Blaze Ferrer
Appearances
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Putting on our Dancing Shoes
That was Jessica Ribeiro. Jessica is in Seattle happily parenting four kids, writing novels, and completing a master's in creative writing and the performing arts from University of California, Riverside. Her ballet memoir, The Almost Dancer, is available now. We asked Jessica if she ever got back into dancing. Here's what she had to say.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Putting on our Dancing Shoes
I have danced in smaller companies since then, taught children, and been a rehearsal director. The physical injuries required several years of healing. The emotional wounds needed decades. I wrote therapeutically about the process of rediscovering myself as an artist and eventually organized it all into a book.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Putting on our Dancing Shoes
Right now, I'm the overjoyed choreographer for High School Musical Junior at my kids' high school and a writer with many projects on my Google Drive. When I work with students, I tell them that their ambitions are precious and priceless, but today is what we're here for. My dancing life gave me grit and courage.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Putting on our Dancing Shoes
Losing it gave me the opportunity to learn compassion, find new joys, and appreciate the gift of being present. That's it for this episode. From all of us here at The Moth, we hope the next week is filled with as much dancing as your heart can handle.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Putting on our Dancing Shoes
Welcome to the Moth Podcast. I'm Blaise Ferrer, and with a five, six, seven, eight... Yes. On this episode, we'll take a page from the great dancers throughout history. We'll put on our dance shoes, we'll find our pelvis, and we'll move through the joy and the self-expression that anybody at any age can get from dance. First up is Katie Rivard with a story she told at a New York City Story Slam.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Putting on our Dancing Shoes
That was Katie Rivard. Katie's a product designer and a soccer enthusiast who enjoys experimenting in the kitchen, dancing, and being outside. She currently lives in New York with her husband. We were curious if Katie continued to dance and if the lessons she learned stuck with her. Here's what she had to say.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Putting on our Dancing Shoes
After the break, we'll have a story that's on point or rather on point more soon.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Putting on our Dancing Shoes
As a dancer, certain things can lead you to recall an old phrase or movement. The texture of a sweat pant, a song on a playlist, the smell of a wooden floor. Gestures locked inside our muscles and nervous system can awaken with just a breath of familiarity. Our next storyteller is very familiar with those memories.
The Moth
The Moth Podcast: Putting on our Dancing Shoes
Jessica Rivera told this at a Seattle Story Slam, where the theme of the night was wonders. Here's Jessica, live at the Moth.