270. Bret Easterling: In J.O.D. We Trust

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Yes, we can go back anytime. [00:00:01] Speaker B: We can go back anytime. [00:00:02] Speaker A: We are in the clown car. Moving forward, we are slow. [00:00:04] Speaker B: My career peaked at 7, but we're here now. [00:00:12] Speaker A: Hey, friends. You're so lucky. You are so lucky. I'm lucky. You're lucky by proxy. My guest today is Brett Easterling, and he's a national treasure. Kind of speechless right now because even within the episode, I learned more about Brett that I did not know. Like, I knew Batsheva. I knew Juilliard School. I knew a lot. But I did not know that Brian Friedman taught Brett how to do an aerial. And I did not know that Brett was a tap kid. And I did not know that Brett is hysterical and has basically created a new religion that I'm gonna be following and would love for you to join us to learn more. Please do tune in to the rest of the episode. But first wins. Today, I am celebrating. Oh, my God. This is a big one. So I, most of the time, like, 98% of the time, prefer a cold brew. I just dusted off my mocha pot. It's like, from the back of my cupboard. Because when I was in Oregon, I was. It was cold, and I was like, hot coffee. That's what's happening. And I had an amazing cup hot coffee this morning that then turned into an iced coffee because it lasted that long. And then I made a protein foam top for it, and it had, like, a third life. The out of here. That's my win this morning. I. My coffee had three lives. What's going on in your world? Yay, guys. Congrats. I'm glad that you're winning, but I'm back on Brett already. No offense to you and your win, but I'm just reading through Brett's bio and bullets and I'm like, how am I so lucky that the person who's performed with Fiona Apple is iconic? That that's on this alongside Will Smith and Christina Aguilera. That's insane. But we're gonna add not only a BFA from Juilliard, but he also won the Hector Zaraspe prize for choreography. Like an award winning choreographer who's had films at more film festivals than I can count or read, has had work showing up at institutions like the Lincoln center and Jacob's Pillow and Baryshnikov Arts Center. I'm just kind of gagged right now. I know. I'm just, like, reading the bullets. I'm rocked. This is the coolest person that I know. And when. When I say films, I mean no notes. Films we talk about his latest film, True Love Will find you in the end, which was presented alongside Seaweed Sisters. Still got it at Dance Camera West. I unfortunately was not able to be at the screening or at the festival, but Brett sent me the link and I watched it five times back to back, and I'm obsessed with it. And we're talking about the film and how it's perfect in all of its ways. The process, the inspiration, the end result, the lessons learned. Like we're. We're going in on making film, on choosing Joy of Dance, and on a whole lot more other random, fun, friendly things. Get ready for the one and only bread. Easterling. We're doing a podcast now. Welcome to the podcast. [00:03:52] Speaker B: No, I don't understand. That transition was really smooth. [00:03:56] Speaker A: Thanks. The transition that I want to inspect is how. How are we hanging out one on one for the first time right fucking now on camera? [00:04:06] Speaker B: I know. Roll the tape. Let's go. [00:04:08] Speaker A: Our planets have been orbiting. I've been an admirer of your work. I really love listening to you talk. I think you are funny. You have actual clown shoes on. [00:04:19] Speaker B: I sure do. [00:04:20] Speaker A: Okay, so this is tradition on the podcast. All my guests, except for two who I've forgotten to do this with, all my guests. Only that guy Stack. [00:04:29] Speaker B: Yeah, [00:04:32] Speaker A: we're already taking a break and it's just the intro. Yes, perfect. I wish it was something stronger. All of my guests introduce thems on the podcast and I'm so curious to hear how you introduce yourself because from the outside looking in, you're very much Renaissance person. And I'm like, what do you lead with when you tell people who you are? Ready, set, go. [00:04:56] Speaker B: My name is Brett Easterling. Strong start so far that that's accurate. [00:05:01] Speaker A: Fact checks. [00:05:03] Speaker B: I don't know how I introduce myself. I'm dance forward. I'm a dancer, I'm a dance artist, I'm a dance maker. I live and breathe dance and also then all the like, elemental spaces that help support the act of dance. So. So also directing and producing and teaching as an educator, just investing like in all the tangential circles that touch upon dance. But dance is always the center and has always been the center of my world, like pre birth. [00:05:38] Speaker A: So how do you know that? [00:05:40] Speaker B: Because my mom was teaching dance. [00:05:42] Speaker A: Okay. [00:05:43] Speaker B: Okay with me jumping around in there. [00:05:47] Speaker A: Did she tell you stories about, like, you would always kick when I did adagio? [00:05:52] Speaker B: No, just like she taught her aerobics class the day she went into labor. So she's just like going, she's a goer. [00:06:00] Speaker A: Super Freaking hero. That's incredible. Shout out. Darlene, I love that. I really loved what you said about the tangential forms that support dance versus dance being in support of films. No, like, films support dance. Thank you, films. [00:06:18] Speaker B: Thank you, films. [00:06:19] Speaker A: Thank you, films. [00:06:20] Speaker B: Thank you, films. [00:06:20] Speaker A: Thank you for that reframe. Also, I have a good feeling that you'll be reframing a lot of things that I think about in this conversation. Very smart person. I'm very grateful for your time and can't wait to just talk shop with [00:06:32] Speaker B: you and thrill to be here and [00:06:34] Speaker A: have my little puppy snoring through the whole thing. You gonna get cozy now, my tiny? I'm gonna clean her face. It's what moms do. Okay, great. So I've got a very loose roadmap for us. I want to just like, enjoy each other's company and talk shit a little bit. [00:06:49] Speaker B: Let's do it. [00:06:50] Speaker A: But I cannot get to the end of an hour long conversation with you and not absolutely shower you with flowers for your film, which is called longer than I think it will be called. Oh, how was the full title? [00:07:05] Speaker B: You can just call it True Love. [00:07:06] Speaker A: Okay. True love will find you in the end. Is the whole thing right? [00:07:10] Speaker B: Yes. [00:07:10] Speaker A: Okay. True love will find you in the end. Riley said this earlier. I cannot take credit. She's like, I have no notes. Like, there is nothing I would change or do differently. Is there anything you would change or do differently? [00:07:29] Speaker B: It's so interesting you bring that up because as you know, with films, there's a lot of time that goes by between when you shoot it, when it gets edited, and when people are finally seeing it. And then you're like, do I like spaces with people? Yeah, totally. And that happens. I mean, that happens with all the forms that we're making. Totally. Even live performance. But unlike live performance, film is like, it's kind of done. That's kind of. That's. That's a wrap. [00:07:51] Speaker A: Literally, it's now contained in that space. [00:07:54] Speaker B: But with True Love, actually looking back, I have so much, like, joy and care and. And I'm. I don't. Which is really weird. I mean, of course, a little. A little thing here or there, but, like, overall also, I'm just like, I'm. I'm really pleased with how that. How that turned out and. And, yeah, I wouldn't change anything at this moment. [00:08:18] Speaker A: Would you call it a collage? [00:08:20] Speaker B: Yeah, definitely. [00:08:22] Speaker A: It doesn't feel like a film in the way that most people think of a film. It feels like many films that are saying the same Thing in wildly different languages that are all dance. But good luck figuring that out. [00:08:36] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:08:37] Speaker A: Can you tell me why you made it? I think having a strong why is important. Because shit's expensive. As you mentioned, it takes time. Accidents, like, no notes. Films don't just happen. So it was deliberate. It was probably expensive. Why? What was your why? Because it's got to be good. [00:08:58] Speaker B: Yeah. My why? My why was coming from a commission that I actually had to make a duet and inside for live performance. And that live performance. Duet. A lot of times with my work, I like to build out, like, a container that things can be messed around with. So in this, like, the concept for this duet was that these two beings, every time they touch, they restart. Every time they touch, they restart. So then inside that series, it was kind of like, okay, well, let's play with a lot of different dance forms, medium styles, perspectives. [00:09:38] Speaker A: With that one rule. [00:09:39] Speaker B: With that one rule. So each time they touch, we reset, and then it's a whole new piece. It's like a series of beginnings. [00:09:45] Speaker A: It turned into. [00:09:47] Speaker B: And yeah, anytime they met, we did that. And kind of conceptually, we. I had the two dancers who were students of mine at USC at the time, one would draw a line that didn't have any crossings, and then the other one would draw another line from the end point of theirs without crossing. [00:10:07] Speaker A: Okay. [00:10:08] Speaker B: So then we had the floor map for how the duet traveled to the Touch Fun. So we kind of, like, we're playing with a lot of different elements to get us to the Touch Fun. And so that was a super fun process. And we built out. A lot of the scenes that you see in the film are just translated from that piece. [00:10:28] Speaker A: Got it. [00:10:28] Speaker B: But with live performance, it was hard to have the. The cut. [00:10:34] Speaker A: Because we're human bodies. [00:10:35] Speaker B: Because we're human bodies, and we have. So we had this, like, kind of beep in the middle that was like a reset. We had a cue for no blackouts, just kind of like drop everything and reset. And then music would go in a new world, kind of build up. So it felt like a really nice space for translation to film because we could build out even more. The costuming, the looks. We could have quicker changes every location. [00:11:02] Speaker A: I was like, this is delicious. Yeah, I want to see it. I want to go, yo, you know how airbnb does experiences? I want to go on a location day experience from everywhere that you shot that. The True Love, the Laundromat, the Black and White Hill, the. Oh, my God. My Bonnie. My Bonnie. [00:11:20] Speaker B: I think that's the Best. My body same. [00:11:23] Speaker A: But every time I say that, I'm like, my Bonnie is definitely my favorite. [00:11:26] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:11:26] Speaker A: But the Laundromat is really good. And the ding dong ping pong balls. Oh, man. Brett. I truly know notes. It's delightful. And I feel in such good company that it was designed for live first. [00:11:39] Speaker B: Yes. [00:11:40] Speaker A: The origin story of the Seaweed sisters shares that with you. We. We. Our first project together was a live show that someone saw and our dear friend Lando Wilkins, who was like that. Really, you've got to put that on film like that should be. You got to have that. And it wasn't, I think, the style of that film, actually. Similarly, although it is one location, we're in very different places. Nonsensically. Cuts, cuts, cuts, cut. And I love that nonsense nature about it. Your film really spoke to me in the nonsense way. But it was one idea done very well many different times. And I do, I think, like, I might say this word wrong. An affect of being a person in the social media moment is that you always need to be putting out new, new, different, new, new, different. And I think what, like, some of my favorite artists have done in the past is one idea. Infinity Picasso was like, yep, that's a face, but it's not a thousand different ways. Baldessari with his dots. Fucking Mondrian and the color block. Like, we get like, why are we. There's always gotta be a new song and new moves and new, new, new, new, new. And it was just so refreshing to see one thing done for, what was it, 20 minutes? Yeah. But in a thousand different ways. It was endlessly creative. Wildly creative. [00:13:17] Speaker B: I appreciate that. Thank you. Receiving all the flowers. And I think it's that mix of. I'm always interested in deciding what it is and then seeing how deep we can dig into that idea, because that's when a lot more solutions and new actually shows up by committing to that. But I think inside the form of the film being a series of duets, it still has that kind of, like, scroll ability where, like, nothing's lasting too long in the sense that we're refreshing the viewer's eye. [00:13:50] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:13:50] Speaker B: But still staying loyal to the concept at the heart of the heart of the work. [00:13:57] Speaker A: So when you watch it, do you feel like. Do you feel like you're flexing on everyone? Because when I watched it, I was like, there's nothing Brett can't do. But it didn't feel like an audition. And like, look, I can do this and I can do this and I can do this, and I Can. But it was a buffet. It's a sampler platter. Yeah. But when you watch it, you're kind of like, dude, I can. I can do. I can do a lot. [00:14:28] Speaker B: No, actually, no. [00:14:31] Speaker A: No, it's not. [00:14:31] Speaker B: No, no. I. It gives me so much joy. It feels like a celebration of, like, a specific time or, like, times. [00:14:38] Speaker A: Totally. [00:14:39] Speaker B: And it's a celebration of my creative partnership with Julia Eichton, which is decades [00:14:44] Speaker A: long, so loud, and is so clear. Is, like, these two, orange and green meant to be. [00:14:51] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:14:52] Speaker A: And yet we see them being for collectively, what, like, 15 frames? Yeah, you only see them in contact for maybe 15 frames. So cool. Yeah, I really loved it. [00:15:03] Speaker B: But it feels, you know, it's like a way to immortalize this bond. And I think I feel also very sisterhood with seaweed sisters inside of our processes. Where it is. It is focused on friendship first and that sense of, like, family that you get from friendship and celebrating that through our art making. And, like, and I think the trust and the, like, sensitivities and I don't know, I just. I feel like there's a lot of kinship. [00:15:32] Speaker A: Okay. In a. In a duo, how do you two handle difference in taste or decision making? Because with three, it's very easy. We. We take a vote. [00:15:42] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:15:43] Speaker A: How do you do it with two? [00:15:45] Speaker B: I think. I think we're always aligned. No, I don't think we're always aligned. No, I think we're always. We have a little bit of a yin and yang that I think balances each other. Yep. [00:15:57] Speaker A: Yep. [00:15:57] Speaker B: Where I'm always, you know, like, more streamlined, and she's always a little bit more, like, surreal beyond. And so I think trying to find that meeting point is actually where the magic happens. [00:16:12] Speaker A: That's where the answer is. [00:16:13] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:16:14] Speaker A: The answer is whatever her ideas and your ideas is together. [00:16:18] Speaker B: Because that's then the thing that couldn't have been made if either one of us were doing it on our own. Which is the point of collaboration. [00:16:26] Speaker A: If you didn't know which is the goal. [00:16:29] Speaker B: Which is the goal of collaboration? [00:16:30] Speaker A: It is. It's like, let me enhance your idea with this idea. Let me support you in this way. [00:16:37] Speaker B: Right. [00:16:37] Speaker A: Man, I really just had one of my favorite collaboration new collaborations, period, ever. And I think this person is different in many ways than I am. I like to move fast. I have a lot of fun moving fast. I. In. I. I can make a lot of assumptions. Like, oh, my assumption is that we'll figure it out. We don't need to talk about it. And this person Is like very slow, very patient, very curious about exploring a carve out that they might even think is definitely not it. But I'm like, wait, if it's not it, then what are we doing there? But we found something in there that is it that I would have never found if I was just jets blazing, going and going. So it's nice to have somebody with a really. Not just different taste, but different way and modes of getting to the end. [00:17:30] Speaker B: Totally. [00:17:31] Speaker A: Really fun. It sounds like you guys have that. [00:17:33] Speaker B: It's also like, we have specific to our relationship. We have so much shared history that a lot of the collaboration is actually unspoken. It's like you can throw us in a sports together. Yeah. [00:17:45] Speaker A: Okay, cool. [00:17:45] Speaker B: That's where we met. [00:17:46] Speaker A: Got it. [00:17:46] Speaker B: So you can throw us in a room together, which we've done before, and like put on the. Put on the video. No sound, just go. Improv, performance, kind of whatever. And so much exists without us even needing to communicate to even have a meeting about it. Yeah, yeah, we actually. I think less meetings is probably good for us. Amazing. But that's like, I think inherent to our art form is how much of the work that we do actually is unspoken. And I think that gets in the larger conversations about how then it's hard to translate into words what it is we're doing and why it's important, all that stuff. But yeah, I value that bond that specifically my collaboration with Julia. [00:18:32] Speaker A: Are there other collaborators from the project you'd like to shout out? Because I notice, of course, notice wardrobe featured heavily. [00:18:38] Speaker B: Costume was phenomenal. [00:18:41] Speaker A: Bratz. [00:18:41] Speaker B: So good. Well, as you know, Mimi Haddon is a magical, mystical being. Oh, my God. That made so many dreams come true. [00:18:52] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:18:52] Speaker B: And was able to pull so many references from like, here's. Here's our like 11 to 15 ideas of worlds. So kind of being able to put those together in a really crafty, scrappy, like, creative, easy way. Because also, yeah, things are expanded, expensive. So Mimi Haddon definitely gets a huge shout out. Jasmine Sugar, who did our hair and makeup for the work, also transformed us each and every day on that set to really help us kind of settle into how this being is different from the one we shot yesterday or a week ago. [00:19:26] Speaker A: Being not seen, but like life form. [00:19:29] Speaker B: Yeah, life form. [00:19:30] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:19:30] Speaker B: Yes. [00:19:31] Speaker A: They were very alive, all of them. [00:19:33] Speaker B: So thank you. Yeah. So it's thanks to Mimi and Jasmine for getting us to kind of feel. Feel different, feel the new life, feel the full part. [00:19:40] Speaker A: Cool. [00:19:41] Speaker B: And Rybg, of course, super talented students of mine from usc, of course Alumnae, cinematography, kind of sound supervisor. Like all of the. All of a director photography kind of work. All the set work. They were so supportive and helpful and, like, making it look so expensive. They made it look so expensive, and I love them for that. [00:20:03] Speaker A: Oh, my God, it looks like it's full of love. It really feels so special. And thank you for sharing. And please, pretty please, my friends, do yourself a great favor and jump to the show notes for this episode where you will be able to find true love. Will find you in the end. Meet you in the end. Find you in the end. [00:20:20] Speaker B: Find you. No, you nailed it. [00:20:22] Speaker A: And other works bundled together to just, like, tickle your sweetest fancies. I'm. I'm upset. I'm actively gonna watch it again. It's gonna leave. It's so good. And you know what? You know what? It's. I don't think it's. I didn't clock this the first time. It made. Oh, this dog leg. Watching it made contact and touch more important. In my immediate minutes that followed, the things that I touched mattered more. And the things that touched me had a bigger impact. Because what you train us to do is like, touch is important. When touch happens, something happens. And so in the moments that followed watching it, I really felt a sensory change in my body. And what a fucking cool effect of a work. I don't know if it's desired, but I. I was. I was different in my experience of my body after watching. [00:21:13] Speaker B: Thank you. That's. Yeah. That's some really meaningful feedback. I really. I haven't heard that, so I appreciate that. Really. [00:21:20] Speaker A: I do have one more question. [00:21:21] Speaker B: Yeah. The laundry. [00:21:22] Speaker A: The Laundromat. Sc. [00:21:24] Speaker B: We will. We're hanging out. [00:21:26] Speaker A: Like, let's. It's just. It rocked me so hard. [00:21:28] Speaker B: I'm so grateful. I love. [00:21:30] Speaker A: But if you get bored, we could talk about something. [00:21:32] Speaker B: No, I love talking about the stuff that we're up to. [00:21:35] Speaker A: That. That, like it. People being lit up by something. I'm like, yeah, let's talk about, like, what's lighting it up. And right now it's this film. Okay. The Laundromat. Scripted, improvised, improvised entirely. [00:21:50] Speaker B: Her story, Skeleton. [00:21:52] Speaker A: Okay. Okay. [00:21:52] Speaker B: Improvise. [00:21:53] Speaker A: Okay. [00:21:53] Speaker B: Yeah. Just the idea of, like, yes, we're in the Laundromat. Yes. We kind of have a little back and forth to get us into. I had this dream the other night conversation. [00:22:05] Speaker A: You knew there would be a dream. We knew that that talk would happen here. [00:22:08] Speaker B: Yes. [00:22:09] Speaker A: And that. And that later in the dream talk. We'd be over here. [00:22:13] Speaker B: Yeah. We kind of structured out the. The oner and how it would flow with the team and. [00:22:20] Speaker A: Oh, that's a oner. [00:22:23] Speaker B: It's a winner. [00:22:23] Speaker A: You know what's cool is that it's really. The oner has really turned into a shtick where it's like oner is like king. And it so was just a byproduct of the story. It was just like. Oh, coincidentally. Yeah. We didn't cut. But not like the stunty. Like people are gonna be so impressed by this one or so. [00:22:47] Speaker B: Totally sick. [00:22:48] Speaker A: Thanks. Awesome. Keep going. [00:22:49] Speaker B: No, I. Thank you. I mean, I think it's like how. How are all the choices in support of the product versus choices that are in like in with the intention of like impressing. [00:23:04] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:23:04] Speaker B: So it felt like with that scene where it is kind of an unscripted improvisational dialogue of sorts, kind of turns into a monologue. But. [00:23:14] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:23:15] Speaker B: How then the idea of like not cutting or being able to kind of float around this laundromat let like kind of supported the improvisational aspect of the work. [00:23:27] Speaker A: Yeah, that makes sense. Are you working on something magical right now? Are you in a decompress? You mentioned that this was kind of a while ago, actually. When did you wrap on the project? I'm talking to you like it was yesterday. Cuz that's when I watched. [00:23:39] Speaker B: No, I know. I mean, we started filming in 20 top of 20. 22. [00:23:43] Speaker A: Oh, okay. Yeah. [00:23:44] Speaker B: So. And. And first day we had co scare. So that was. [00:23:48] Speaker A: This kid is in first grade, basically. [00:23:50] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. [00:23:51] Speaker A: Got it. And I'm talking to them about them like they're a newborn. That's great. You're like. Actually they drive, but sure. Yeah. They want to be a doctor when they grow up and. Okay. [00:24:01] Speaker B: And it took. It took a couple years because we just kind of kept chipping away. Yeah. Julia was in Vermont and I was here. And so just the moments that we would connect, we could try to get a screening in. We had one location that we were gonna like. Yeah, yeah. That we didn't necessarily have the rights for. So we're just gonna kind of just jump in there. And then the like, the. The like park police people, whatever came and like shut it down right away. So then we had to like. Which is fine. You know, it's. It's for the best actually. That location, it's. It was the Bonnie location. [00:24:37] Speaker A: Was it? [00:24:38] Speaker B: So then we found this Bonnie location which ended up being the most. [00:24:41] Speaker A: I can't imagine it. [00:24:42] Speaker B: Yeah. Moment. [00:24:43] Speaker A: I think of things straight out of Sound of Music. [00:24:49] Speaker B: That was the goal. [00:24:49] Speaker A: So good. [00:24:50] Speaker B: So, you know, just trying to. You have to roll with it as things happen. But it took many years to kind of get together, and that's why it does feel like a time capsule. [00:25:01] Speaker A: Yeah, I love that about making a thing. It's so cool. Were there any other bits that. Like, how did you edit yourselves? Because it's very clear to me that you have no shortage of great ideas. How did you know? Okay, no, that's a different thing. We'll put that in something else. Like there. Okay. We could have had a swing set moment and we could have had a fucking coffee shop moment and we could have had a on top of cars on the freeway moment. And how did you edit. How did you know what ideas were definitely good enough to go for? Because you could. You could have done a thousand million things and you did what, 15, 12. [00:25:39] Speaker B: Little something around there being. Lost track. Yeah. [00:25:42] Speaker A: Okay. Yeah. Were there any that didn't make the cut? [00:25:45] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:25:45] Speaker A: Okay. [00:25:45] Speaker B: Yeah, there was one that was actually going to be like our. Our final one, which existed in the live performance version of it. The. In the live performance with Anthony Tett and Elise Munson. I should say that they were the original makers. We had a section that actually ended and they did find Touch. And then we had a whole duet where they never stopped touching, kind of to take us in to the, like, endlessness of it. We fade and they're still going. And it was really beautiful and kind of effective on stage, but so we filmed a version of that for the film. And actually it just didn't. Didn't really. Yeah, it didn't read. It looked. It kind of. To be honest, it kind of looked like a dance film. Oh, in a sense of like. No, but like, in the sense of like, it's just like there was no point of. There was no point of view. It was just like us kind of dancing on film. And like, maybe we can still release it as a separate kind of idea or entity, but as far as supporting the overall concept of the work, this. This is perfect. [00:26:49] Speaker A: The shape that is happening on my [00:26:51] Speaker B: lap and the one foot upside down foot, because of that kind of losing the finale one, then like, where do we end up going with it? [00:27:01] Speaker A: How do you fucking end it? [00:27:02] Speaker B: Right. Because it's an endless thing. And purple virtual, which is Noah Gauthier. And it started this animation that we were playing with. He took 3D kind of pictures of us and built out what he could do inside of the scenarios. And so we had a lot of different virtual worlds also that we could, like, maybe play with. And that's, of course, even more endless than, like, our own physical bodies and what we can do. So he built this really beautiful kind of animation where we're kind of, like, floating around and wiggling and we. Julia's partner, Juniper Rose. JuniperXR on Spotify, had a piece of music that was an original composition of hers that we then kind of just threw on top of the animation. And it just was, like, so perfect and seamless, and it was so sweet and touching, and it was just like, that's it. That's the kind of culminating thing that we needed. So it's really important inside the creative process to, like, continue to recognize where, like, ease exists and where, like, the alignment and things that kind of land in your lap, like, at this particular time, that we. That we lean into them and allow them. Allow things to be easy sometimes, because looking back, there were so many logistical complications inside the whole project. [00:28:29] Speaker A: It's not easy to make a thing like that. [00:28:31] Speaker B: But the. The things that show up that are the most magical and meaningful are the ones actually that kind of just landed in place. So we like to kind of give it up to Joy of Dance. [00:28:42] Speaker A: Yes, to the Joy of Dance. And yet those technical. I was just saying this a second ago. Those technical, crunchy bits are the tax that we pay for Joy of Dance. [00:28:53] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:28:53] Speaker A: Like, yes, I will definitely endorse losing my hard drive or having a shitty export, because my job is the thing I've been looking at on the screen and my body that can do these things. I'll take it. [00:29:05] Speaker B: Totally. [00:29:05] Speaker A: Yeah. If that is the crunchiest part of my life. Day project. Yeah. Bring it. Bring it on. [00:29:10] Speaker B: And for us, it's like, the more we can be a vessel for the Joy of Dance, the better, because we kind of coined them jod. Joy of Dance. To be Jod. So, like, we believe in Jod, and we're just gonna, like, allow. When do we meet to kind of support this project that we're trying to figure out and lean towards. And so those are the magical moments where they're like, oops, this kind of lined up, perfect, done that. We feel like it's like, ship it. [00:29:40] Speaker A: Yeah, that's great. [00:29:41] Speaker B: In Jod we trust. [00:29:42] Speaker A: In Jod we trust. Oh, my job. That's great. [00:29:47] Speaker B: New things. [00:29:47] Speaker A: Yeah, new things that you're working on. Do you have something in the canon that you are, like, either chipping away at or still in the visualization phase? What is exciting you right now? [00:29:56] Speaker B: Yeah. So Julia and I were recently commissioned by Lincoln center to make another short film. [00:30:02] Speaker A: Yes, yes. [00:30:02] Speaker B: In the vein of our True Love series. So been dreaming up what that scene or world might look like and trying to organize all the things and trying to. [00:30:15] Speaker A: What's the deadline? [00:30:16] Speaker B: Well, we have to shoot in May. [00:30:18] Speaker A: Oh, it's April 23. [00:30:21] Speaker B: It's April 23 when we're filming this. [00:30:24] Speaker A: This is sick. [00:30:24] Speaker B: When this is released, it will have been filmed in theory. Great, great. So it's a very quick, very quick process. [00:30:33] Speaker A: Okay. Do you like that? I kind of love a tight deadline. [00:30:38] Speaker B: I think deadlines are really important, especially for Julie and I, because we can talk and talk and talk and dream and dream and dream forever. And we will. [00:30:46] Speaker A: And it works. It's good for you. [00:30:48] Speaker B: But I think a deadline is really valuable to us. So this kind of commission is a super. Yeah. Welcomed opportunity to kind of continue to practice and develop our skills as filmmakers. [00:31:02] Speaker A: And what's your biggest question mark about it right now? [00:31:07] Speaker B: For me, it's. It's when. That's when you start to get the logistic and the artistic thing. Because there's a lot of logistic things that are kind of taking front of mind for me of like, okay, well, where are we filming it? And, like, who is the director of photography? And, like, can we find a producer to kind of help us do this so that it's not us? So, like, all those kind of. [00:31:26] Speaker A: Okay, yeah. [00:31:27] Speaker B: Questions are at top of mind, especially when it is such a short deadline. [00:31:30] Speaker A: Yep. [00:31:31] Speaker B: And then that ends up putting the artistic back seat questions in the back seat, which is hard for me because that's where I want to be. I want to be in the front seat with those kind of figuring out. So, like, who are they in this film and what is their arc or what is their journey? And, like, what is. Is there conflict? What's the resolution? Where do we go? Like, all those questions that are more important and so fucking important and so important. And, you know, again, it's like dance. Actually. The dance, the movement, actually becomes the last thing that's considered, which is, you know, both good and bad. Both good in the sense that Julia and I have so much unspoken chemistry that we actually don't need to work on it a lot. [00:32:11] Speaker A: Dance is your native language. It is the part that will fall out of you if somebody just dangles you upside down and shakes a bit. [00:32:17] Speaker B: And especially when the parameters that you're working inside of are clear. So if we know who we are, if we know what kind of aesthetics or genres or styles we're Kind of referencing or who or what we're parodying inside of it because I think we're leaning towards our roots as competitive dancers and competition dance babies. So we're doing a little bit of a like, competitive space where it's a little bit hard. [00:32:44] Speaker A: I can see it. [00:32:45] Speaker B: I can do anything better than you kind of competition because that's where we both from. [00:32:52] Speaker A: Yes. [00:32:52] Speaker B: Our roots. [00:32:53] Speaker A: Britt, may make you an offering. [00:32:55] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:32:56] Speaker A: An image is coming to mind sometimes that happens. Of a clown car. And you're talking about front seat and backseat. But what I would like to offer is that we are all in the car together. And when the clowns get out, nobody knows what seat they were in. Nobody fucking. They weren't even in a seat. They were like bundled up like your weird skin bags at the top of the car where the sunroof should be. And it came can feel like they're deprioritized, but you're so right. And that they're all connected. Like the who's and what's and whens that you need to have answered now are rubbing out there with the other guys and they will. Everything will be answered and filled in at exactly the right time. But I. I know how it feels to like put baby in the corner and like when the love is the dance. And you are not doing that part yet. The Seaweed sisters process for the show. Our live show. We don't know. We don't know. Thank you for knowing. Has been hugely discussion for like very little actual making of dance. [00:33:57] Speaker B: But you've done so much prep. I mean, I was so grateful to be a part of the kind of quick draft viewing. [00:34:04] Speaker A: Yeah, our quick draft viewing. It was draft one viewing. We know our to do list. And then there will be a point where we're like, okay, now we need outside eyes because we're not sure from the inside if our decisions that we made are having the effect that we want. [00:34:17] Speaker B: Totally. [00:34:17] Speaker A: So, yeah, you will be getting. [00:34:18] Speaker B: I would love to come by. [00:34:20] Speaker A: Thank you so much. [00:34:21] Speaker B: It'd be an honor. [00:34:22] Speaker A: Oh, thank you so much. [00:34:23] Speaker B: Yeah, I'll be in Canada. I have a. I'm doing a residency at Banff to build out a piece I made at Red Cats Now Fest. [00:34:30] Speaker A: Okay. Okay. [00:34:31] Speaker B: So evening length ensemble work. Biggest kind of largest scale I've ever. [00:34:35] Speaker A: I was gonna say I just got heart palpitations. That sounds intimidating. Where are you at emotionally with that? [00:34:40] Speaker B: Really? [00:34:40] Speaker A: Okay, so I'm not helping. [00:34:41] Speaker B: Really. Above. Really? Just above. Yeah. [00:34:44] Speaker A: Yeah. It's there. [00:34:45] Speaker B: Money. [00:34:46] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. Money. [00:34:47] Speaker B: Yeah, it's made up. [00:34:48] Speaker A: Yep. [00:34:48] Speaker B: But again, logistics. I gotta book flights. But like also what are we gonna do there? [00:34:53] Speaker A: It'll happen. [00:34:54] Speaker B: I love the clown car image. Honestly. That's really meaningful. Thank you. [00:34:58] Speaker A: All together because it's, it's. [00:35:00] Speaker B: This is a clown car. [00:35:01] Speaker A: Yeah. And it is a clown car. [00:35:04] Speaker B: Couldn't tell. [00:35:05] Speaker A: And I don't. I understand. Like maybe you truly can only hold space for one thought at a time. [00:35:13] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:35:13] Speaker A: Or maybe you can only make decisions one at a time. But the way that dance and taste work are that they live in you. So they won't. They're not going anywhere while you're making the decisions. Your idea, like an idea can come at any time and so you've got a full car. That's fine. Everybody's gonna be so delighted when all of those things come out and one at a time and we're just like, no way. That's all been. No way. It's gotta be the end. And you're like, no, I've really been holding onto a lot actually. And then they just keep coming out. [00:35:44] Speaker B: A lot of clowns existing in there. [00:35:46] Speaker A: Oh, I can't wait. [00:35:47] Speaker B: But I think that's like at least mentoring, you know, compositional students at school. It's like the idea and those decisions are actually the most important ones. I feel like there's a trend of wanting to make cool moves. [00:36:04] Speaker A: Yes. [00:36:04] Speaker B: In sequence. Which is. [00:36:06] Speaker A: I get it. [00:36:07] Speaker B: Powerful and part of the research and effective inside of our social media world that we exist in. But I think longevity to have really clear concepts and really clear world building and really clear investment in all the other mediums and disciplines that you're engaging to support the dance. Whether that's like music or lighting or like whatever costuming. But like answering those will give you so much more for then the cool moves to exist inside of and. [00:36:44] Speaker A: And to land even like sometimes the moves aren't even landing because the supporting systems are not supporting. Can I tell you a huge, huge, huge, massive insecurity of mine? [00:36:56] Speaker B: Yeah. Let's hear it. [00:36:58] Speaker A: I think I am shitty with composition. I did not go to school for dance. I grew up a comp kid. No further education outside of my high school diploma. I graduated AP Scholar. It's no big deal. High achiever over here. Whatever. [00:37:17] Speaker B: Dance forward. [00:37:18] Speaker A: Yeah. But I really like, I am a child of the music video generation. Eight counts for eight counts sake. I was never a great technician so I leaned into emotion and performance technique to keep an audience. But like up until, I mean my almost all of my work was Audience focused until probably after my fully second tour with Justin Timberlake, when I got really curious about my relationship to dance, if it's not as a backup dancer. And so then I start asking questions about femininity, sexuality, what is sexy, what is attraction, what is attractive. And none of those things had anything to do with composition. All of that was just solo investigation. And so I feel like I have, like, sneaked by an entire career without ever learning this big, major fucking piece of what choreography means, or is. I guess I've just had great examples and been in the room with people who are good at things. And so I'm borrowing things that I think and see have worked. But maybe you could take a couple minutes to give, like, a choreographic composition crash course for dummies. Like, what are the most important components of composition for a dummy? [00:38:53] Speaker B: Well, I feel like I have to start by saying you're selling yourself short in a really big way, obviously. And I know everyone listening is also, like, lies. She's telling lies. Well, but. But I understand. I understand a little bit of imposter syndrome. And, like, of course. [00:39:10] Speaker A: And having seen such incredible work and knowing, like, I don't have that training. I don't know. Like, y' all were in school for a long time. [00:39:18] Speaker B: Well, that was a choice we made. But you have. You have, like. Okay, there wasn't maybe a formal, organized means for you to do it, but obviously it's. It's washing over you. [00:39:30] Speaker A: Like, all of it's in the water. Absolutely. Swimming in. [00:39:33] Speaker B: And you're also, like, extremely observant and extremely, like, receptive and playful and, like, willing to. [00:39:43] Speaker A: Yes and, yes. [00:39:44] Speaker B: Take on and try, not. No. And I think that's okay. I think that. Think that's, like, essential inside of any compositional process is the, like, play. [00:39:52] Speaker A: Okay. [00:39:52] Speaker B: And I think. [00:39:53] Speaker A: Love that. Great, then, yes, I do know things. [00:39:55] Speaker B: Yes, you do, of course. [00:39:57] Speaker A: Because I know things about games. [00:39:59] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:39:59] Speaker A: And play and rules. Yeah. [00:40:01] Speaker B: And that's all it is, is you're creating rules that then you can either choose to follow or purposefully break. And that's. I think. I think that's, like, the most distilled version of what composition is through. Like, for me, it's important that it's in a playful lens. Yeah, of course. There's, like, relationship to, again, whatever other disciplines you're playing with. So if music is a part of it. So, like, how are you in relation to music? You know, with a pose. So, yeah, I think. I think you have access to all of the ideas and you know what a canon is? You know, you know how to. [00:40:34] Speaker A: Oh, I fucking love a canon. Or like, how do you make 18 count, 38 counts a canon. [00:40:39] Speaker B: Or the idea of counterpoint having two different phrases at once that are in relationship to each other that. So, like, when they go high, you go low. Like, it turns out I'm like, really? Yeah, of course you are. [00:40:50] Speaker A: I. [00:40:51] Speaker B: You just wanted me to guess. [00:40:51] Speaker A: I just. No, no, no. I just never learned those things formally. [00:40:57] Speaker B: Sure. [00:40:58] Speaker A: Or got to practice them specifically. [00:41:02] Speaker B: It's that part. [00:41:03] Speaker A: Yeah. I didn't get to like, go across the floor doing six step pirouettes with composition. [00:41:07] Speaker B: Well, with school, that provides you a, like, little greenhouse to discover and play around in. So I feel like your stakes have always been inside of a, like, workspace. [00:41:18] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:41:19] Speaker B: Like, this is a page on a [00:41:20] Speaker A: playground or in a sandbox. [00:41:21] Speaker B: Yeah. This is versus being in a studio for, you know, 15 weeks in a semester to, like, work on and listen to composition and look at other people's compositions and, like, learn how to give feedback about what that is. Or what does it mean if a dancer's. Center. Center. And what does it mean if a dancer's in the back corner? And, like, there's so many elements to, like, unlock and play with inside of composition. [00:41:46] Speaker A: Really good. [00:41:46] Speaker B: So it's just about. It's just about like, what school did, at least in my perspective, was create a space for that to be played with without the stakes of like, it's your career on the line. [00:41:57] Speaker A: Yep. Sandbox. [00:41:59] Speaker B: But you learn, I think, probably really quick when it's. [00:42:01] Speaker A: I guess I did. [00:42:02] Speaker B: When. [00:42:03] Speaker A: Yeah, I guess I did. The stakes are high. [00:42:04] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. [00:42:05] Speaker A: That's awesome. I love this question. What does it mean when. And what is my relationship to. Yes, those I've always asked myself, but maybe not in those exact words specifically relationship. And every time I hear my voice on a critique tape, I'm either saying, bend your freaking knees or what? How do you feel? How do you feel? And how do. Would you like your audience to be left feeling, knowing that you cannot control my feelings? But do you have an objective here, feelings wise? And then what is your relationship to each other? If there's more than one person on stage, to the music and to the audience, and then it all circles back to bend your knees again and have a relationship to the floor? [00:42:50] Speaker B: Please. Yeah, please. Begging, begging you for that. [00:42:54] Speaker A: Our corpse is vertical. [00:42:57] Speaker B: Yes. [00:42:58] Speaker A: With locked out knees. So hard to watch. So hard to watch. [00:43:00] Speaker B: Your pelvis can't travel. [00:43:01] Speaker A: I'm like, actually, how did you even do that? Because I swear you didn't mention me. [00:43:04] Speaker B: Sometimes it gets more impressive when they jump without doing a plie. It's like, wow, I'm actively impressed. What if you plie, where was your [00:43:11] Speaker A: weight in your feet when you just did a full rotation saute, arabesque, and then suit new with straight legs, where was the weight? [00:43:20] Speaker B: It's impressive. [00:43:21] Speaker A: It's very cool. [00:43:22] Speaker B: But those are. Those are essential questions, I think, in any creative process or compositional process. So it's like, the questions that I also. To, like, embellish. That is like, where are you? Right. If you're doing this solo, are you outside? Are you in a field? Are you. [00:43:36] Speaker A: What's under your feet? [00:43:37] Speaker B: What's under your feet? Right. All these things that can then help them answer the question of, like, what am I feeling? Or what is my objective inside of the piece? That. [00:43:47] Speaker A: Do you think that there's an age that those kind of questions are too much? Like, I don't know. I feel like little kids are better at imagination and sometimes better at receiving those seemingly big questions. What they're not so good at is holding two at once. Like, they can. Like, I can definitely see that there is gravel under your feet or that your shoes are actually deflated footballs or like, whatever my prompt was, I can. I'm borrowing that from Kurt Vonnegut. It was a character description once where I was just like, that's too, too good. I'm using that as freestyle prompts always. But when. When I introduce those big ideas, whatever the choreography was, eight counts, be gone. It's just like, they're just running. And then with older cats that I teach, it's. It seems like it's really hard for them to abandon the safety of what is set for exploration of concept or imagination or the vulnerability of what it is to dance feeling forward instead of aesthetics first. So, yeah, I. Timing wise, I don't know what I'm asking, but I know you teach a lot. Do you find that there's, like, what is the most effective way to introduce those ideas? And when is it just. Everybody gets it all the time. [00:45:11] Speaker B: I think it's. Everybody gets all the time. And I think it's like. [00:45:13] Speaker A: And if it sticks, then great. [00:45:15] Speaker B: I think it's by, like, sticking with it that I think, yeah, if I'm in middle school and I feel a type of way, and then all of a sudden I'm in this space and I'm being asked to do this, like, of course some insecurities are gonna probably show up and block some of the creative possibilities that is being asked of me. But if I was already kind of in conversation with those ideas from a younger age, and that doesn't necessarily feel like a new idea. And I think it's really. It's always about. I think teaching is less about teaching and more about, like, creating a space for discoveries to happen inside of that. Like, it's actually never about me telling someone what to do, but more about me creating a space in which someone feels available to unlock or discover something new. And I think there's a lot of strategies for that and like constant learnings to be happen and constant act of being present inside the act of teaching that support that idea. But so I think that's kind of where I try to prioritize at least my own voice inside of a leading a space. [00:46:30] Speaker A: Thank you for that and thank you even more for being an example of the or for your work and you like the way you live your life being an example of the fruits of operating that way. Because I think we see a lot of the fruits of operating with product first versus person first or process first or play first is it's like, okay, well, I am gonna get likes, so I am gonna do this trend, and my leg is gonna do this thing and whatever. And so it's really nice to have examples. Like, I can point to this film as like, look what happens. Like, repeat, repeat an eight count to me. Show me an eight count from your film. You can't. You can't. But it will be burned on your eyes. It will be the only thing you think about for weeks. And so to give people an example of, like, this is what's possible if you operate this way, yes, it's totally cool to do the other thing as well, and you can even do both. But to know how to. To create from a place of option versus a place of designations like must dos. But can do, can do, can do, can do, can do feels just so very who you are and very succinctly put. And thank you for your way. [00:47:51] Speaker B: Thank you. I think for us, the challenge then with dance is how do you have space for the can do can dos when time and resources are extremely limited. [00:48:00] Speaker A: Great. This is my question that I wanted to ask my friend who every day had, like, all the time in the world. And I was like, don't we tech eventually? And we did, and tech was tight. But guess what? The show went up on opening and it was great. I think it's probably the answer. Your question doesn't need an answer because it's all possibilities. But I do love the thought that we always have exactly as much time as we need and we will always want more. It will always feel like there isn't enough, but it is always exactly the right amount of time. Even if that amount of time is a 45 minute class, which I'm always like, what the hell am I even gonna do with 45 minutes? No, it's a perfect. It's just like 45 minutes this year and 45 minutes next year where I'm championing the same thing. It's like, thank you for saying what you said about not so much when as in what age, but when as in always. Like, you are always underlining, always showing, always being an example of or creating spaces for that type of making. Yeah, it's always. That's when always. [00:49:05] Speaker B: And I think for me, similarly, I felt aligned with you in the sense that, like, for me, it wasn't about, like, I have the most amazing facility and availabilities inside my body, so. But I had a lot of heart. And so I think that I really [00:49:18] Speaker A: want to see the tapes. [00:49:20] Speaker B: My mom's got them. [00:49:22] Speaker A: Denise. Debbie. [00:49:24] Speaker B: Darling, Darling, darling. [00:49:25] Speaker A: Darlene. [00:49:26] Speaker B: Darlene. Darlene Castro Easterling. She had a studio called Darlene's Dance and such. And such when I was growing up. And the N is apostrophe and apostrophe iconic. [00:49:38] Speaker A: It's. [00:49:39] Speaker B: I really want to, like, buy a space and restart it in the apostrophe. Dance and such. Yeah, it's container. She's brilliant. She's brilliant. I know. I know. So she had that until I was like maybe 8 or 9. [00:49:51] Speaker A: And then what happened? [00:49:51] Speaker B: We moved from my dad's work and we moved to Palo Alto. There wasn't a big dance scene, so she started a nonprofit for teens to kind of help connect them to dance in higher ed and teach them about dance as an art form, not as a competitive sport. So teen dance company Shout out doesn't exist anymore, but that's where myself and Karen Chuang are from. [00:50:14] Speaker A: She was a guest yesterday, so we talked about the company. Yeah. [00:50:17] Speaker B: Stop. [00:50:18] Speaker A: Yeah. I did not know that your mom was the source of this. [00:50:21] Speaker B: That's my mother. Yeah. She's an icon. [00:50:24] Speaker A: Okay, now we are gonna do some rapid fire. You ready for it? [00:50:28] Speaker B: I hope so. [00:50:28] Speaker A: I'm so excited. [00:50:29] Speaker B: I hope so. [00:50:30] Speaker A: I'm going rogue. By the way, sometimes I have a list. I don't know. [00:50:32] Speaker B: Yeah, let me drink water. [00:50:34] Speaker A: What are you doing on time? Oh, okay. Yes, we're gonna. We're wrapping it up. [00:50:39] Speaker B: That's the issue when we're, like, doing this for the first time. No, but there's. It's endless. [00:50:43] Speaker A: Oh, I can't wait. [00:50:43] Speaker B: Because we haven't even gotten into, like, the Tony test of it all. And I was a tap kid, and, like, I know y' all are like. There's just, like, so many circles to connect to in this moment, so. [00:50:53] Speaker A: Yeah, I know I didn't do enough research. Brett, it's. [00:50:57] Speaker B: You don't need to do research, cuz. This is lifelong. [00:50:59] Speaker A: This is all there, and it's only going forward. We can go back anytime. We are in the clown car. Moving forward slow. [00:51:08] Speaker B: My career peaked at 7, but we're here now. [00:51:11] Speaker A: Okay. Rapid fire burnout round. Coffee or tea? T. Dogs or cats? [00:51:17] Speaker B: Cats. Sorry, Riz. Don't look at me like that. [00:51:20] Speaker A: She is. She's like. [00:51:23] Speaker B: But like, dogs that act like cats and cats that act like dogs. So. [00:51:27] Speaker A: Yeah, basically, yeah. [00:51:29] Speaker B: Great. [00:51:29] Speaker A: Acting like a bum right now. [00:51:31] Speaker B: Yeah, no, she's perfect. [00:51:32] Speaker A: She's definitely nailing that. Nailing the podcast. Morning rehearsal or night rehearsal? [00:51:38] Speaker B: Night. Yeah. I'm a night owl. [00:51:41] Speaker A: Okay. When are you, like, waking up in the morning? [00:51:45] Speaker B: My ideal, like, wake up time is like, a nine. Ten. [00:51:48] Speaker A: Nice. Okay. Yeah, but how many hours of sleep do you get? [00:51:52] Speaker B: I try to do seven. [00:51:53] Speaker A: Okay, seven. Seven is good for me. Six. Seven, six. I can really do. Five I can do for a short period of time. Three. I can do once ever in my life. No, I'll just feel it later. But I. Yeah, there was a time when I was like, six is a lot. And now I'm like, seven is. Seven is good. Seven. [00:52:12] Speaker B: Yeah. It's crazy. [00:52:14] Speaker A: It's crazy. Like, how do you even go still? I would be a bag of wet sand if I got eight hours of sleep. [00:52:19] Speaker B: I would just. I'm in my, like, jet lag phase from Japan, so I'm just, like, really trying to figure out how to get. [00:52:24] Speaker A: Oh, my God. Thank you for bringing that up because I did want to talk about sumo. Wait, wait. Now I can't remember. What is it that I texted you? I was like, I just gave a feedback. I gave. Why was it that Sumo got brought [00:52:39] Speaker B: up entering the DMs. [00:52:42] Speaker A: Serious. [00:52:42] Speaker B: Serious stuff. I got to see sumo in Japan for the first time. I was so. I felt so lucky to be in Osaka when they had their tournament. I magical snagged a ticket. It was. It was magical. It made me be like, oh, sports are kind of fascinating. Sorry to sports fans, but, like, like the. The performance of it, the ritual of it, the tradition, the advertisements being, like, embroidered flags that they just walk around on. Like, we're not doing LED screens, people. It was so analog. Magical. And the. And the. Yeah. And the. The actual, like, matches are seconds, long seconds. They spend three minutes with the salt and, like, the stomps to kind of clear the spirits. And then we do a five second match. It's. It's amazing. Incredible. [00:53:35] Speaker A: Adding to bucket list. [00:53:37] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:53:37] Speaker A: Okay. So on. On the subject of sumo. [00:53:39] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:53:40] Speaker A: You were sharing those stories on. While I was on a convention weekend and was trying to teach the good children of the world to bend their freaking knees. And in a demonstration of how much better it is to have bent knees, I said, I need a volunteer who thinks they're really strong. [00:53:55] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. [00:53:56] Speaker A: And I went down onto the floor, jumped off my. My soapbox. My perch. [00:54:01] Speaker B: Yes, it's a soap. [00:54:02] Speaker A: And I was like, who thinks they're really strong? And somebody volunteered. And I was like, okay, knock me over. And I got into my, like, super low sumo squat and this mini. Bless their heart, they tried so hard. They got a running start. I was like, truly get. Give me all you got. Running start. They're trying to knock me over and they can't because I am in a deep squat. Yeah. And my glutes are. [00:54:22] Speaker B: Yeah, we're dropping our center of gravity. [00:54:23] Speaker A: I was like, do you. I was like, do you want a friend? Do you think a friend could help? Yes, you. You can call a friend. Phone a friend. Go get a friend and have them help you. Still could not knock me over. [00:54:32] Speaker B: So fun. [00:54:33] Speaker A: In a whimsical, foolish moment, I was like, all right, minis, let me have it. Give me your words. [00:54:41] Speaker B: Attack. [00:54:41] Speaker A: They attacked me. I was in a suit. There was a dog pile. Several of them got smushed. [00:54:50] Speaker B: Yeah. That's a high risk teaching moment. [00:54:53] Speaker A: High risk teaching moment. But also high reward. Because after that, everybody was in the deepest squat I've ever seen. Everybody was like, give him. Giving some really Sumo energy. [00:55:03] Speaker B: Effective. [00:55:03] Speaker A: And it was the day you shared that story. I must tell you what just happened in my mini room. I should not be allowed to teach anymore. It was not safe. Not well thought out. But I did make my point. [00:55:15] Speaker B: Yeah, I did get fired. But they did start bending their legs, [00:55:18] Speaker A: which is why I'm here. [00:55:20] Speaker B: Exactly. [00:55:21] Speaker A: Okay, favorite dance move. Go, Guts, go. [00:55:26] Speaker B: Kickball. Change. [00:55:28] Speaker A: Least favorite dance move. [00:55:31] Speaker B: The one. Oh, I might get in trouble. [00:55:34] Speaker A: What? [00:55:35] Speaker B: Threading. I'm so sorry. So sorry. To all the threading. People out there. I know there's a lot of you. I love you, but it is fun for you. [00:55:46] Speaker A: I. It doesn't thrill me. I am not impressed. Well, occasionally I am impressed by the options of patterns and relationships that I have. [00:55:56] Speaker B: Sure. [00:55:57] Speaker A: Absolutely. But you. You understand shoulder mobility. Perfect. And then finally, the words that move you. A quote, a mantra, a guiding principle. [00:56:08] Speaker B: The words that move me. I know it's rapid fire, but I did think about this because I knew it was coming. [00:56:13] Speaker A: Good. You know, you do your homework and. [00:56:16] Speaker B: And I had a hard time kind of trying to understand where I wanted to land with it, but I think for me, kind of a core. A core memory of this idea of like a quote that kind of, you can stick with. My dad wrote me a card. I don't know how old I was. I could have been graduating and going to college. I could have been 11. I have no idea. But I know it's a photo of a black cat reading a book. Like, sitting in a chair and reading a book. And inside, all it says is in. In all caps. Never stop learning, dad. And I think for me, I'm gonna go ahead and choose that as my words that move me. Because I do recognize in myself that if ever I'm kind of depressed or, like, not having it or, like, stuck in the Ls, I think that [00:57:10] Speaker A: I [00:57:11] Speaker B: can recognize that I'm actually not in the process of learning something. [00:57:14] Speaker A: And like, when I'm not open to being learning something. [00:57:16] Speaker B: Yeah. Or I'm too stressed about some other thing. And I'm not. I don't have that space to, like, be fueling and feeding. So I think I'm gonna land with that one. [00:57:27] Speaker A: I cannot think of a better place to land. That was gorgeous. Thank you so much for sharing. Thank you, listener, viewer. Thanks, dad. And thanks, Brett. And thanks. [00:57:36] Speaker B: And thanks, Mom. [00:57:37] Speaker A: Mom. [00:57:37] Speaker B: Thanks everyone. [00:57:38] Speaker A: And thanks Palo Alto. And thanks, Riz and Riley. Oh, my God. [00:57:43] Speaker B: Thank you, Riz. Thank you, Riley. No, stupid. It's been. [00:57:48] Speaker A: We've been having a nice a side flop. Thank you, listener, viewer, for being here. Please click the bell for notifications. Subscribe Leave a review or rating. Share the podcast with people that you think will love it and of course, get out into the world and keep it very funky. This podcast was produced by me with the help of many Big, big love to our executive assistant and editor, Riley Higgins. Our communications manager is Fiona Small with additional support from Ori Vagidares. Our music is by Max Winnie, logo and brand design by Bri Reitz. And if you're digging the podcast, leave a review and rating and please share. Share. Also, if you want to connect with me and the many marvelous members of the Words that Move Me community, visit wordsthatmoveme. Com. If you're simply curious to know more about me and the work that I do outside of this podcast, visit thedanawilson. Com.