From a living room in Los Angeles, DanceSpeak brings you candid interviews with the movers and the shakers of the global professional dance community. Get inside stories, advice, and blueprints to success, from dancers, choreographers, teachers, and some of the hidden gems whom have been in the industry for years.
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In this special DanceSpeak x No Starving Artists crossover episode, we sit down with Moncell Durden for a candid conversation about the International Dance League and some of the bigger questions its inception brings to the dance community. Through Moncell’s perspective, we dig into what dancers can consider when new professional opportunities emerge, from sustainability and understanding…
What does it actually take to keep your body healthy through rehearsals, performances, flights, hotels, and the demands of life on the road? Athletic trainer Adam Quigley has supported artists and tours including Post Malone, Lorde, Tyla, Karol G, the Jabbawockeez, 5 Seconds of Summer, plus broadway tours like MJ the Musical and Moulin Rouge, helping performers care for their bodies through the…
In episode 226, host Galit Friedlander and guest Link (dancer, educator, and one of the most respected voices on hip-hop and house culture) discuss what it means to truly understand hip-hop and house, not just as dance styles, but as cultures shaped by people, places, music, and community. Link shares stories from the clubs that influenced generations of dancers, the mentors who shaped his…
Aisha Francis has built a career as a performer, choreographer, teacher, and one of the dance industry's most respected heels educators. In this conversation, she shares the unexpected story of how she ended up helping Beyoncé learn to dance in heels, along with the lessons she's learned from decades of working in the industry. We discuss confidence as a trainable skill, the physical and…
In episode 225, Kara Tatelbaum (author of Putting My Heels Down, critically acclaimed choreographer, renowned Pilates teacher, and dance educator) shares an honest look at what it means to continue building a meaningful life in dance when things don’t go according to plan. This conversation explores how dancers can navigate rejection, injury, burnout, financial reality, and evolving identity…
Archie Burnett is a foundational voice in New York’s dance and club culture (House of Ninja, Check Your Body at the Door and world-renowned teacher) - someone who's lived through and contributed to the environments that shaped social dance as we know it today. In this episode, we get into the realities of the club scene, the impact of policy and tragedy on nightlife, and how dancers adapted when…
In episode 223 host Galit Friedlander and guest May Or (professional dancer with touring and commercial credits and a doctorate in psychology) discuss what it took for May to complete her PhD while working as a dancer, the pressure and perfectionism many dancers experience, and how social media has changed the way dancers are seen in the industry. They also talk about May’s experience growing up…
This week on DanceSpeak, I sit down with Brian 'Footwork' Green, a master teacher and influential figure in street and club dance culture whose impact spans generations. Recorded live in August 2025, this episode captures Brian’s unfiltered thoughts on musicality, lineage, and what often gets misunderstood about street dance. We explore competition versus convention culture, the realities of the…
In episode 221, host Galit Friedlander and guest Kim Holmes (widely respected director, choreographer, dance educator) explore the roots of house and hip-hop culture through lived experience, mentorship, and time spent inside New York City’s party and club scenes before these styles became widely visible. Kim shares her journey into dance, discovering house at a young age, and learning directly…
In episode 220, host Galit Friedlander and guest Chad Geiger (dance agent at The Movement Talent Agency) pull back the curtain on what representation really looks like from the agency side and what dancers often misunderstand about it. We talk about essential pieces of a sustainable dance career: communication, contracts, headshots and resumes that actually serve you, and how your choices off the…