Eva Yaa Asantewaa (photo: selfie) A smiling Black woman wearing headphones and a turtleneck sweater sits in front of a bookcase (partial view). Her chin rests on her left hand. I'm taking a moment to express my deep gratitude to the many respected artists and educators who have contributed to BODY AND SOUL podcast since its revival in December 2022, sharing experience, knowledge, insights, passions, and what keeps them awake at night. These guest speakers have included: Ziiomi Law Lisa La Touche María de los Ángeles Rodríguez Jiménez devynn emory Maxine Montilus Kayhan Irani Brinda ..read more

Petra Kuppers (photo: Tamara Wade) Petra Kuppers, a white queer disabled cis woman of size with yellow glasses, shaved head, pink lipstick and a black dotted top, smiles up to the sky, arms outstretched, embracing the world. Her mobility scooter’s handlebar is visible at the bottom of the image. She is in front of a multicolored wall: purple, pink, yellow and orange. Listen to Petra Kuppers: How to go on a crip drift on my Body and Soul podcast here. Becoming Fossil in Venice (photo: Edward Smith) Petra, with her mouth wide open, her collaborator and wife Stephanie Heit nex ..read more

Daniel Phoenix Singh (photo: Metro Arts)   Daniel Phoenix Singh performing Vasanth Daniel Phoenix Singh is seen in one of the performance poses of his syncretic blend of Bharata Naytam and Modern genres of dances. His two hands are spread open like the petals of a lotus flower, his arms are in a long diagonal, reaching into space while he is spiraling his upper body in contrast to his lower body. He is wearing dark blue pants with turquoise blue pleats on the sides.  Listen to Daniel Phoenix Singh: True change from the roots on my Body and Soul podcast here ..read more

Alexandra Beller (photo: The GingerB3ardmen)   A curly-haired red-headed white woman with green eyes and an inviting smile   Alexandra Beller (photo: Judith Stuart)   A dancer standing in a one-legged balance, holding a single egg Listen to Alexandra Beller: Mindful recuperation on my Body and Soul podcast here.   Alexandra Beller, Artistic Director of Alexandra Beller/Dances, (2002-present), was a member of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company member from 1995-2001. Alexandra created over 50 original Dance Theatre works, presented at theater ..read more

Valencia James (photo: Botond Bognar)   A dark-skinned Black woman, with shoulder-length locs looks into the camera and smiles. The sun casts a soft golden wash on her face. She is wearing a red and orange patterned dress and wooden circular earrings. Listen to Valencia James: Dancing ancestry on my Body and Soul podcast here. Valencia James is an interdisciplinary artist from Barbados interested in the intersection between dance, theater, technology, art installation and activism. Her works have explored remote interdisciplinary collaboration, artist-driven open-source software ..read more

Melanie George (photo by JD Urban) The bright, cool-toned photo features Melanie George in the foreground and a blurred white door ajar in the background. Melanie, a Black woman with brown skin and coily hair, is photographed from the chest up. She is turned slightly to the left and gazing toward the camera with a playful, reserved smile. She is wearing bright red lipstick and nail polish, and her fingertips are lightly touching her sternum. Melanie is wearing a long-sleeve jumper zipped up at the center, with a white base and lively plant-like print. The print consists of multiple so ..read more

olaiya olayemi (photo courtesy of the artist)  a smiling dark-skinned black woman with pink faux locs and red glasses. pink lip gloss adorns her lips.   Body and Soul podcast next welcomes artist and educator olaiya olayemi who shares her view that resisting grind culture and living a sustainable life necessitates time for rest, play, and pleasure. Listen to her episode, Alive in All Senses, here. olaiya olayemi is an antidisciplinary artist, radical educator, pleasure anarchist, and erotic witch. she creates texts, images, sounds, and movements. she currently lives in phil ..read more

Dr. Nina Angela Mercer (photo: Fabiola Jean Louis)   A headshot of a caramel-honey-skinned Black woman who is looking directly into the camera. She is wearing her dark brown hair in many long twists. She is also wearing a maroon crocheted hat that has saffron and sky-blue accents crocheted into a panel at the edge of the hat. She is wearing deep maroon lipstick. She is not smiling fully, but she looks content. She is outside in daylight. Dr. Mercer in Invocation for José Antonio Aponte, a video poem (photo: Toshi Sakai)     A black-and-white photograph of a ca ..read more

Rebecca Fitton (photo: Sarah Annie Navarette)   Rebecca, a mixed-race Asian American person with messy short brown hair smiles. Their hands are in the pockets of a short-sleeve, navy corduroy jumpsuit. In this episode of Body and Soul podcast, dance artist and administrator Rebecca Fitton (she/they) presents insights from her research into the ways current systems of fiscal sponsorship maintain the status quo of power and fail artists. Listen to her Body and Soul episode via Spotify, and watch her film, Best Practices (2022). Transcript of this episode Rebecca Fitton is from many ..read more

Vicky Shick (photo: Alan Mandell)   Describing this photo, Vicky Shick writes: I am sitting on a gray bench with a bunch of green leaves behind me. My hair is loosely piled.on top of my head. I am wearing a dark gray sweater - a light green collar is sticking out and around my neck is a colorful gray, red and pink scarf. In this episode of Body and Soul podcast, the respected, award-winning artist and educator Vicky Shick discusses the challenge and "universal necessity" of trust in a time of widespread distrust and anxiety. As an artist, she sources trust in "the innate intellig ..read more