new mini series covering our proposed launch of an u...

Is social media suitable for artists? What are some of the challenges posed by Facebook or Instagram for artists and creators looking to build sustainable careers? While it might have been a great avenue to promote and network with fellow peers initially, much of social media has regressed over the years. Nowadays, we are seeing an increased aversion towards its application especially upon the creative industries. But all of this isn't new, is it? And where are the solutions, if any at all?Wel...

Welcome to a whole new wave of specials, featuring a roundtable version of the show alongside two new co-hosts in Jacob Caldwell and Joshua Sailo. Throughout this 10 episode series, we present extracts from our Clubhouse sessions on the Why Dance? by J-Cast clubroom.In our final entry of this special series, we go back to basics. As conventional wisdom goes: Failure is the first step to success, the cliché prevails. The question is, is it that much of a cliché at all? Sometimes, one needs to t...

Welcome to a whole new wave of specials, featuring a roundtable version of the show alongside two new co-hosts in Jacob Caldwell and Joshua Sailo. Throughout this 10 episode series, we present extracts from our Clubhouse sessions on the Why Dance? by J-Cast clubroom.In Round 9, business is the bedrock of modern society - providing the tools for all supply and demand be it in the arts, or otherwise. As artists however, we are often our own businesses and the bedrock of the gig economy. Without ...

Welcome to a whole new wave of specials, featuring a roundtable version of the show alongside two new co-hosts in Jacob Caldwell and Joshua Sailo. Throughout this 10 episode series, we present extracts from our Clubhouse sessions on the Why Dance? by J-Cast clubroom.In Round 8, we were once called the Avant Garde of society as artists. That’s because it was our jobs to always be prescient in the perception of our futures, of innovations that could be brought forth, of bravely charting uncharte...

Welcome to a whole new wave of specials, featuring a roundtable version of the show alongside two new co-hosts in Jacob Caldwell and Joshua Sailo. Throughout this 10 episode series, we present extracts from our Clubhouse sessions on the Why Dance? by J-Cast clubroom.In Round 7, we explore the mysteries of dance and its many crossovers with neighboring and distant disciplines, especially with regards to why one should even consider engaging in interdisciplinary collaboration in the first place....

Welcome to a whole new wave of specials, featuring a roundtable version of the show alongside two new co-hosts in Jacob Caldwell and Joshua Sailo. Throughout this 10 episode series, we present extracts from our Clubhouse sessions on the Why Dance? by J-Cast clubroom.In Round 6, dancing isn’t always about belonging to the art form, it also comes with a community and support system. How can we build more communities and strengthen existing ones in dance? For this session, we were joined by anoth...

Welcome to a whole new wave of specials, featuring a roundtable version of the show alongside two new co-hosts in Jacob Caldwell and Joshua Sailo. Throughout this 10 episode series, we present extracts from our Clubhouse sessions on the Why Dance? by J-Cast clubroom.In Round 5, Dance and Education, perhaps the most fundamental element in a dancer’s journey from their first steps in the studio, all the way through their first steps into full fledged professional life. At the end of the day, the...

Welcome to a whole new wave of specials, featuring a roundtable version of the show alongside two new co-hosts in Jacob Caldwell and Joshua Sailo. Throughout this 10 episode series, we present extracts from our Clubhouse sessions on the Why Dance? by J-Cast clubroom.In Round 4, how does dance and philosophy intertwine as an art form? Is dance a philosophy itself? Much of dance has evolved from a performative act into the universal thought process and stream of consciousness that has shaped the...

Welcome to a whole new wave of specials, featuring a roundtable version of the show alongside two new co-hosts in Jacob Caldwell and Joshua Sailo. Throughout this 10 episode series, we present extracts from our Clubhouse sessions on the Why Dance? by J-Cast clubroom.In Round 3, we dived into the complex and imminent world of dance technology, from the perspective of resistance, acceptance and prescience of different innovations within dance and the performing arts. From disabilities, to roboti...

Welcome to a whole new wave of specials, featuring a roundtable version of the show alongside two new co-hosts in Jacob Caldwell and Joshua Sailo. Throughout this 10 episode series, we present extracts from our Clubhouse sessions on the Why Dance? by J-Cast clubroom.Round 2 posited why dance is a great avenue to develop and apply leadership skills. It is complex, consists of a diverse population and is relatively low stakes. What else could one ask for as training wheels to one day become a le...

Welcome to a whole new wave of specials, featuring a roundtable version of the show alongside two new co-hosts in Jacob Caldwell and Joshua Sailo. Throughout this 10 episode series, we present extracts from our Clubhouse sessions on the Why Dance? by J-Cast clubroom.In this debut entry, we discussed how different schemas, mindsets and social upbringings have influenced the way we approach dance, perceive the world and vice versa. Knowledge is vast and timeless, constantly everchanging and vari...

What was the worst dance injury you've ever experienced? How did you eventually overcome it? As a dancer, injuries are almost a given. Some are little niggles, others are massive and potentially career-ending. Since everyone is bound to suffer at the fate of the injury bug at some point, shouldn't there be more support systems in place to prepare a dancer for such circumstances? In this very case, it's most definitely recovery over prevention as prevention is almost impossible.As part of anoth...

How does intercultural exchange influence dance? And are people as interdisciplinary as art is? Upon receiving a plea to help out a friend's graduate thesis, a study which investigates how the reality of intercultural exchange, interdisciplinary collaboration and working in Slovakia as a foreign artist all intertwine in the year 2022, we duly complied in providing the best possible account. After being based here in Central Europe for the past three years, there inevitably exists an impression o...

What would it take to finally gain cultural and political independence from Russia? How is the cultural landscape changing amidst this relentless conflict? After many false promises of a no invasion stance from President Putin, Russia crossed the border into Ukraine under the guise of a special military operation on February 24, 2022. Almost three months on, that so-called operation continues to wage on in the form of a full scale war. But even after incessant shelling, killing and unspeakable a...

So, we have come full circle and successfully completed a full season of content and creation! While it has not been easy, it was through your truest support and consistency to the show that we have made it. 10 categories, 12 months' worth of content! What do you think about personal anecdotes, stats, tokens of gratitude and so on? As they all obviously provide a very different outlook, it's important to round up with as comprehensive a rundown as possible.Concluding the first season, this epi...

After a year long run, it's time to recollect our thoughts and engage in a little one on one with a very special AMA episode. Here, we listen to 13 unique questions about Jason as a dance artist, podcaster and person in general. Although some were not the most suitable to tackle first hand, this was a wonderful thought experiment and window into the host, producer and founder of the Background Dancer journey.Don't forget, this episode is part of a double launch alongside the finale of Season 1...

What does it mean to be a nomadic artist? What exactly is a contemporary nomad? With the increasingly globalized world we live in today, it's only natural that dance artists travel to where opportunity presents itself. However, constant migration often leads to fragmented individualities and scattered homes, which results in a recurring process of arriving and departing in search for what hopes to be the penultimate destination.Henry Daniel is a Distinguished SFU Professor, Professor of Dance,...

How can we best navigate power dynamics within a dance workplace? What about through active agency and heterarchy? Organizational structures have historically been a challenge for corporates and performing arts groups alike, mostly presenting itself as a tough nut to crack. However, therein lie a multitude of ways to better grasp and understand the psychology and modus operandi of our environment, resulting in a reframing and distancing from the often negative connotations associated with the co...

What is the difference between education and learning? And for who exactly is dance education for? Although most of us would have to teach at some point, education accounts for much of what the present and even upcoming generation promises to offer. In other words, it's not easy and should never be taken for granted! Instead of relying on standardized education, why not adapt your way of absorbing and transmitting information as an independent learner?Zebastian Mendez Marin is an instructor, c...

Why engage in academic research as a dancer? How does intellectual rigour contribute to the development of a dance artist? While we are often instructed to dance first and think later, careers in the performing arts can resemble a slippery slope to many. So, why not combine the visceral with the exegetical to stand out amongst the 'moving' crowd?Mohd Anis Md Nor is an educator, author, Research Fellow and Managing Director of the Nusantara Performing Arts Research Centre (NusPARC). He was Prof...

How could we identify and solidify personal style as a creator in such an overwhelmingly saturated world? Ever wondered why Urban/LA Choreography has grown into the cultural (TikTok) phenomenon it is today? While choreography works differently according to specific genres, creative capacity runs parallel across all choreographers. Obviously, the only way to find out is by diving deep into the mind of one!Adam Tan is a dancer, choreographer and instructor based in Brooklyn, USA. Beginning his j...