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Eileen Kim Is Living by Leaps of Faith
14 May 2025

Eileen Kim Is Living by Leaps of Faith

At 16, Eileen Kim faced a life-changing decision: Stay home to finish high school in Chicago or move to Washington D.C. to pursue her dream of becoming a professional dancer. After spending the summer at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in DC, she was accepted into the year-round program and begged her parents to let her go. Though she had only been training in ballet for two years, she took a leap of faith and went. Several leaps later, she is now a professional dancer, balancing her career with an ever-growing list of creative pursuits. In her childhood, Kim trained […]

Blogs 0 4 min read
My Life as a Cruise Ship Dancer
13 May 2025

My Life as a Cruise Ship Dancer

Imagine traveling to beautiful destinations, making lifelong friends from all over the world, and performing high-energy shows for packed audiences. Working on a ship, it’s all part of a regular day in the office. As a production dancer onboard a major cruise line, my primary job is to perform in several shows and guest experiences during each voyage. But as a crew member, daily life onboard is filled with so much more than dancing, and it’s guaranteed to surprise you, challenge you, and help you grow both as a performer and a person. My contract started with six weeks of […]

Blogs 0 4 min read
13 May 2025

Whether You’re a Studio Owner or an Independent Teacher, K&K Insurance Can Save Your Business

Picture this: You’re a studio owner busy teaching a class when a grandparent trips on some unsecured carpeting during drop-off. Or maybe some dancers lean on and accidentally crack the mirror, so now you need to replace it. Or perhaps a student is injured while trying a trick in class and is blaming the teacher.  In any of these scenarios, an important question is: Do you have liability insurance to cover the costs of defending yourself and settling any claims? “Even when the school or the instructor is not at fault, you still have the stress of finding an attorney, […]

Blogs 0 3 min read
10 May 2025

Nan Giordano Celebrates 40 Years of Leadership at Giordano Dance Chicago

Jazz dance is in Nan Giordano’s blood—and so is leadership. In her four decades at the helm of Giordano Dance Chicago, the company founded by her father, jazz luminary Gus Giordano, she’s worked hard to balance legacy with innovation. “We stand on the foundation my father built, but we don’t live in the past,” she says. “We honor the history, embrace the present, and push it forward.”  This mission was evident at GDC’s spring season in Chicago this year, April 4–5. SOARING: Life, Light, and Legacy featured new works by Giordano, associate artistic director Cesar G. Salinas, and resident choreographer […]

Blogs 0 3 min read
9 May 2025

Office Hours With Kieron Dwayne Sargeant

Kieron Dwayne Sargeant was just 13 when he first felt the spark for teaching. He was standing in a modest studio in the Embacadere neighborhood of San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago, when his teachers, Torrance Mohammed and Louise McClashie, asked him to lead the class through a warm-up. “That moment changed my life,” he says. “[It] gave me my calling.”  Sargeant’s passion for teaching has since flourished into an assistant professor of dance position at Skidmore College, where he teaches both majors and nonmajors in courses in African and Caribbean dance forms. His impact, though, goes well beyond the walls […]

Blogs 0 5 min read
Natalie Sterling Is Dancing Into Our Hearts via the Trader Joe’s Aisle
8 May 2025

Natalie Sterling Is Dancing Into Our Hearts via the Trader Joe’s Aisle

Have you ever had the urge to whip out a turn sequence in a grocery store? Or leap through an empty cereal aisle with abandon? 20-year-old Natalie Sterling feels that way too. A Trader Joe’s team member, she’s built a social media following based on footage of her dancing at work (after hours, of course).  Maybe you’ve seen her energetic, high-jumping rendition of Wicked’s “Dancing Through Life” choreography or her impressively clean 32 fouettés done entirely in sneakers. She’s part of a new generation of dancers who, while still attending countless auditions and honoring the traditional route, have decided to […]

Blogs 0 3 min read