230. Be Unflappable with Byron Tittle

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Relax. To access. [00:00:01] Speaker B: Come on. It almost rhymes. It's like close. [00:00:04] Speaker A: It rhymes in my heart. That's where it rhymes. It rhymes in the heart. [00:00:08] Speaker B: Take that, Dr. Seuss. Wow, we're back. I'm Dana. This is Words that Move Me. And I have another mind blowing, heartwarming episode for you. I speak the most inspiring, the, the coolest. How cool is this that I get to do this? I'm really excited to share. Byron Tittle, my dear friend and one of the world's most underrated dancers. Although I don't know if you could really still get away with being, quote, underrated when you're a Princess Grace Award winner and a Chita Rivera Award nominee and our pop star dancing your ass off here in Los Angeles, but also a 10 year member of Doran Stance. From company to commercial, this person has the bases covered. Heart of solid gold. When I tell you Byron is truly unflappable. No pun intended. He really is. And in this episode, we talk quality of movement, we talk music. We're introducing a new segment on the show called where's the One? And we listen to different songs and we exercise counting the music, which is something you definitely need to know how to do if you can't already. This episode is macro and micro. It is. I really, really needed it today and I think maybe you do too. But before we get into it, of course we have to do wins. Today I'm celebrating a very successful, very spontaneous trip to Utah. Thanks to my dear friend Joey Dowling for offering her space in Utah during the wildfires here in la, I was able to temporarily relocate. And. And thanks to the studios in Utah who came out to support, I was able to raise over $2,000 for disaster relief. I'm saying that as my win today. Knowing that this episode is going to air way after the wildfires in LA are, you know, far from front of mind of the social consciousness. But I wanted to say that help might not come in the form of dollars. Sometimes help comes in the form of space. Sometimes help comes in the form of time. Sometime help comes in the form of socks or a jacket. Joey, thank you also for the jackets. I was not prepared for the cold of Utah and I'm hoping that if you are a person who's in need of help right now, this win will help you ask for it. And I'm hoping that if you're a person who's able to give help, you can be creative about how you offer it. And it isn't always dollars, but sometimes it's also Dollars. All right, that's my win. That's what's going well in the world. Now you go. What are you celebrating? Congratulations, my friend. I'm so glad you're winning. And I, of course, am cheering you on from the sidelines and from the front lines. I'm cheering you on from all of the lines and circles and other shapes. Okay, speaking of shapes, we're. We have to throw the mic to Byron Tittle. Oh, that was me being speechless. That's what this person does to me. You're welcome. And. And enjoy the one and only Byron Tittle. I missed a few sounds in my shuffles of those time steps. Byron is not going to be pleased. Great. Everyone is here. We're in places. We have one of my absolute favorite dancers and humans, but wow, what a dancer, but also great human, but also like, wow, dancer. You like. Keep up in the ante on both. [00:04:05] Speaker A: Wow. Dana. [00:04:06] Speaker B: Byron Tittle, everybody. Thank you for being here. Welcome to the podcast. How are you doing? [00:04:10] Speaker A: I'm doing amazing. [00:04:12] Speaker B: You had a big day today. What'd you do earlier today? [00:04:13] Speaker A: I had rehearsal for my first Grammys today. Yeah. [00:04:20] Speaker B: Are you able. Willing to tell us who you're performing for? [00:04:22] Speaker A: I think. I think so. I'm performing with Sabrina Carpenter. She is amazing. The process has been really great. Choreography team has been so communicative and nice, which I can't even believe is not a constant for other things. [00:04:40] Speaker B: Let's talk about that Sammo. I just had Sammo on the podcast and we were talking about how the squeaky wheel gets the oil all the time. So most of the time we hear about horror stories of choreographers which has built this social consciousness that we are all the antagonists, that we're evil, that we have unreasonable demands. And I think that sometimes that is true, but I think that more often than not, your experience is, I would hope, is the experience. However, we do hear about the. The horror story, so definitely keep talking about how things are going well. Communication is solid. [00:05:12] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:05:12] Speaker B: Artist is. Is responsive and responsive, present and encouraging and. [00:05:16] Speaker A: And caring about the craft. [00:05:18] Speaker B: Nice. [00:05:18] Speaker A: Because a lot of the times what I've noticed is especially. Especially transferring from concert dance to commercial dance, I am only in concert. In the concert world. I'm mostly focused with the other dancers and the. And the choreographer, and we are all in this ship together. [00:05:32] Speaker B: Right. [00:05:32] Speaker A: But a lot of the times you. [00:05:34] Speaker B: Introduce a pop star to that equation. [00:05:36] Speaker A: You know what I'm saying? And they all, all of a sudden become the meat within the sandwich, and the sandwich is just like Lettuce wrapped and kind of nobody ever cares about the lettuce or the cheese or. But like, dates. [00:05:46] Speaker B: Iceberg in a world full of like. Like salamis and pepperonis and roast beefs, and we're just like iceberg plain. [00:05:55] Speaker A: Like, not even washed properly. Probably still a little bit dirty, you. [00:05:58] Speaker B: Know, brown around the edge. [00:05:59] Speaker A: Yeah, exactly, exactly. Breaking, crackling. But no, this process has been a. [00:06:06] Speaker B: Very good sandwich, if you will. [00:06:07] Speaker A: A damn good sandwich. Nice little honey Dijon on there. [00:06:11] Speaker B: Aioli, maybe even. [00:06:12] Speaker A: Ooh, I love a spicy aioli. A little cracked pepper in there. [00:06:16] Speaker B: Toasted bread, but it's not. It's not breaking my mouth apart. [00:06:20] Speaker A: You know what my roommate just made? [00:06:21] Speaker B: Tell me. [00:06:22] Speaker A: Yeah. Blueberry compote butter to put on her blueberry sourdough bread that she baked from scratch. [00:06:29] Speaker B: I'm moving in. [00:06:29] Speaker A: Okay, come on over. Come on over, baby. Yeah, I can't. I wish I could. [00:06:38] Speaker B: No, I wish. I want to talk to you. We're going to talk about. [00:06:40] Speaker A: Okay, wait. [00:06:41] Speaker B: There is a handful of other things we're going to talk about, but first you have to introduce yourself. Right. Tradition on the podcast, all my guests introduce themselves. On your mark, set, go. What do you want us to know? [00:06:50] Speaker A: Hi. I am very happy to be here. That's the first thing. My name is Byron Tittle. I am a movement artist from New York. I am constantly conscious of my character within every room that I walk into. So I'm just trying to lead with love in everything that I do. I am an Aries, so I understand chaos and I understand love. Very family oriented. I love my parents and my sister. My friends, I think are the loves of my life. [00:07:21] Speaker B: Chosen family. [00:07:22] Speaker A: Yeah, definitely. Definitely. And yeah, I love to make pictures with my body. I love to emote with my limbs. I love to touch people with. With the essence from within. So we're touching like, soul to soul or rib to rib and not just like aesthetically eyeball to eyeball. Exactly, exactly, Dana, exactly. Because sometimes we have to see past what's in front of us. [00:07:53] Speaker B: Thank you for joining us. That's me signing off. Like, really, Byron? Yes. And you know what I've noticed about you when you said I express with my limbs. And yes, you are a moving photographer. I believe this 100%. I have felt in watching you perform. And I'm, by the way, very lucky to get to count those times as many because we got to work together on in the Heights. I have seen you perform with Doran Stantz, I think more than three times now. [00:08:18] Speaker A: Definitely, definitely. [00:08:19] Speaker B: And wow, what a gift. But I feel like somebody left the aperture open when you perform, because I can see not just the line of your body, but where it was before. I feel like it lingers on my eye. You have the ability to leave. The trajectory of your body is burned on my eye versus just like, here I am now. Here I am now. Here I am now. And I'm now over here. Like, I feel like I get to see all of it. Those limbs of yours, Byron. Woof. You really have figured it out. [00:08:49] Speaker A: Wow. [00:08:51] Speaker B: Yeah, I see. I see you rib to rib. [00:08:56] Speaker A: No, I appreciate you. Yeah, it's like. Yeah, it's coming. Not only coming from you, like, the, the, the comments and the words touch so deeply, but I, I don't even know if you, like, understand the weight that you hold in my maturation as a dancer. [00:09:11] Speaker B: Get out of here. [00:09:12] Speaker A: Yeah, I, I am a huge researcher. [00:09:14] Speaker B: So I'm like, well, that makes sense. [00:09:16] Speaker A: And, like, I will look at certain people for their hands and their fingertips and. And their feet, or I'll look at someone for their musicality. [00:09:23] Speaker B: Do you look at me for my wrists? [00:09:25] Speaker A: Your wrists? Your, your, your. [00:09:27] Speaker B: I have pretty good wrists. [00:09:28] Speaker A: Very good wrists, especially, because not only are they mobile, but they exude tension. Like, I can see. Like, I can see the, the string yanking your wrist first and then pulling then. And it's. And it's really, really gorgeous and tiny and minuscule. And it makes me rewind the video. And I love when dance makes me go back to watch it again. [00:09:51] Speaker B: Yes. [00:09:51] Speaker A: That's my favorite thing. [00:09:52] Speaker B: Yes. Listen, I named my dog Wrist Roll on purpose because. Because it's my favorite, but I do. It's kind of a joke, but it's not. I care a lot about my forearms and hands, and I think a lot of people stop caring at the wrist, definitely. And I care about that tiny finger, the fingers. But it's just like the wrist is an important connector. You got to care about that. [00:10:19] Speaker A: You, you, you have to care. And you have to, like, think about and put effort and intention into it. [00:10:25] Speaker B: Question. Is that how you feel about your ankles when you're in tap shoes? [00:10:29] Speaker A: Oh, definitely. [00:10:30] Speaker B: Because you are so articulate. [00:10:32] Speaker A: I appreciate you. I appreciate you. [00:10:33] Speaker B: Wild. [00:10:34] Speaker A: And the thing is about tap dance, I feel like I feel multiple things, but when my. I'm thinking about my ankle more than my foot. [00:10:42] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:10:42] Speaker A: I'm thinking about my leg more than my foot. Because a lot of what your foot is doing is reactionary to the way your body is moving. So, like, when a lot of the. [00:10:50] Speaker B: Knee, the hip, the angle, it's all. [00:10:51] Speaker A: The knee and the hip. Because there's a tap dancer from California, Sam Weber, who later in his life, after some injuries, restructured his entire warmup so that it could be a little bit easier on the body. And that's how he got so proficient at relaxed technique. And it is in that same vein of like focusing on the wrist. He put that focus somewhere else and then was able to just open up an entire new world of sonic value and timing that doesn't speed. Oh my gosh. Speed insane. Like, it's crazy. [00:11:26] Speaker B: I do this, I talk, especially when I'm teaching younger dancers. I'll ask them, like, raise your hand, put your arm up. And now without building your bending your elbow, press your arm down as fast as you can. And we try to be as fast as we can. [00:11:38] Speaker A: Okay? [00:11:38] Speaker B: And then I say, okay, now this time just relax and let your arm fall. And I think it's faster. It's for sure more enjoyable. [00:11:46] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:11:47] Speaker B: Versus because I feel like I'm taking. [00:11:49] Speaker A: Up so much time. [00:11:49] Speaker B: It's taking up so much space and time. There's a lot of air between here and there. And if I just relax. So maybe this is, maybe this theme is what you needed to hear today. We're talking relax technique, but we're also relax technique in life and in dance, definitely. But the in betweens, the note that you can pay more attention to your hip to help what your foot is doing is also an important theme, like. [00:12:17] Speaker A: The trajectory of where your effort goes. Cause if you put too much tension in something, it just coagulates and just gets so impossible to move. It becomes immobile. But if you loosen it up, literally relax it, you are able to just access more things. Like you're widening your scope, widening your pool so that more things are accessible to you and it's less effort. You're trying less, but you're doing more. [00:12:40] Speaker B: Guys, dance lessons are life lessons. [00:12:42] Speaker A: You better relax. [00:12:44] Speaker B: Relax to access. [00:12:46] Speaker A: Like, relax to access. [00:12:49] Speaker B: Come on. It almost rhymes. It's like close. [00:12:52] Speaker A: It rhymes in my heart. That's where it rhymes. It rhymes in the heart. [00:12:55] Speaker B: Take that, Dr. Seuss. [00:12:57] Speaker A: Okay. [00:12:58] Speaker B: It rhymes in my heart. [00:12:59] Speaker A: My heart. [00:13:00] Speaker B: Okay, so it's, it's cool. I love geeking out on the minutiae of it. Like, I love that you can tell that my wrist, especially like my wrist at 30x years old versus my 16 year old wrist, which didn't know yet. [00:13:15] Speaker A: Oh, exactly. [00:13:16] Speaker B: Who else do you look to for. For specific details? I'm curious. [00:13:19] Speaker A: So you're going to know a lot of these people. The first one, I think my. Especially if we're in the commercial world, like, my favorite commercial dancer is Bethany Strong. Peanut. Bethany Strong. Dance for Janet, dance for Christina is. Is a huge influence. [00:13:34] Speaker B: Thank you. You went bad. [00:13:36] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. I. The mobility in her neck. [00:13:39] Speaker B: Yes. [00:13:39] Speaker A: The technique in her entire body, the elegance, the softness, the eloquence in which she moves her body, it's never too much. She always just goes right there to make you want a little bit more. But there's still a fire within it. I think you can see her plethora of knowledge within her body, but it's not in a way that's like, let me show you all these tricks. No, not at all. [00:14:00] Speaker B: It's not self indulgent at all. [00:14:02] Speaker A: And it serves the purpose, I think. I think that's beautiful. It's really her neck for me and her focus and her intention. [00:14:08] Speaker B: I was just gonna say something about the relationship between chin to eyes and like, you know what? Do you know Shabbar Williams? [00:14:16] Speaker A: Do I know Shabbar Williams? Do I know? Not personally. Not personally. [00:14:19] Speaker B: Okay. Well, I've taken her. I've taken her class a handful of times, and we have taught at a few intensives before. And she had a way of explaining to me that part of what is beautiful about ballet is that in it, you are exposing your underbelly. Like, if the. If the front of my arm, you know, the spot that gets sunburned or like that is. You know, we walk with that part forward, that part is rougher. Right. If I pinch the top of my arm, it doesn't hurt, but if I rotate my arm and pinch on the inside. Oh, God. [00:14:50] Speaker A: Yeah. Tiny. Yeah. [00:14:51] Speaker B: It's more vulnerable. It's. It's what she calls your underbelly. [00:14:54] Speaker A: It really is. [00:14:55] Speaker B: And ballet has a beautiful and vulnerable quality because those parts of you are exposed. Exposed. You rotate the inner thighs forward, you rotate the inner arms forward, and you show that soft side of the neck. And I think Peanut had this, like, combination of ferocity but vulnerability. Like, look at this. Look at this soft neck. [00:15:14] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:15:15] Speaker B: Meets. Watch me. There's this crazy balance. You're so right. And it's never overdone. Great call. Okay, Peanut. Who else? [00:15:23] Speaker A: I would say Dermesha Sembury Edwards or Dimisha Sombra. I'm sorry, Dimitria Sunbree. Because I think that as a tap dancer and as a percussionist, she sings. And I think the, like, the breadth of her sonic value, the ball of her foot is probably the strongest ball of the foot I've ever heard in my entire life. Especially in a heel, which I don't even know how that is, how that's anatomically possible, because it's just so much more difficult. I couldn't do. I could not tap dance in a heel. And the things that she can do in a heel or on a flat or barefoot, doing some body percussion. And again, it's understated, but it's so technically advanced, but not showy in a way that is. That is heady and, like, inaccessible. [00:16:08] Speaker B: Yeah. Like, you can't touch this. I'm so methy, and you know what I'm saying? [00:16:12] Speaker A: Like, isn't this so fast and so great? You don't understand it? It's like. No. Like, it is fast and it is hard to understand, but it's musical and it feels right. The duality of that also. So much duality in life is. So much duality in dance life. It's. It's insane. [00:16:26] Speaker B: And it's so attractive. So attractive. My eyes so drawn to it every single time. [00:16:31] Speaker A: But, yeah. So Peanut Dormecia. I would say Kaitlin Watson as well. [00:16:37] Speaker B: Okay. [00:16:37] Speaker A: Kaitlin Watson has, obviously, it's a beautiful, fluid movement. The only way I can explain it is I feel like there's a very, very heavy, heavy bass underneath her rib cage. And then the way it reverberates out, it lessens, like sound waves do, but it's still present. So I can see the breath within her movement, but I can also see the strong impotence or the strong beginning of the strong nucleus of the thing. I can still see. But by the time it gets to the mitochondria and all the other things, it's still. [00:17:12] Speaker B: Yes. [00:17:13] Speaker A: You know what I'm saying? It's still alive. Let's go. [00:17:15] Speaker B: Mitochondria. [00:17:16] Speaker A: I love the mitochondria, baby. [00:17:17] Speaker B: Okay. I think we could go on this list of dancers for a long time. But I have you here, and I want to talk about you. Before we started rolling, we were talking about how rumor of your performance on Broadway in Illinois. It is Illinois, right? [00:17:34] Speaker A: Illinois. [00:17:35] Speaker B: Okay. Yeah. Because noise. [00:17:38] Speaker A: No, I don't. I don't. Okay. [00:17:40] Speaker B: Double entendre. Or is that really just how it's pronounced? [00:17:42] Speaker A: Really just how it's pronounced. [00:17:44] Speaker B: Shit. [00:17:44] Speaker A: I know, I know. Because before, it had no E, and then it was like, they need the E. I don't know. Those decisions were not. I was not. [00:17:51] Speaker B: You were not privy to the conversations. So you were nominated for a Chita Rivera Award. For this role. [00:17:57] Speaker A: I was. [00:17:57] Speaker B: Originated this role on Broadway. As you're. As you're hearing these things out loud. [00:18:02] Speaker A: It'S blowing my mind. It's blowing my mind, especially because, like, my first tap teacher was the. Her name was Claudia Rahargenato. She's also endorse Dance Doran's Dance, the company. And she called me and she was like, byron, I just heard your name on television. What's going on? And I was like, oh, nothing. What do you mean? Then she rewound and like, we were on FaceTime, and she was like, byron, you're nominated for a Cheetah Rivera. And I was like, oh, my gosh. [00:18:23] Speaker B: And you got that news from your teacher? Yeah, I'm in a sob. [00:18:27] Speaker A: No, it was. It's. It's. It was. I'm honestly, to be very, very honest with you, I am still reeling from that. From that entire experience. [00:18:35] Speaker B: Yeah. Have you had a, like, postmortem for it? Have you had a processing phase of, like, for the project? [00:18:43] Speaker A: Yes and no. Yes and no. The. The. The. Some of the surface level things that I was able to release, the way people treat you and all of those things, I was definitely able to, like, separate myself from that. I'm trying to separate myself from those things and then hold on to the sweet, tender moments that I would net that I will never want to forget. But I think, honestly, it's going to take me, like, years. It's going to take me years. And I am already a slow, emotional processor, I've realized. So I'm just kind of giving myself some grace and doing the best that I can with that. It's very difficult. I miss them terribly. [00:19:16] Speaker B: I bet. [00:19:17] Speaker A: I miss them terribly. And there was so much tragedy within that that was just kind of. We weren't able to process in the moment. [00:19:26] Speaker B: Because it was fast. Right. It wasn't meant to be a short run. [00:19:29] Speaker A: No, it was supposed to be a short run. A limited runways. Yeah. And then we started in January, went to Chicago, came back, did the Armory, and then randomly went to Broadway, because when we were supposed to go to Broadway, there was no theater available. [00:19:39] Speaker B: Got it. [00:19:39] Speaker A: And then all of a sudden, the St. James became available. [00:19:41] Speaker B: Got it. [00:19:42] Speaker A: But from, like, the second week of rehearsal, a dancer in New York who was very close to one of the dancers who was in the show, who was new to the show, passed away from a peanut allergy, who, the dancer in our show also shares with her. They bonded over that in December, spent November to December together, and then she passed away in January. So off rip. There was a lot going on. And then fast forward to May, our stage manager, tragically passed away. Yeah. So there was a lot of. And in the show. Spoiler, somebody, you know. [00:20:16] Speaker B: Yep. [00:20:17] Speaker A: Loses their life. So it's. It's. It was. It was a lot of grief masked with a lot of like, oh, now we get to go on stage and pretend to be happy. And then a lot of the times we have all of these people saying this and do this and be this and look like this. And some people are making more money than others, so that's always going to be weird. [00:20:34] Speaker B: Wow. Wow, wow, wow. [00:20:35] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:20:36] Speaker B: Okay. Yeah. So talk about dance lessons or life lessons. [00:20:39] Speaker A: Okay. [00:20:40] Speaker B: What, if any, dance training prepared you for that? And how did. In what ways did dance not prepare you for that? [00:20:51] Speaker A: That's an amazing question. I would say the chaos of dance. [00:20:55] Speaker B: Right. [00:20:56] Speaker A: Helped me. Helped me with that. [00:20:57] Speaker B: Because in orders for, like, directives from a lot of different. [00:20:59] Speaker A: Exactly, exactly. And sometimes they contradict, and sometimes all things happen, you know, and then in the same way. Yeah. Dance prepared me because it just was like, okay, do your steps. [00:21:11] Speaker B: Get the job done. No matter what. [00:21:12] Speaker A: Dance didn't prepare me for. And I still don't know how to navigate it. The way to emotionally attach to what you're doing, but not be too emotionally attached. That it deters from the human that you are, which will then circle around and then affect the artist. But to. To be invested and caring, but not so much to the point that you deplete yourself. Because no job, no role, nothing is worth that. Because I've seen it happen. Like, people just start to wither away. And it is. Or people change and become completely different people. When art turns into commerce, it's crazy. It gets crazy. You see who people really are. [00:21:57] Speaker B: Talk about it. I'm afraid I'm not ready to leave the subject. I don't know what to ask. Here's how I'll frame it. How did you keep from becoming that person? Obviously, you have a strong moral compass. What helped you find that in yourself? How did you know? Here's my stopping point with this. To preserve my meanness, I would say. [00:22:24] Speaker A: A lot of prayer. A lot of prayer. A lot of meditation. And then also the group. The group of dancers, like, on stage, cast, swing cast. Some of the best people I've ever met. [00:22:35] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:22:36] Speaker A: Specifically Gabby Diaz. She was. Yeah, she was the person who. I don't know. Small, little. [00:22:44] Speaker B: Why don't I talk about a special one? Man. Great wrists. [00:22:49] Speaker A: Great wrists. Oh, my gosh. The articulation I have some videos that I'll show you. [00:22:53] Speaker B: Good neck. [00:22:54] Speaker A: She got it a lot of good. Also hips. The separation from rib to hip is really eating it down. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Great rib hip and disalignment and. [00:23:04] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Great rib hip relationship. [00:23:07] Speaker A: It's gorgeous. It's gorgeous. [00:23:08] Speaker B: Wow. Wow. [00:23:09] Speaker A: No, but she, she really. Because she. She's been in this world a little bit, especially with so you think and all the things. And she has a great discernment in. In these situations and she was in. [00:23:21] Speaker B: The humanness of it, in the navigation of commerce, life and the big structure. [00:23:26] Speaker A: That it becomes, the magnitude of it all. [00:23:28] Speaker B: Okay, so some people were modeling for you some good decision making and boundary setting. [00:23:32] Speaker A: Maybe that's. And that is really. Because I had no idea what it, what, what I was getting into. Even until like up until like we really did not. And I know everybody, we didn't expect this little thing to get off. We. I. We really did not expect. [00:23:43] Speaker B: Wow. [00:23:44] Speaker A: Like so much so to like the point like when we were in the beginning, top of the year, when we were going back into rehearsals, like people who had left the show were like, yeah, I don't think I really want to do that anymore. It's just gonna be three. I really thought it was gonna. I moved to August in 2023. Oh, I moved to August. I moved to LA in August of 2023. Cause I thought the show was just gonna be January to March and I was gonna come back and it was gonna be great and it was gonna be done easy. No. [00:24:05] Speaker B: What happened? [00:24:06] Speaker A: We went to Broadway and I was in New York from January to August. [00:24:09] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:24:10] Speaker A: Eight whole months of just kind of like not knowing and not expecting, but. [00:24:14] Speaker B: Hearing a lot of great things. [00:24:17] Speaker A: Everything was gorgeous. That we like the reception from the audience, from the humans, from other dancers, from people traveling in to come see the show. Like I just still in awe. And I guess that's also why to bring it back. Like that's why I'm still processing it because I'm still hearing beautiful things from people. And like my. The choreographer on this job came to see the show and didn't even know I was in it. The guitarist knew who's on this job for the Grammys, did American Utopia, the David Byrne show with the drummer from Illinois. So he came to see the show. Just met. He was like, you look familiar. I was like, oh, did you see? Yeah, you're the. Yeah. Wow. So it's. It's. [00:24:57] Speaker B: It's Byron. I'm dying that I didn't get to see it. As we're sitting here having this conversation, I'm just so upset that I didn't. [00:25:02] Speaker A: Get to see it. You would have. You would. And you would have gotten into so many of the nuanced details. Because even. Even sometimes when people say, oh, my gosh, I love this show, and, like, they mention certain things, I'm like, yeah, those things are in your face and layers. But let me tell you something, Dinah. You would have, I'm hoping, saying it out loud. Hey, Justin. I hope we get to film it. [00:25:23] Speaker B: Yes, please. [00:25:23] Speaker A: I hope we get to film it. [00:25:25] Speaker B: Yes, please. Well, Justin and friends, that'll be up to more than Justin for sure. [00:25:29] Speaker A: And that is the ticket, baby. It is more. [00:25:34] Speaker B: We put a lot of weight on the choreographer's plate, and we can only control so much. [00:25:41] Speaker A: And you know what else taught me that in the Heights. [00:25:44] Speaker B: Yeah. Wow. [00:25:45] Speaker A: Because. Wow. [00:25:48] Speaker B: Yeah. This is a big, big machine. And the choreographers are the wheels of it. We're the part that moves. Right? We're the part. But the rest of the car, the axle, the. Oh, God. I've gotten myself into an analogy. I can't get out of that. [00:26:01] Speaker A: But the wheel and, like, the wheels and, like, everything is on a different situation. It feels like. And then you are in the choreography team, is in contact with the dancer, is trying to make sure that they trust you, but then also making sure that the director's vision is being seen. And your vision is somewhat in there. Because why am I gonna work on something and not have my voice be a part of this beautiful soundscape, Especially. [00:26:22] Speaker B: A project like in the Heights, which is about the people. It's about the people of the neighborhood. [00:26:28] Speaker A: Exactly. [00:26:28] Speaker B: And so we took our time to cast it specifically because we want those voices to be the ones showing up. We want those fingerprints to be the ones that are, you know, on this, on. On screen. And I think we got that. It was never gone to any New. [00:26:46] Speaker A: York dancers as that, Right? Never in my life. [00:26:48] Speaker B: 305, I think, is the number of dancers we cast. [00:26:51] Speaker A: It's so fulfilling. It's still three. What? [00:26:53] Speaker B: 305 work. I'm. I'm pretty sure that's a take that in 305, people are getting residuals from that film. [00:27:01] Speaker A: Woo. And in a city where we don't really get all. And especially being able to be ourselves, like, we can go. We can be. [00:27:09] Speaker B: Nobody's putting, like, a face mask on you, and you have to be like, carry this stool over here. No, you got to be Byron. [00:27:17] Speaker A: I got to be Byron in my cheetah shorts, you know what I'm saying? Next to Martha Nichols with her ball tail. [00:27:22] Speaker B: I was just thinking of that scene just now, right next to the picnic table. 96,000 is such a cool, beautiful thing. Meeting you is such a cool, beautiful thing. I remember I have some boomerangs of maybe my first day of meeting you and just your feet tapping, and I was just, like, marveling at how fast you can move and how. How many sounds you could make. Not even in a tap shoe and on a damn Marley floor. And it was like, do that again. I swear I've got six boomerangs. Just your little sneaker feet. [00:27:53] Speaker A: No, I love that. And it's so crazy you say that, because a lot of the times now that I've been subbing for my friend Kylie Williams, who is tap dancing in la, who's tap. Who's teaching beautiful tap dance classes in la. I know that we like to say that. That it doesn't exist, but it does. And I know there are people saying, come take my online class for this or that of tap dance. Those are not tap dancers. Kylie Williams is a tap dancer teaching tap class. So I've been studying that class. And. [00:28:20] Speaker B: And you also are a tap dancer. [00:28:23] Speaker A: Yeah. And I. You are not only a tap dancer. When your tap shoes are on the way, you listen to music. The way you hear people talking to you, the cadence. Are you. Are you really listening? Are you really taking in the things around you? Like that hump? [00:28:38] Speaker B: It's a car wash, God damn it. I wish I could get rid of it. But. Yep. [00:28:42] Speaker A: No, but, like, even those. Even that tiny little thing that also it. For me, my first thought is that life is still happening around you. [00:28:49] Speaker B: Oh. [00:28:50] Speaker A: So, like, don't forget that. You can always return to that situation. I don't know. For me, tap dance literally equals life. The lessons I've learned in tap dance, I've learned in life. Or like the lessons I've learned in tap dance have helped me survive. Survive. Ooh. Yeah. Survival. [00:29:08] Speaker B: Think about that. [00:29:10] Speaker A: Wow. [00:29:11] Speaker B: Yeah, that's probably a pretty good segue. Byron, to this next segment of the show. You are a. You are. You are a musician. [00:29:20] Speaker A: I am a musician first. [00:29:21] Speaker B: Amen. I think I play well with musicians. [00:29:24] Speaker A: I think you're a musician. [00:29:24] Speaker B: In the game of oh, man. My friend, I. I flatter myself to think so. I did take some piano lessons early on, but I still get confused at time signatures that aren't 4, 4 or 3, 4. Outside of that, I'm like, oh, help. [00:29:41] Speaker A: In 7 and 11. I get tripped up. Okay. [00:29:45] Speaker B: So I've got a couple tracks that I pulled that I have a hard time either finding the one. [00:29:50] Speaker A: Okay. [00:29:50] Speaker B: Don't know what time signature it's in or can't count the downbeat. [00:29:55] Speaker A: Gotcha. [00:29:56] Speaker B: So there's like a. There's one in particular. I'm so excited. So thank you for bringing up the sounds around us and music and for being a person who's always engaging with them, not ignoring them, doing my best. And I think also thank you for shouting out Kylie. I want to shout out. Jillian Myers teaches a class here in LA called Rhythmic Tendencies and she will not fall back to. Oh, I'll just doca that part. Or I'll just like, scat that out. Or I'll just sing the lyrics for that part. No, she is going to 1E meticulously. She is going to find it and tell you and she expects you. And she is training up a group of dancers who can. If you say no, it's the E. Know what that means. [00:30:40] Speaker A: Exactly. [00:30:41] Speaker B: And go out back on set and get it done. So thank you. [00:30:46] Speaker A: And another thing on Jillian. [00:30:47] Speaker B: Yes, go. Because we could just do all. Yeah. [00:30:49] Speaker A: Because Jillian Myers does not get enough credit either. Come on, we did this project. [00:30:53] Speaker B: She's the president of the. Not enough credit card. [00:30:55] Speaker A: Are you kidding? Because I like, obviously huge fan. Been a fan since Black Hair. You know what I'm saying? Since Long Hair. [00:31:04] Speaker B: Yeah, since Long Hair. [00:31:05] Speaker A: Long Hair Edge Studios. Yes, since Brian Freeman, assistant. Like, she works tirelessly to. To give credit to the form. Like she is putting in the work endlessly in the room, teaching at. I think that class is ML. Tuesdays or Thursdays at 11:00am Tuesdays. [00:31:29] Speaker B: It's now Tuesdays, 12:00 to 2. And I teach alternating Tuesdays at the same time. [00:31:33] Speaker A: Okay, so you hear that? Come see me. [00:31:34] Speaker B: You know what you're doing. [00:31:35] Speaker A: Come see us. And like, doing. We did this project with Tyler Peck and Michelle Dorrance and Gillian, and it was so beautiful to watch. [00:31:41] Speaker B: It's the best dance I've ever seen. Byron. That show's the best dance I've ever seen. And I watch dance a lot. You do Byron. [00:31:48] Speaker A: That is humbling. Wow. [00:31:49] Speaker B: Okay, so here's the thing about that show and about Gillian and everyone involved in that show. No one's dancing behind a pop star. We are all the stars collectively. [00:32:02] Speaker A: Yes. [00:32:03] Speaker B: This is a great group of sharers. [00:32:06] Speaker A: Yes. [00:32:07] Speaker B: Michelle, top shelf, sharer of shine, of light, of the mic. Great. [00:32:15] Speaker A: And I really do think that, honestly, everybody aft not everybody. But, like, working with Michelle was such a godsend, because every single time we sat down to any type of discussion, she would say, yes, I am Michelle Dorrance, and this is Doran's dance. But these are my collaborators. They are not just my dancers. She always gave us. Oh, my gosh. [00:32:35] Speaker B: For credit. Definitely where it is due. [00:32:38] Speaker A: Definitely. [00:32:39] Speaker B: Please go listen to Michelle Dorrance's episode. It's one of my favorites. [00:32:42] Speaker A: Amazing. [00:32:43] Speaker B: But that show, because no one is resting on anyone else's name to make it fabulous. There's so much accountability, and I think Jillian carries this heavy, heavy cross. She's a purist in many ways. She wants things to be as great as they possibly can. [00:33:04] Speaker A: Yes. Across the board for everybody. [00:33:06] Speaker B: Especially when it's her name up there on the thing. When it's her name next to Michelle, next to yours, next to Tyler's, she doesn't take it lightly. And she's fun. My God, she's fun and she's a joy of a squiggle to behold. But it's not a game. [00:33:20] Speaker A: No. She's working so hard, so hard, so hard. And if she needs to do it again, she will do it again for 30 more minutes, and she'll break it down. She'll break the music down. She'll break the movement down. She'll look for new influences. She'll come in the next day with a new perspective, really good ideas and inventive ideas. And I know it's 20, 25, but sometimes she still comes in and I'm like, where the hell you think of that, Jillian? Yes. [00:33:47] Speaker B: Come on. [00:33:48] Speaker A: It's. It's still new. [00:33:49] Speaker B: Still new. You got. If, as you are listening to this episode, you are considering not working harder, think again. [00:34:00] Speaker A: Think again. [00:34:03] Speaker B: Because it is cool as to work really hard. [00:34:06] Speaker A: Yes. [00:34:07] Speaker B: And it is sexy to have a high standard. And it is. That's. That's how we received that show. [00:34:13] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:34:14] Speaker B: Is. Because I think all the people involved are that way. And then also some strange and special weirdos. You know, I keep working hard and keep being strange and special. [00:34:22] Speaker A: Yeah. It's. It's lucky. I'm just so. [00:34:25] Speaker B: We're lucky. We're really lucky. I'm so lucky. [00:34:27] Speaker A: I'm so lucky. Like, it's crazy. [00:34:34] Speaker B: What are we gonna call this segment, Byron? [00:34:37] Speaker A: I do, like, Find the One. [00:34:38] Speaker B: Find the One is catchier. [00:34:41] Speaker A: It could be Find the one question mark. And then that means, is it a one? Is it a three? What is. [00:34:47] Speaker B: Well, the reason why I don't want to call it Find the One is. Because some of these. It's not about the one. [00:34:53] Speaker A: It's not about the one. [00:34:54] Speaker B: Okay, But. All right, the first one is. The first one is about. I can hear the one. [00:35:01] Speaker A: Okay. [00:35:01] Speaker B: But I don't know where the six, seven, eight is before the one. Like, how would you count in this downbeat? Are you ready? [00:35:08] Speaker A: Huh? [00:35:26] Speaker B: Okay, so. So we have a nice soundscape, right? And then overblown is his first lyric, but the downbeat comes after it. That. Where does that. Where does that kick come? How. How would you count that in? [00:35:47] Speaker A: Could you hear this? 4, 1, 2. But it wouldn't be that. [00:36:05] Speaker B: I would have never thought that ever. Can I show you what I thought? [00:36:10] Speaker A: Cuz it also could be that the intro is completely out of time. [00:36:13] Speaker B: Okay. Which people do. Sometimes I hear one E and a two and a three and a four and a five and a sixy and a seven and a eight. One E and a two E. Like two E. Two E. Go. [00:36:30] Speaker A: Yeah, that's hard. [00:36:31] Speaker B: I don't. I truly. I just can't replicate it. [00:36:37] Speaker A: Thinking 1, 2, 3, 4. 1, 2, ding, ding, don, 2, 3, 4. One, two, three, four. One, two, three, 4. [00:36:49] Speaker B: One, two, and seven and a eight and a one E and a two E and a three E. Yeah, because. [00:36:56] Speaker A: Is that the only downbeat that happens on that? [00:36:58] Speaker B: Yes. [00:36:59] Speaker A: I guess what they do is they. They have the intro in a certain amount of bars. That sounds like four bars to me. And then the first bar of the verse, the down, the first thing you hear is that two. And then it refers back to that just ran regular sonic value on the one situation that attracts you to music. So you can feel it. [00:37:27] Speaker B: Because you can feel it. Because otherwise you're like. [00:37:29] Speaker A: You're like. Wait. Exactly. [00:37:31] Speaker B: Which. The song is called so Faded. [00:37:33] Speaker A: Okay. [00:37:33] Speaker B: And I think that maybe I like to flatter them as saying that deliberate. It's literally a trip. Like, you fall into it. [00:37:41] Speaker A: Yes. [00:37:41] Speaker B: Like you're stumbling. [00:37:42] Speaker A: And I'm so faded that I'm behind the beat. I'm behind the one, but there it is. [00:37:46] Speaker B: Thank you, everybody. That's so Faded by Flake. [00:37:48] Speaker A: I'm gonna go. [00:37:49] Speaker B: Big fan. I'm not. [00:37:51] Speaker A: I have no idea. [00:37:52] Speaker B: Big fan. Okay. This next one is near and dear to my heart because it's Mr. Justin Timberlake. [00:38:00] Speaker A: I. I bring that sexy back. Okay. Yeah. [00:38:08] Speaker B: Okay. So there are two, actually two JT songs. One of them is Let the Groove get in, which Riley Riley really struggles with. And I'm curious to hear where you put the one. I'm the only One who struggles with it. I don't think you're the only one. I really don't think you're the only one. [00:38:27] Speaker A: I've heard a lot of. I've listened to that song. [00:38:29] Speaker B: Okay. Okay, let's hear it. [00:38:30] Speaker A: Yeah. What a phenomenal song. [00:38:41] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:38:43] Speaker A: One, two, three, four. [00:38:45] Speaker B: Riley, what do you think? [00:38:47] Speaker A: Four. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Give me one, give me two. Yeah, right there. It's okay. [00:39:02] Speaker B: She likes the one to come with the lyrics. Yeah. She puts the one with the lyric. [00:39:09] Speaker A: Listen to this, though. It's like. Like a three, four, clave. [00:39:21] Speaker B: Okay, so that is that. And we. We are in alignment. [00:39:26] Speaker A: You know what? The lyric. And also because I feel like the bass that you want to latch onto is somewhat quiet. And you hear dink dink, a tickle tinkle doo. [00:39:36] Speaker B: That's forward. [00:39:37] Speaker A: Very forward. You have the Timbaland of it all. [00:39:38] Speaker B: Yes, that I counted it wrong because of across the Floor. Because people would start and I was. [00:39:43] Speaker A: Like, wait, wait, wait. Dance class. [00:39:46] Speaker B: It will expose you crazy, weird connection. But in the Tour, in the 2020 experience, the Bridge was moving from the back of the house forward. So it wasn't across the floor. We were dancing across the bridge laterally, and it was moving forward in space. So I'm literally doing across the floors, moving across the floor, but I'm dancing along the floor, if that makes sense. [00:40:08] Speaker A: I'm getting nauseous just thinking about that. [00:40:10] Speaker B: Okay, that was. That was. That was fun. [00:40:13] Speaker A: I love it. [00:40:13] Speaker B: It was really fun. [00:40:14] Speaker A: And let me tell you something. That album feel a certain way. [00:40:20] Speaker B: But wait, talking of albums, okay, Justified has another gem. And JT and Marty count this one differently. So. And I don't remember whose is whose, but I'm curious about this. Next up, also, Justin Timberlake. Good job. [00:40:37] Speaker A: Good job. [00:40:38] Speaker B: I love somebody who's, like, out to, like, stump. [00:40:41] Speaker A: Yeah. And push the boundaries of what is in popular music. [00:40:44] Speaker B: Come on. Four on the floor is fine, but, like, what else is. [00:40:47] Speaker A: Give me a little three, four. Give me a little six. Give me it. [00:40:54] Speaker B: Marty and JT count this different. No, different for me. [00:41:14] Speaker A: Two, three, four. That makes sense with his lyrics. [00:41:23] Speaker B: 80 and a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. And 1. [00:41:29] Speaker A: Oh, my gosh. A lead in for the 8 and 1. It's nasty. [00:41:32] Speaker B: But. But tell me what you. [00:41:34] Speaker A: Okay. Is that what yours was? [00:41:37] Speaker B: It was. [00:41:37] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:41:37] Speaker B: You stuck on my neck. [00:41:38] Speaker A: But I think I was putting. Where you were putting your eight. I was putting my one. [00:41:41] Speaker B: Yes, we were. One. [00:41:42] Speaker A: Yeah. One count off. [00:41:43] Speaker B: And. And I think that was the Marty JT Discrepancy. I think if I remember correctly, there it was close. [00:41:49] Speaker A: Close. Which almost makes it even harder because now I'm on the three, and you're on the four. And we can't even push if you're like a whole two count. Four count off. It's actually easier because then we, like, loop back around to each other. But if it's just one count, it's like, where are you at? Whoa. What song is that called? [00:42:05] Speaker B: It's called Right for me, off of Me. [00:42:08] Speaker A: Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. [00:42:10] Speaker B: So good. [00:42:11] Speaker A: That makes so much sense with his lyrics. But. Okay, now, Riley, I have a question. Do you feel like you enjoy the. Do you still enjoy Let the. Let the groove get in? [00:42:21] Speaker B: It bothers me now that I can't count it. I have a hard time if I can't find the one. [00:42:24] Speaker A: Exactly. I thought I did. And when you. And when you thought you did, did you enjoy the song? Oh, okay. [00:42:31] Speaker B: That sucks. [00:42:32] Speaker A: It's been robbed a little bit. [00:42:34] Speaker B: And I've never met anyone who counts. [00:42:35] Speaker A: It like I do. [00:42:38] Speaker B: If you're out there, everyone, Riley's looking for you. She's looking for her people. Okay, okay. Not to keep you on blast like this, but there's another one. [00:42:47] Speaker A: Okay. [00:42:48] Speaker B: Someone has agreed with me. [00:42:49] Speaker A: Okay. We have a friend. We have a friend. [00:42:53] Speaker B: Okay. Aaliyah. More than a woman. [00:42:56] Speaker A: Oh, don't. [00:42:56] Speaker B: It's the intro. [00:43:00] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:43:01] Speaker B: Shut your mouth. [00:43:05] Speaker A: One, two, three, four. [00:43:07] Speaker B: What's yours? [00:43:08] Speaker A: One, two. [00:43:09] Speaker B: Well, that was it. [00:43:10] Speaker A: Four. One, two. [00:43:12] Speaker B: Okay. Okay. So we are counting in the same measure. [00:43:15] Speaker A: Yes. [00:43:15] Speaker B: But Riley. Riley starts the song with a one. And I hear the beginning is a five. [00:43:21] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:43:23] Speaker B: Six and a seven, eight and a one. Interesting. [00:43:29] Speaker A: Especially when you're counting in eights. Passion. Instant. [00:43:38] Speaker B: That I don't understand. If we. If we honor that 2, 3, 4, 5, then I think she would come on a 5. [00:43:48] Speaker A: Yes. [00:43:49] Speaker B: 1, 2, 3, 4. Yeah. [00:43:53] Speaker A: Instead. [00:43:53] Speaker B: And she wants her to come in on the one. And that's why you felt justified that that was the correct. Correct. There's no correct. But I don't know. [00:44:01] Speaker A: She would not come in. Especially because it's. [00:44:03] Speaker B: Well, she's a musician, so she doesn't come in on the five. [00:44:06] Speaker A: It's always a one. But it technically is a one because. And that's what sometimes is difficult for me, taking non tap dance classes with individuals who. Not that they don't count in four, four time, but also that they think it's okay not to acknowledge or have any type of concept of what the time is. And they'll just be like, yeah, you'll figure it out. Just feel it. Just feel it. In some cases that is okay to just feel it. But like if you are a teacher. [00:44:35] Speaker B: In some cases that's lazy, let's call. [00:44:39] Speaker A: A spade a spade. You just didn't have the time nor the wherewithal or didn't want to do. [00:44:43] Speaker B: The work or didn't know how. And I do think, thank you, Jillian, for making keeping students accountable for doing the work. But I know there's like difficult ones, like sometimes, sometimes it's tough. But I know a lot of high operating people who use E and, and, and interchangeably. [00:45:05] Speaker A: Whoa. [00:45:05] Speaker B: Say whichever one is like most convenient. [00:45:09] Speaker A: Oh, no, I think you mean E. [00:45:12] Speaker B: And they're like, well, yeah, it's, you know, in between this and that. And I'm like, well, they all are. [00:45:16] Speaker A: And, and you. And you know what's crazy is that if people went to Taft class, they would realize that you cannot be muddy about certain things because then your sounds are muddy. [00:45:24] Speaker B: So if, and if you're doing a roll off, you can't think E and and are the same. [00:45:30] Speaker A: No. Because then it'll just look like there's no roll off. No, there's no roll. It's just off. There's no roll. It's just off. [00:45:38] Speaker B: Okay, the next section of where's the one? Is brought to you by the group. Ok, go. [00:45:42] Speaker A: Okay. [00:45:43] Speaker B: Who really is asking a lot of us. It's not. It's. I don't need to know where's the one. And I happen to know all of these time signatures. But I want to know as soon as you find him what the measure is. [00:45:54] Speaker A: Okay. Oh, five, right. Two, three, four, five. One, two, three, four, five. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. 1, 2, 3, four, five. One, 2, 3, 4. And you know what Trip tripped me up in the beginning? The fact that I was trying to count past. Because sometimes it's easier for me to count to like if, like 10 if it's in 5 or 12 if it's in 6. And then break it down backwards. [00:46:47] Speaker B: Hard to catch the smaller bites. [00:46:49] Speaker A: The actual smaller phrase. Wait, can you play that again? [00:46:51] Speaker B: Absolutely. Also, I love this song. It's called wtf WTF though, right? [00:46:56] Speaker A: That's nasty. [00:46:57] Speaker B: So nasty. Get ready. This whole album, if we are not all directly into the name of the album, is of the blue color of the sky. It's on my. I make a playlist every month. This month, the playlist is 11 hours long because I put all the albums I was obsessed with in high school. Postal Service, the District Sleeps Alone Tonight. [00:47:17] Speaker A: Never heard it. [00:47:18] Speaker B: Death Cab for Cutie. Transatlanticism. [00:47:20] Speaker A: Come on, come on. [00:47:23] Speaker B: Jay Z's the Blueprint came out that year. The Black album came. Not that year. Four years that I was in high school was a fucking good time for music. This OK Go album came out in 2010, but it has strong high school vibes for me, so I put it on the list. Anyways, thank you for playing where's the One? That was so much fun. [00:47:41] Speaker A: Let's give it up for where's the One? [00:47:43] Speaker B: Inaugurally submissions. If you have songs that you come across that you cannot find the one Tag Words that move Me. Podcast tag. Byron Siddle. [00:47:51] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:47:51] Speaker B: We are going to be playing this game forevermore. [00:47:53] Speaker A: Forever. [00:47:53] Speaker B: Hashtag where's the one? [00:47:55] Speaker A: Great job. [00:47:55] Speaker B: That was fun. I thank you for being so brilliant that I could play that game. [00:47:59] Speaker A: No, I'm obsessed. I'm gonna start playing that with my non tapter. [00:48:04] Speaker B: Where's the one? [00:48:04] Speaker A: Where's the one? [00:48:05] Speaker B: Okay, I want to ask in all of the spaces that you operate, Company. [00:48:16] Speaker A: I'm obsessed with Company is the Latin fusion company. [00:48:28] Speaker B: I was going to say is Campari sponsored the company. [00:48:34] Speaker A: Ooh, is that right? Yeah. Yummy. [00:48:37] Speaker B: Okay. You have spent 10 years dancing with Doran Stance. [00:48:41] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:48:42] Speaker B: You are no stranger to the company sphere. You have spent a lot of time working in films. By the way, Maestro is one of my favorites. And you look fan. Fucking tastic Dance was very well utilized in that show. [00:48:57] Speaker A: Yes. [00:48:57] Speaker B: In that movie. I am a big, big fan. But you're now getting your pop star flex on. I'm curious, what do you love about each space and what do you not love about each space? [00:49:08] Speaker A: The one thing I love about the. It's hard because some things I love one minute and then hate the next minute. Oh, interesting. [00:49:15] Speaker B: Especially for example, like I love how much downtime there is on set of this film because I can be finishing a court of Thorns and roses in between takes. [00:49:27] Speaker A: Oh my gosh. I just finished the first book and wow. [00:49:29] Speaker B: Great job, Byron. [00:49:31] Speaker A: Wow. Let's talk about Sarah J. Moth baby. [00:49:34] Speaker B: Oh my goodness. You're not ready. [00:49:35] Speaker A: I'm not? No. [00:49:36] Speaker B: I'm not even ready. [00:49:37] Speaker A: I'm not. But I'm so ready. [00:49:38] Speaker B: Second one, Best one. [00:49:39] Speaker A: Really? [00:49:40] Speaker B: That's what I came here. I like the last one, but that's because I'm Cassie. [00:49:43] Speaker A: Because there's five of them. [00:49:43] Speaker B: That's cause I'm a Cassian fan. [00:49:45] Speaker A: Oh, you are. Excuse me. Okay. Where were I even. [00:49:51] Speaker B: What was I doing? [00:49:52] Speaker A: Company companies. [00:49:55] Speaker B: Oh no. Being on film, I love the space in between. And then all of a sudden it's 10pm and I'm like, I haven't danced. Why are we always waiting? Yeah, So I see what you mean. The thorn. [00:50:07] Speaker A: Okay. [00:50:07] Speaker B: Can also be the rose. Like I love this thing. And also pain in my ass. [00:50:12] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:50:12] Speaker B: Okay. [00:50:13] Speaker A: I think company work will all the. The feeling of an incubation process. [00:50:20] Speaker B: Oh my God. Imagine that. Imagine having time to create a show. [00:50:24] Speaker A: And like real time to change things, to ruminate over things, to see what's going to impact, to be impacted. The amount of times that we changed Illinois was beautiful. It was gorgeous. And I still don't think we got to the final form of what it could have been because we just went straight to certain things. But I think like company work, what. Especially if there are people that you are interested in. With both Justin and Michelle, I am so attracted to their artistic eye and to be seen within that was the biggest blessing. So I think that connection within that incubation process to the other dancers, to the choreographer, to dance itself, like from the root, building it, changing it, maneuvering it, I think that and seeing it change in front of your eyes and then having like closeness with it is really amazing. [00:51:13] Speaker B: It is. There's nothing I kind of on the same tip, I do like a quick gig but to build with people and to have a revision process in a creative process, on a commercial, on a two day music video, you just don't get a revision. Whatever the first draft is, is the draft that goes out and I, I am always wanting more time with it no matter what. [00:51:38] Speaker A: It's such a. There are humans making this thing and humans need the ability to like you said, revise and sometimes that's not always given. But then again the thorn, whatever it. [00:51:50] Speaker B: Turns it into is what it was meant to be. [00:51:52] Speaker A: Exactly. [00:51:52] Speaker B: Like, did we really need more time with my love the music video? Because I watch it back and I'm like that's. I love it. We did have a lot more time with that. [00:52:00] Speaker A: Actually. [00:52:01] Speaker B: It's not a great example. I've been very lucky in my music video experiences actually that the majority of them are very large budgets with a lot of preparation and. [00:52:11] Speaker A: And artists that care. Yeah, Artists that care about the art and not just how they look and. [00:52:18] Speaker B: Are willing to take risks and are willing. Yeah. Willing to do the work. I think JT has always been a very hard worker. Likes to rehearse. I know a lot of pop stars are more like actors and that they don't want to over rehearse. They want to keep it raw. They want to keep it, girl. I'm just like, you're lazy. [00:52:37] Speaker A: Yeah. That's what you are. [00:52:38] Speaker B: That's what you are. But I do think, and actually one of my, one of the things I love exercising in my class is spontaneity as a skill. [00:52:48] Speaker A: Yes. [00:52:48] Speaker B: You can craft the first time feeling even though you've done it a thousand times. [00:52:53] Speaker A: And I think that's what commercial dancing kind of helps me to have. Like the, it takes away the judgment or like the question of, was that your first time? Was that your best? Was that the final version? It is the final version. [00:53:10] Speaker B: Yes. [00:53:10] Speaker A: Now go out there and eat and eat it up and, and now that, now I'm putting myself in the position to succeed, I feel, and I think, like, that's what the commercial world is teaching me is because I, I second guess not every single thing I do. But like, as dancers, we are hard on ourselves. [00:53:26] Speaker B: Absolutely. [00:53:26] Speaker A: And we, and we want, well, some of us want to be better. [00:53:29] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:53:29] Speaker A: No shade. All shade. Some of us want to be better. And so I think when that comes into, when that comes into my brain, I, I tend to freak out a little bit. But the critic. The critic. But then. [00:53:40] Speaker B: So the commercial world is helping you understand when it's time to ship. It's just. That was what it was and that is what's in the world. [00:53:46] Speaker A: Exactly. [00:53:46] Speaker B: No stress. But tomorrow's the Grammys. So it's a live. Are you, it's pre taped for live. Do you know if you guys will be. [00:53:53] Speaker A: Actually, I think we're live. [00:53:54] Speaker B: Okay. Yes. Sometimes it's, sometimes it's different. [00:53:58] Speaker A: Yeah. And they said that. But they've said 17 things and none of them come true. So who know? [00:54:02] Speaker B: Oh, for sure. [00:54:03] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:54:03] Speaker B: This is, I'm no stranger to that, but that's our world, truly. Is there a particular part of the show that you're looking forward to, choreographically or otherwise? [00:54:15] Speaker A: Robbie Blue did Dochi's performance. [00:54:17] Speaker B: Okay. [00:54:17] Speaker A: And I think he is a visionary. I think he is, I think at his age, to be able to have the, the ability to look into all of the references that he does and to then have them. I'm so sorry. Then to have them communicated through his own voice and way. And I think I, I, I really, really like what he has to say. [00:54:48] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:54:49] Speaker A: Through his movement. I think it's nostalgic, but it's not referential and I think it's not a. [00:54:53] Speaker B: Bite it's not a bite, it's interpreted, it's digested. [00:54:56] Speaker A: And I'm really excited to see that. I'm really excited to see my friends go off and eat. I'm really just excited to feel the fire of it all. [00:55:05] Speaker B: Collective energy. [00:55:06] Speaker A: Yeah, it's really gorgeous. And I think that because I like the incubation process with so much in a company experience, this collective fire of all of us, to want to go out there and be the best artist that we can be for this artist who's also trying to be the best they can be in front of their peers of artists who also want the best for themselves. It's a lot. [00:55:30] Speaker B: It's cool. Look at us contradicting ourselves again. Even in this short conversation, we're talking about the absence of a front man for Doranston, Tyler and the dancers being the artists. And now we're saying no. Having a pop star to rise to the occasion of. To lift and uplift. Both. Yeah, both hand. It's always both hands. [00:55:47] Speaker A: It's always both hands. [00:55:48] Speaker B: Always both hands. [00:55:48] Speaker A: Which is such a beautiful thing because, like, whichever you feel most inclined to lean into, you can lean into. And that's why I think radical optimism has helped me so much, because I'm like, yes, I can look at this. Like this agent or this person does not want the best for me. Or look, I can look at any situation and try to make it a little bit more positive, hopefully. [00:56:15] Speaker B: I love the phrase radical optimism. What I like about it or what I like. Maybe what I like more is finding a more useful version of what is also true. [00:56:30] Speaker A: Amen. [00:56:30] Speaker B: It's not that it's necessarily not true that my agent doesn't respond to my emails, but is it useful for me to think my agent doesn't respond to my emails? No. It's more useful to think I could be better. [00:56:47] Speaker A: Yes. [00:56:48] Speaker B: At keeping a tight loop with a tight team. I really want a tight team. Hey, agents. How you guys doing? [00:56:57] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:56:58] Speaker B: All right. I just got a call that this. Tell me what you've heard. Do you think it's true that this. Get back to me if you don't hear from me in an hour, reach back out. [00:57:07] Speaker A: That is, you know, what is real. [00:57:08] Speaker B: Like, it's not that I'm, like, trying to silver lining my life, but I'm like. Is thinking that thought useful? [00:57:16] Speaker A: Exactly. [00:57:16] Speaker B: No. [00:57:17] Speaker A: Or is that going to put me deeper in the dump? [00:57:19] Speaker B: Deeper in the dump. [00:57:20] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:57:20] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, Clearly. [00:57:20] Speaker A: No, that's so real. Yeah, that's so real. And. And also that is Something that the commercial world has taught me. Because you're not going to get everything. Even. Even everything that you think is for you. Even everything that you think you could do amazingly. You probably could do it amazingly, but that doesn't mean you're gonna get it or you should get it, or you. [00:57:34] Speaker B: Will get it yours. [00:57:35] Speaker A: So it's. It's also helped me release a lot of the judgment because it's like, okay, I have no control that that graph is going to pick their friends. 23 out of the 27 people are gonna be the friends. So you didn't make it out of four people out of the thousand people that are in Los Angeles. Give yourself. [00:57:51] Speaker B: Give yourself some grace, you know? [00:57:53] Speaker A: So it's, It's, It's. There are. Like you said, the duality of it all is just the. The way you look at it can really, really help you or hinder you. It's real. It's real. [00:58:02] Speaker B: That's it. That's all. It's all. It's all that. [00:58:05] Speaker A: That's all we have. It's all we can control. [00:58:07] Speaker B: So just like one. One last thought we were talking about. I didn't quite finish this thought. The Chita Rivera Awards. The widespread knowledge of this show and your role in it comes back around in the form of praise from people you admire and. Holy shit. [00:58:24] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:58:25] Speaker B: How good does that feel? I coach a lot, and we're talking about mindsets here, right? Talking about thinking. About thinking. When I think this thought, is it useful for me? What result does it get when I think that thought? A lot of people get hung up on this concept of validation. But, Dana, it feels so good when somebody tells me that I'm the best or that I'm great or that I'm outstanding. If. And I. And I wouldn't tell you not to care what people think. I think the. The argument for, like, fuck what people think is not such a great one. [00:58:56] Speaker A: I don't think so either. [00:58:57] Speaker B: I don't think fuck what people think. People can hurt people and hurt. We all will hurt, and we all will hurt people. So I can say that that's the cause of the pain. But if I could choose, I would say it's okay to care what people think. And I would say that it's. That it's powerful to identify that when somebody says, you were amazing in that thing, the thing that feels good is agreeing with them. When somebody says, when I think I did great and somebody I think is great says that they think I was great, I'm like, whoa, you Too literally. [00:59:35] Speaker A: Literally. [00:59:36] Speaker B: And it's thinking, wow, we see each other. That feels good. So, like, all that to say, validation. External validation doesn't work if you think that person's full of shit. If somebody that I don't trust says, you were amazing in that thing, then I wouldn't feel good. [00:59:54] Speaker A: No. And I'm gonna go back and rethink. I'm like, okay, what's that? Because your taste. [00:59:58] Speaker B: Way off. [00:59:59] Speaker A: Yikes. [00:59:59] Speaker B: Right? So I guess this is me asking. That's my stance on external validation. A, it only feels good if you agree with it. [01:00:08] Speaker A: Truly. [01:00:09] Speaker B: B, it's okay to care about what people think. It helps you navigate and tune your process and what you're doing and not doing and if things are working or not working. [01:00:18] Speaker A: Exactly. [01:00:19] Speaker B: So, yes, that's where I stand on external validation and being somebody who's on the, like, riding it right now. How does it feel for you? What do you think about it? How much weight do you give that praise? [01:00:33] Speaker A: That is a tricky question because. Oof. [01:00:42] Speaker B: Sorry. I speeched for a long time. [01:00:43] Speaker A: No, no, no. It's. It's. The thing is, also, like, from a very young age, my mother told me, don't get a big head. So that is. That has been hardwired. Yeah. Like, to the point where. No, it was. It was a great point. My mother is a. Is works in. In psych, so she has been very in tune with how things get processed and what. What actions come about, how your thoughts are processing and what people tell you and all the things. External validation. I do listen to it. I am very thankful that people take the time out of their day and out of their lives to say that something I did touched them. And I only want to leave. Unfortunately, we are all the villain in somebody's story. But I would truly love to leave a path of good feelings. [01:01:34] Speaker B: Better than you found it. [01:01:35] Speaker A: Yeah. Literally. That's all I would love to do. But there comes a point when I had to stop list, not stop listening. I had to stop taking every single thing and putting it on me. Like, I listen. Praise and criticism, Praise and criticism. I listen and I let it infiltrate. I process it to see if I want to, like, store it here or kind of let it dissipate off. [01:02:02] Speaker B: Nice. [01:02:03] Speaker A: And I. And I kind of take it case by case, word by word. But it's. It's also really hard. It's also really hard. Like, I look at people and I'm like, oh, I can see how you got a big head, because everybody kept telling you how amazing you Were. And you didn't take the time to sit down with yourself and see how you feel about yourself. Because I think that's the one thing that's 10 times more important to me. Like, yes, valid validation from people I respect will always stick with me. Any. Honestly, any words that people. That people say who I respect will stick with me. But especially criticisms, too. But I think the biggest lesson that my mother taught me was how to cope with each with, With. With either one. And I think. I don't know, because there's a. There's a part of me that does listen to it and it helps me. [01:02:57] Speaker B: Navigate. [01:02:57] Speaker A: It helps me navigate. And almost like there's this term called, like from the. My parents from the islands called. It's. They say, big up yourself. Like, make sure that the only validation you're getting is not external. Make sure that somewhere in that situation, whether people say something to you or not, you have felt the validation within you. So that internally you feel proud of what you're done, what you've done, the product that you've. That you've made, or the way you see yourself, or the actions that are. How you're moving through the world. Make sure your actions are. Are redeemable and valid within themselves. Like, I don't know. It's hard because I love dance and I love being on stage, but I don't know, the person I am just trumps. I hate that word. Just, Just, just is. Overrides every other thing, including skill level. [01:03:49] Speaker B: And praise and accomplishments and things like that. [01:03:52] Speaker A: Unfortunately. I don't want to say unfortunately, but, like, yeah, because. [01:03:57] Speaker B: Well, this is another both. And though. Byron. [01:03:59] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:04:00] Speaker B: Because I do think the better human, the better artist. The better artist, the better human. Like dance lessons, life lessons. You keep leveling up. This is what you're doing. And so it's wonderful to hear that you prioritize the person because I think the more you invest and protect the person, the better. The artist or the work? Maybe the work instead of the artist. [01:04:25] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. [01:04:27] Speaker B: But it is something I love to think about, and it comes up a lot. I think a lot of people are waiting for someone else to tell them they're good. So putting the higher value on what you think of yourself, I think will always give you higher returns and keep you in the driver's seat. Like, keep you being the person who decides what's good and what's not. [01:04:49] Speaker A: And whenever I feel a little insecure, I remind myself that I have done the work and that I'm doing the work. Sometimes the Validity in. For me is the feet on the pavement. Like, the fact that I am in the studio, the fact that I am working hard. Like, whether the validation comes, which I. Which it may not, or like, whichever. Whatever the outcome is, I am strong within my own internal thoughts because I was looking at myself in the mirror doing the studio. [01:05:17] Speaker B: Like, yeah, yeah, you were there. [01:05:19] Speaker A: I was. [01:05:19] Speaker B: Undo the work. You might. Somebody could bash it. Somebody could give a negative review, but nobody can reverse the work. [01:05:27] Speaker A: And let me tell you, the negative reviews happen. [01:05:29] Speaker B: They will come. [01:05:30] Speaker A: Doran's dance. The first three years, people were tearing us apart. [01:05:33] Speaker B: Get out of here. [01:05:33] Speaker A: Sometimes they look like chickens. The New York Times. Brian. Oops. Brian Seabird. Yeah, I'll say it. He's say it. Yeah. Brian Seabird. Sometimes they look like chickens. And I was like, oh, my gosh. Whoa. Okay. [01:05:43] Speaker B: Some talented fucking chickens. I don't know where you grew up. [01:05:45] Speaker A: And. And. And. And it's funny because he is someone who has taken tap. Tap class, but he. I have a problem. Tell me with. If you are only injecting critique into this world and you're not making any art, I see that as a disservice. If you only have the ability and the time to tell someone how to do something, but you are not taking the time to do it yourself, there's a disconnect. Or what's wrong with it? There's a disconnect. [01:06:10] Speaker B: For me, here's. Here's my take on that. For a long time, I didn't know. I. I didn't know the role of an art critic. I'm like, what a lowly, awful position to have to like. Like, have to break something apart. [01:06:25] Speaker A: You know what I'm saying? And dissect it. [01:06:27] Speaker B: Dissect it. And. And. Or bash it or pray, like, to be the decider of the value of a thing. [01:06:32] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:06:33] Speaker B: I'm like, who named you Trul? And then I sort of reframed the way that I think about critics as being more translators. I think there are people who don't understand art. [01:06:43] Speaker A: True. [01:06:44] Speaker B: And the critic helps explain it to them. [01:06:46] Speaker A: True. [01:06:47] Speaker B: And sometimes I just disagree with the way they explained it, which is how a lot of translations are. I'm like, oh, I didn't get that. Is very true. I didn't get that. And I think it's okay to disagree, but I think they're translators. [01:06:58] Speaker A: Yeah. They're trying to funnel the art through a way that makes it palatable. That is. That is. [01:07:04] Speaker B: But I do feel the same in that if you aren't into Barb Brene Brown's words. If you're not in the arena, you don't get to talk or you don't. Or I'm just not gonna give you airtime. If you are not in the arena doing this thing with me, then your approval or disapproval of how I'm doing it in the arena is less interesting. [01:07:23] Speaker A: Exactly. [01:07:24] Speaker B: I get that. [01:07:25] Speaker A: And I think that is also with external validation, because, like, the. I'm sorry. There were a lot of people who I do not know saying things to me, and I did not always know how to navigate that. There were some people in this show love everybody dearly, but there are some people. You can see that. It makes them. It makes them. You can see it feed them. When a random or when someone comes up to you and they're right there waiting for someone to say something to them, and I'm like, okay, yeah, I get it. We all want to get that validation. We all want to get our flowers, and we all will, I think, in certain ways. But it's. It's. It's external valor. It's just. It's just a big one. Right. It's a monster. If you let it be, it really can be. [01:08:08] Speaker B: Thank you for shining that light. Byron, are you ready for the final round? Burnout round. We call it wrist roll with it. It's rapid fire. [01:08:16] Speaker A: Wrist roll with it. [01:08:17] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Come on. We ready? Okay. From the gut. Just answer as quick as you can. Coffee or tea? [01:08:23] Speaker A: Coffee. [01:08:24] Speaker B: Dogs or cats? [01:08:25] Speaker A: Cats. [01:08:25] Speaker B: Morning or night rehearsal? [01:08:27] Speaker A: Morning. [01:08:27] Speaker B: Okay. I was kind of curious about how you. Sock, shoe or barefoot? [01:08:33] Speaker A: Ooh. It's giving. Okay. If I'm tap dancing, a tap shoe. If I'm doing. If I'm doing hip hop, a shoe or a sock. Any type of, like, African movement or voguing I love. Or African movement. A barefoot contemporary movement. A barefoot voguing. A high heel. Yes. Yeah. [01:08:53] Speaker B: Thank you for specifying what kind of shoe. I did not have that on my list. Okay. You slightly alluded to the fact that you can't sing. I don't believe you. [01:09:02] Speaker A: I can kind of sing. I can kind of sing. [01:09:04] Speaker B: Okay, what's the last song you belted out loud? [01:09:08] Speaker A: Oh. [01:09:11] Speaker B: What? [01:09:12] Speaker A: What is the what? It's a Brandy song. Best friend. Best friend. [01:09:17] Speaker B: Oh, nice. [01:09:18] Speaker A: Because my sister and I were on the. We're on the phone. Yeah. And that is. And I don't know if you knew this, but Brandy wrote that song about her brother Ray J, and Brandi and Ray J are the same amount of years separate as me and my sister. [01:09:29] Speaker B: That is beautiful. [01:09:30] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:09:30] Speaker B: So special. Special, those two. [01:09:33] Speaker A: Truly. [01:09:34] Speaker B: Yeah. Let's unpack that another time. If you could sing, like anyone, who would it be? I don't know why I'm asking you all these questions about being able to sing, but in my mind, you're a star. I told you this when I invited you to come on the podcast. I'm like, you just. You're really it. So we're asking the pop star questions. [01:09:50] Speaker A: I think it would be sade. [01:09:52] Speaker B: Oh, it would. [01:09:53] Speaker A: Because, like, there's. There's range, but there's tone and there's resonance and there's feeling and there's quality. Oh, my God. [01:09:59] Speaker B: Nuance. [01:10:00] Speaker A: And the lyrics that she writes have so much, but it's. And like they have. They can. They relate to everyone somehow. And she's using language that universal. [01:10:10] Speaker B: When people tell you write the thing that is so specific to you, it will be universal. That's a gorgeous example. Okay, favorite move. Tap. [01:10:20] Speaker A: Oh. [01:10:21] Speaker B: Addition. [01:10:21] Speaker A: I think a shuffle. Honestly, classic, but a shuffle from. A shuffle from the hip. Not like a shuffle from the knee, but like a nice from the hip. Just shaking that hip. You also release that thigh. Knee and that glute. [01:10:39] Speaker B: I was just going to say. Yeah, there's more moving than your foot. [01:10:43] Speaker A: Wow. Thick thighs save lives, baby. [01:10:47] Speaker B: All right, well, we know what's going out to promote this episode. [01:10:51] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:10:53] Speaker B: Favorite move. That is not a tap step. [01:10:57] Speaker A: I love a contraction. [01:10:59] Speaker B: Ooh, I love that. That is a move. [01:11:01] Speaker A: Yeah, I love a contraction. Just a hollowness, like belly button to spine. [01:11:07] Speaker B: Fierce, period. That is maybe my favorite answer to that question of all time. I love contraction. Okay. Is there somebody, a recording artist or otherwise that you would really love to work with? [01:11:19] Speaker A: Ugh, there's so many. I really love Kalela. She's a. She's a singer from. I don't know if she's from New York. We spent a lot of time in New York. I'll send you her music. She has some beautiful music. Kalela Raven Linnae R A V Y. And she is a. She has this kind of like a high pitched Minnie Riperton as voice as kind of like her usual. And she sings beautiful, like jazz, pop, rock, folk music and she writes her own songs. Her musicianship is beautiful. Lady Gaga is my dream of a human. Just because I think that Stephanie Germanotta has mel. Like, has meshed like super pop stardom with authenticity. Her musicians love her. Her dancers love her. I think. Yeah, it does. And I think there's a Beauty in the way that she just carries herself, the integrity she holds and everything she does, whether everybody likes it or not. Like, I. Yeah, I'm not a fan of every single one of her songs, but she loves. [01:12:17] Speaker B: She's undeniable. She's undeniable. The only other word that I like maybe more than being undeniable is being unflappable. It's not a coincidence that you are a tap dancer, but I try to be that. That's part of my, like, obsession with a diverse skill set. [01:12:39] Speaker A: Okay. [01:12:41] Speaker B: That and it's like how I grew up in the convention kid world, where it was like, you've got to be versatile to la. And it turns out you need to be the best and not versatile at all. [01:12:52] Speaker A: I just have really great friends. [01:12:53] Speaker B: That much of a priority. We're looking for the best B boy, the best pole dancer, the best contortionist, truly. Anyways, I've found a way to be the best me, which has been fine and is gorgeous. Thank you, my friend. However, what I'm trying to train up in my students is to be unflappable, to be unshakable. [01:13:13] Speaker A: Okay. [01:13:14] Speaker B: To be in their movement, in their personhood, in. In professionalism and being on set. [01:13:20] Speaker A: Yes. [01:13:20] Speaker B: Kind of. To the, like, circling back to Jillian Myers, which we always will. [01:13:26] Speaker A: Truly. [01:13:27] Speaker B: If somebody says, you need to enter on the fourth bar on the E of count two, Nobody would ever say it like that. But I would want for one of my students to be like, you got it. And if I said, okay, great, now dance it like a cheerleader. One of my students would be like, got it. And. Or, yes. But that's just sad. I need it to be devastated. I want my students to be like, devastation. Gotcha. [01:13:55] Speaker A: Tap into it. [01:13:56] Speaker B: And. And so there's like an emotional component, a technical component, professional component. [01:14:02] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:14:02] Speaker B: Like, I need you. If I'm like, hey, call time got pushed up an hour. I need you to be like, okay, I'm there. Riley is never, ever late, ever. And that's what I mean. Like, unfuck with the ball. [01:14:14] Speaker A: And that's. And that is definitely necessary because the chaos is almost a constant. [01:14:20] Speaker B: It's a given. [01:14:21] Speaker A: It's a given. It's a given every single time. [01:14:23] Speaker B: Things will change. It is a given. And so to kind of the way that you talk about handling criticism, if you're gonna keep it. Nowhere to keep it. [01:14:31] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:14:32] Speaker B: And if you're gonna let it roll off, just let it roll off. [01:14:36] Speaker A: Don't ever forget it. Because you need. Because sometimes I go Back to, like, things that my mom has said, things that my. My. My first dance teacher, Elizabet Esperia. I have no idea where she is in life, but I just always think it's very important to say the names of people that influenced you and that taught you. [01:14:47] Speaker B: And I think you should find her, by the way. [01:14:49] Speaker A: I should. She would say things to me about, like, my shoulders and, like, my hands. [01:14:54] Speaker B: And, like, that's still there. [01:14:55] Speaker A: That's still there in the back of my brain. [01:14:58] Speaker B: For better or for worse. [01:14:59] Speaker A: Better, for worse. [01:14:59] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:14:59] Speaker A: But unflappable. [01:15:02] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh. [01:15:02] Speaker A: Unshakable. [01:15:03] Speaker B: A new work. Byron and Dana. [01:15:05] Speaker A: Unflappable with a dance component, but a speaking component. We talk about it. And Caroline does a comedy sketch. Yes. [01:15:15] Speaker B: And wrist roll is the poster for it. She's so cute right now. Ugh. [01:15:22] Speaker A: Like, the slow blinks are actually taking me out. Because. Could you get cuter? Like, don't you want to? [01:15:27] Speaker B: It's awareness. It's awareness. [01:15:29] Speaker A: Yeah, I do. Like, yeah. I'm peeking over at you every five seconds. [01:15:33] Speaker B: Okay, Byron, you have the Grammys tomorrow, so I will release you out into the world. Get your rest, take your space, do your processing. Pre and post show. Be unflappable. Thank you so much for being here, my friend. [01:15:46] Speaker A: Dana, you don't even know. Like, I think that there is so much within dance that can be superfluous. And I think you give us. So as dancers, as movement artists, as artists in general, you give us so much validity because you speak with integrity, you speak with intelligence, and you speak with. And you just move. [01:16:05] Speaker B: And I just speak a lot. [01:16:06] Speaker A: No, and you speak. I think I have this conversation with my best friend, Kiara Goodgen, and she was like, a lot of dancers who have the capacity to speak don't speak up in rooms. That's why we keep getting debunked in certain situations. So you're speaking up for us inside of the room, outside of the room, and you're just making us look good as a community. So I cannot. And you're making. You're making us look like we don't just do dance steps because that's what some people think. [01:16:32] Speaker B: High praise. No, it is. [01:16:34] Speaker A: It's high truth. [01:16:35] Speaker B: Thank you, my friend. [01:16:36] Speaker A: So thank you for having me. Are you kidding? I appreciate. [01:16:39] Speaker B: I appreciate you and I appreciate all of you listener viewers. Thank you for being here, for getting to witness my dear friend Byron Tittle get out into the world. Keep it very funky. Like, subscribe and share and I will talk to you soon. [01:16:52] Speaker A: You really did talk to you soon. [01:16:54] Speaker B: But usually the last thing I say is keep it funky. But this podcast was produced by me with the help of many Big big love to our Executive assistant and editor, Riley Higgin. Our Communications Manager is Fiona Small, with additional support from Ori Vagidares. Our music is by Max Winney, logo and brand design by Bree Reitz and if you're digging the podcast, leave a review and rating and please share. Also, if you want to connect with me and the many marvelous members of the Words that Move Me community, visit words that move me.com if you're simply curious to know more about me and the work that I do outside of this podcast, visit thedanawilson.com.