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I refuse to be intimidated by dance performances anymore!

I figured the best way to get over being intimidated by dance was to reach out to some people who were better acquainted with the art form to help me enhance my understanding of it. So I got Christy Bolingbroke of the National Center for Choreography at the University of Akron to be my guest host. Amy Miller talked with me about earning her dancing chops here in Northeast Ohio, her work at Gibney Dance in New York, and her upcoming performance at the Akron Summit Public Library. And Logan Evans of Charlotte Ballet shared how they reach people who may not be all that familiar with dance through clever use of social media.

Christy Bolingbroke is the executive director of the National Center for Choreography at the University of Akron (NCCA). Scientists need a laboratory to experiment. When dancers and choreographers need to experiment, they come to the NCCA in Guzzetta Hall on the University of Akron campus.

Guzzetta Hall offers seven world-class dance studios, two black box theaters, and two mainstage theaters, as well as scene and costume shop expertise on the campus. The fact that all of these spaces, as well as collaborative research opportunities with scholars and specialists was a big reason for creating the Center at The University of Akron.

I figured if anyone could help me get a better understanding of the world of dance, Christy Bolingbroke would be a great start.

I reached out to Amy Miller to learn about her upcoming performance with Groundworks DanceTheatre at the Akron-Summit Public Library, and her time spent studying at the University of Akron and as part of Heinz Poll‘s Ohio Ballet.

She shared memories of working with David Shimotakahara through the early dance of Groundworks Dance and what’s she’s been doing since she moved to New York to work with Gibney Dance.

She will debut her newest work, Vade Mecum – which is Latin for “go with me” – on Oct 27 & 28. The name and the performance came at a time when Amy was concentrating on making space for others in the creative process.

It’s exciting to have her back on the stage in Akron, again.

I caught up with Logan Evans, director of marketing and communications with Charlotte

Ballet, to ask her about how their organization was using social media. I once saw a video where players from Charlotte’s minor league hockey team tried out for a Charlotte Ballet performance and I have been following their work online ever since.

Charlotte Ballet is known for doing fun quirky videos, sharing behind the scenes pictures, and most notably, showing their dancers having fun.

Aiming their marketing at different groups of people – people who may have never been to a perfomance before as well as people who might already be familiar with the company – helps them to reach new followers and keep those who have been around for awhile.

Logan stated that their ability to show Charlotte Ballet in these different ways (and having fun) plays a big role in them reaching a younger audience than a lot of other arts organization. Follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to see what they are doing.

Maybe even more exciting than their creative use of social media is their Reach program. This scholarship dance program for middle school students helps expose kids in Charlotte to dance who may not have the opportunity to get involved otherwise.

So thanks to everyone who helped me make this episode happen. I hope it inspires you to go out and see a performance.

Be sure to tell your art lovin’ friends about Gimme ArtsNow. We are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Stitcher, so subscribe! And leave us a review. A review goes a long way to us being discovered by other art loving podcast listeners like you.

I’ll talk to you again soon.