Episode 37 - The Jubilation Dance Ensemble

[00:00:05] Speaker A: Welcome to kendall speaks. I'm Dr. Brian Stewart, President of the Kendall campus. And today we have some very special guests from the Jubilation Dancers as well as their advisors. First, I want to introduce Professor Michelle Grant Murray. Welcome. [00:00:27] Speaker B: Thank you. Thanks for having me. [00:00:29] Speaker A: So great to have you here. Today we have the president of our organization, Briana Pierre Georges. [00:00:34] Speaker C: Yes, I'm here. Thank you. [00:00:35] Speaker A: Glad to have you here. Current student, Luis Miranda. [00:00:39] Speaker D: Yes, I'm here. [00:00:40] Speaker A: And a graduate of the program, Stephanie Franco. Welcome. [00:00:44] Speaker E: Hey, I'm here. [00:00:45] Speaker A: Great. It's great to have you guys all here today. First, let's start with Professor Grant Murray. Tell us, professor, your journey to Miami Dade College and talk about your journey to the Kendall campus, if you would. [00:00:57] Speaker C: Wow. [00:00:57] Speaker B: That's been an interesting path. I came to Miami dade College in 2008. At the time, the department was under the direction of Mr. Rodester Brandon. It was a really beautiful process. I came as the Afro Caribbean dance teacher. Then the following semester, which would be the spring of. No, the fall of 2008, I became the coordinator of the program, working as an adjunct professor and building the program. So teaching the dance history, dance appreciation, and most of the practicum classes, I decided to build something called Juvelation Dance Ensemble, which was inspired by Kevin Iaga Jeff, who is the founding director of a company called Deeply Rooted. At one point in time, it was called Jubilation Dance Ensemble. [00:01:44] Speaker A: Okay, so you kind of borrowed the name there. [00:01:45] Speaker B: I borrowed the name because they had a tremendous influence upon my life as a young person. [00:01:50] Speaker A: That's great. Well, I'm going to learn a lot today. I know a little bit about the Jubilation Dancers from seeing your performances over the last two years, but I'm excited to learn more. And we'll. We'll start with our current president, Briana. Tell us a little bit about your journey to the Kendall campus. [00:02:04] Speaker B: Yes. [00:02:04] Speaker C: So I was doing some thinking of coming to, you know, school, and I came across Ms. Murray outside of school and actually in here. We had a conversation here at their air performance. And, you know, we was having a conversation and hearing, you know, testimonies of other dancers coming into Ms. Murray's space. And I was like, okay, I feel like this is a sign for me to come. So, yeah, I just quickly came and registered for the summer classes, and now I'm here. [00:02:42] Speaker A: Those signs are important. And she's a pretty good recruiter too, isn't she? Yes, she's a rock star when it comes to recruiting. We may get into that a little bit. Lewis, what about your journey to the Kendall campus. [00:02:52] Speaker D: So my journey is a little more different. After high school, I was a little stuck on what I wanted to do still. I came auditioned here. Well, I applied here for the accounting program. I liked it at first. It was really good. I loved it. And then I also still wanted to pursue dance, so. But I was still, like, unsure on how to do that. So I had told my professor, my teacher, Mr. Williams at the time, if he could give me suggestions of any teachers on campus or if he knows anyone. And he told me about Ms. Murray. And from there, she told me to just come to the studio the next day, and from there, it's history. [00:03:32] Speaker A: That's great. Well, Stephanie, you have a little different background, being not only a graduate. You can tell us what you're doing now, but talk about your path to our program if you would. [00:03:41] Speaker E: Okay. Back in 2015, my mom kind of pointed me into the direction of staying close to home and saw Ms. Murray's information online, and she was like, you gotta learn from this woman. And I'm like, okay. And so I just. I just came. I just came. And I was called to the space, and the journey was spectacular. But I did leave. I went to go pursue a career in California. I was called back into the space, and now I'm doing the work differently, as the work never ends. But I'm called back into the space. And I think there's something to say to being called back home and being called back into this field with lessons that last a lifetime. So that's where I'm at. I'm still doing the work. I'm still in the space. [00:04:34] Speaker A: That's good. [00:04:35] Speaker E: Ten years later. [00:04:36] Speaker A: Ten years later. Well, we all kind of are at different places, and so that makes this a great conversation. Let's move on now and talk about. And we'll start with you, Stephanie, if you don't mind. What inspired you, besides your mom, to be a part of the Jubilation Dancers? First of all, we want to give a shout out to mom for finding Professor Murray's information. But what inspired you to become a part of it once you found out about it? [00:04:57] Speaker E: Well, I knew I wanted to dance my whole life. That was the thing for me. But how to go to that next level? I. I didn't really know the roadmap for that. So with my mom pointing me in the direction, I just kind of. I listened to what my mom said. I knew that I had to be in a space where I was going to be practicing this thing, fully waking up, dancing Practicing the craft and then doing it all over again. And I needed to be immersed in that lifestyle. So what was the question again? [00:05:30] Speaker A: What inspired you to be a part of the Jubilation Dancers? It's not a direct path. It's a windy path to get here is what you're saying. So that's awesome. No, you did. You answered the question. That's good. Unless you want to add anything else. [00:05:41] Speaker E: I mean, right when you enter, you. Right when you enter that space, you want to stay in that space. And if you leave the space, you're called back into the space. [00:05:48] Speaker A: Right, right. [00:05:49] Speaker E: There's something. There's something in there that pulls the right people together. [00:05:54] Speaker A: Together. That's a great story, Louis. Talk about what. What inspired you to become a part of the Jubilation Dancers? [00:06:01] Speaker D: Well, like I said, I didn't first come here for dance. I came for accounting. I still wanted to pursue dance. So my teacher gave me Ms. Murray's contact information. We talked on the phone, and then I came to the studio the next day. I saw they were rehearsing for a piece that they were going to use later on. And the choreographer told me, come. Come learn this right now. And so I jumped in in the class, and then one of the members, Eric, he had said, oh, you're part of the Jubilation Dance Ensemble. I'm like, what's that? So that's my story. [00:06:36] Speaker A: And there you are. You were part of it. Brianna, what about you? What was your. What inspired you? [00:06:41] Speaker C: Yeah, so while having the conversation with Ms. Murray at the air conference hearing, it was alumni of Jubilation Genesis. She was talking about, you know, her path and being with Ms. Murray, and. And, you know, before. Before I even had that conversation with Ms. Murray, I was thinking in my head, like, should I take dance? Like, you know, start training seriously again? Because that was just on my mind between dancing and cooking. And, yeah, I was just like, okay, let's do it. Let's do it. Because if I'm hearing all these great things about, you know, being a part of jde, then, and this is, like, in alignment of where I want to go, then, yeah, I'm gonna go, and I'm gonna go for it. Yeah, it was a time where I did try to run away. [00:07:29] Speaker A: But it got you back. Pulled you in. [00:07:31] Speaker C: Pulled me right back in. [00:07:32] Speaker A: Okay, well, that's great, Professor Murray, let's talk a little bit about the history and the mission of the Jubilation Dance. You talked about how you got the name, but kind of tell our audience where it Started and where we are today and some of the milestones along the way, if you would. [00:07:46] Speaker B: So Jubilation Dance ensemble began in 2009, officially 2009. And our first performances were in 6120 in the theater. [00:07:57] Speaker A: Okay. [00:07:57] Speaker B: They had no Marley floor, no curtains. Had never done a completed dance performance on this campus before. All the other performances were actually in G303. So I had a conversation with our then Rodester Brandon, who has passed away, but God bless him, and he's agreed to purchase Marley Flor to do all the things that we needed. Invest in lights, invest in curtains and things like this. And we put together. We came together and put together our first performance for the fall of 2009. And that was great. Along the way we've had challenges just like any other organization would have its challenges. And we are steadfast and in the process of the challenges and meeting those challenges with a level of positivity and also thinking about ways in which challenges create change and stimulate growth and nurturing young people inside of their process, teaching them how to live inside of those challenges and not be defeated. And so that's how I face it. That's how I encourage them to face it. So when I say we, I have full conversations with these young people because most of the time I am the sole person in the department running the program. We have had adjuncts come in and out and they do what they can do, but they're not full time and they're not under that contract. So that's always interesting. And young people seem to, for me, they seem to be really thoughtful and open in ways to solve problems and meet challenges. And how do we utilize dance to. To meet those challenges and shift the world. In 2012, I became full time here. And so that shifted things dramatically because I could be here more often and not have three other part time jobs to make a. [00:09:52] Speaker A: Driving around the county. [00:09:53] Speaker B: Driving around the county. Because I was literally doing that. Exactly that. Because you know, we have families and Miami is not the cheapest place to live. So that shifted things a bit for the program when I was. When I became fully time. And those have been some of the challenges. Some of the other challenges that we faced involve recruitment and keeping the program whole. Going into the pandemic and coming out on the other side of that has been a real challenge to rebuild. But I'm very thankful that this semester we have been full. The art of dance this year was a sellout. Both nights we sold the show out, which was fantastic. That means that there were 300 people in the audience every night. So I'm very excited about that. The young people. I call them the young people. The participants. Students are wholesome and interested in diverse forms of dance and how you can use dance to edify other things in the world. Not simply twirling on the stage, but what else is it outside of that? And really looking at the academic and scholarly process of this work, sometimes people think that we are trying to be on a Beyonce video, and that's the all and be all, and that's not the all and be all. [00:11:06] Speaker A: And there's a lot of people able to dance in Miami. I've found there's a lot of people that. [00:11:09] Speaker B: And Miami is a dancing community. [00:11:11] Speaker A: It really is. No, I mean that community. [00:11:13] Speaker B: Yeah. Miami's a dancing community in all aspects. Religious aspects, cultural aspects, philosophical things. Dance happens in the kitchen at the park. I saw some girls doing Tik Tok video today in the bathroom and Building 8, and I was like, you better get that Tik Tok video. And they were so in it in the bathroom. I was like, okay, so Miami is that type of culture and community, and I. I really love that and appreciate that. [00:11:40] Speaker A: I have to ask you this question. If you could guess, how many alumni do you think you have in your program? Do you have any idea? Just. Just ballpark. [00:11:50] Speaker B: Because I bet alumni that are doing that are still inside of the craft. [00:11:54] Speaker A: No, just students that we've had that have been in your program that have, you know, grown through the Jubilation Dancers, and they may not necessarily be doing it. [00:12:01] Speaker B: Maybe 303, 400. [00:12:05] Speaker A: That's impressive. That's what I thought. So that's great. All right, students, let's talk a little bit about what style of dance you like to focus on. And then maybe Professor Murray can talk about, or you can too, how we incorporate that into choreography and so forth. So whoever wants to go first? [00:12:20] Speaker B: So we work in a variety of dance forms that includes, of course, ballet, traditional and contemporary ballet, modern dance, traditional and contemporary modern dance. All forms of West African diaspora. That includes Afro, Cuban, Afro, Haitian, Afro, Brazilian, jazz, and hip hop, all forms of hip hop dance, composition and improvisation. That's creating choreography and working in various ways of composition, how you compose. Movement vocabulary, a movement vocabulary that is authentic to the self, to the individual, so that they can create their own form of dance, hopefully in the future. That's my dream for them. And dance history, definitely dance history in all of those various forms. And an appreciation and value for the work as well. [00:13:09] Speaker A: That's wonderful. Louis, you talked about how you walked in and had to get ready for a performance. Talk a little bit about how you prepare for performance. What's the most challenging part of it? And you know, that whole process, if you would. [00:13:21] Speaker D: Well, for me, when it comes to preparing for a performance, there's a lot of rehearsing that goes into that. I like to give myself a little mental break and just really give myself grace because it is a lot that we do. And could you repeat the other parts of the question? [00:13:38] Speaker A: Just what goes into the process of performance? How do you get ready for it? The choreography? You know, I'm a basketball player and a math guy. I couldn't. You don't want to see me. I can two step. I can Texas two step, but I can't dance anything like you guys. What goes into the wonderful performances? [00:13:53] Speaker D: You guys do a lot of rehearsing. A lot of hours dedicating to the craft. A lot of self care at home as well, because we do a lot in here, so it's very strenuous on the body. So we have to really take care of ourselves at home. [00:14:07] Speaker A: Right. Eat well, and you guys are all in really good shape. That's one of the things your students are. [00:14:12] Speaker B: We're in great shape. [00:14:13] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:14:14] Speaker B: The physicality of the body is a thing. It would be nice if the athletic department would allow us to use a few of their equipment, equipment and facilities because their body is physical. It's physical like a basketball player, a football player. The level of agility and speed and stamina and rigor that we're working inside of. I can't tell you the number of times I've sent someone downstairs to beg Chick fil a for a bag of ice because something's happening in the studio and we need to take care of the body. [00:14:45] Speaker A: Right. [00:14:47] Speaker B: That has been a challenge. But, you know, we have conversations around self care. [00:14:52] Speaker A: Right. [00:14:53] Speaker B: I'm thankful that I have a little bit of knowledge inside of there. But seeing the dancer as an athlete and because of the physicality and the rigor that's happening within the body at the same time. So there are oftentimes when you're working inside of multiple vernaculars and languages and. And so your body, your mind is doing cross lateral information, your brain is literally doing cross lateral information at the same time that you are performing, learning and teaching. And it creates something on the nervous system that most people don't understand. [00:15:28] Speaker A: So two things about what you just said. Number one, we just created a new athletic workout facility. Have you seen it? [00:15:34] Speaker B: I have not seen it, but let. [00:15:36] Speaker A: You and I go walk down there together, because I think we could definitely arrange an opportunity for your students to. To use that if it would be helpful. The second thing is we're getting ready to expand our athletic training area. We're going to cut some walls, add some more ice machines. So maybe there's also a way for us to partner on that. So, not that this podcast always solves answers, but I think that's one you and I can talk about offline and see how we can work together on that. [00:16:00] Speaker B: That would be marvelous. [00:16:02] Speaker A: Well, I'm glad you mentioned that, Louis. See, that's the way to go. [00:16:05] Speaker D: It all works out. [00:16:06] Speaker A: Brianna, talk to me now. You talk about how you get ready for performances and all the things that go into it. [00:16:12] Speaker B: Yes. [00:16:13] Speaker C: I will start off with diet. I definitely was. [00:16:18] Speaker A: Thanksgiving didn't help. It didn't help me. [00:16:23] Speaker C: I started off with, yeah, making sure I have protein, lots of protein, and keep myself very hydrated because we're sweating a lot. [00:16:30] Speaker B: We need. [00:16:31] Speaker C: We need to hydrate ourselves. We need protein. We need even carbs for energy. So, yeah, definitely all those things every night when I came from rehearsal, because we were there morning to night, every day. Ms. Murray always say, put your feet up. And, you know, I do that. It definitely helps with the circulation because you're on your feet and it takes some of that blood off your feet. [00:16:58] Speaker B: Good. [00:16:58] Speaker C: Showers are always nice. [00:17:04] Speaker A: And. [00:17:04] Speaker C: Yeah, meditation, you know, keeping yours. Your mind. [00:17:08] Speaker A: Your mind ready to go. [00:17:09] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. [00:17:10] Speaker A: That's good. That's good. Stephanie, let's talk a little bit about what your challenging part of a performance is. And you know what's maybe the most rewarding kind of being the veteran in the group of the students. What was it like for you? [00:17:21] Speaker E: I think each performance is different, so I think about being present, being in real time, and I feel as if my body is stagnant. I must move it. So I have to move my body. Before I even think about moving my body, I actually have to do the thing. I have to move the energy around. So just get in the vibe. I gotta get myself in the vibe. I gotta shake. Shake the muscles around, put some good music on, get myself ready to be in real time. I also gotta eat the right food. I gotta clear my mind of whatever fog I might be feeling. But that's where movement also comes in. If I start moving it, moving my body, I would naturally start to do all the things that I feel like I need to do. [00:18:11] Speaker A: I think what's so great that all of you talked about is nutrition. You talked about the physicality of it and in the mental aspect of it. And, you know, I don't think we all necessarily think about that, but that, just like you mentioned athletics, this is very much an athletic event. Let's stay right there with you. Stephanie. I have a question, and we'll go around the table. If the Jubilation Dancers had a theme song that played every time you walked into a room, what would it be? Put you on the spot first. The other three get to think about it so they come up with their answer. [00:18:42] Speaker E: So I can't tell you the title of the song or who sings it, but it goes like Jubilation. It goes Jubilation. I don't even know what else it says, but I know it says jubilation. [00:18:56] Speaker A: Well, the others in the room know what do to talking about. [00:18:59] Speaker E: Yeah, maybe they could. [00:19:00] Speaker A: So that's good. Louis, you got. [00:19:02] Speaker D: What would you say the best song for to describe us when we walk in a room? I would say what Stephanie said. I don't know the title of the song, but Jubilation. Jubilation. [00:19:15] Speaker E: That's right. [00:19:16] Speaker D: Melody. Jubilation. Yeah. [00:19:19] Speaker A: We might need to write something. Oh, do we have it? [00:19:21] Speaker D: Hit it. [00:19:31] Speaker A: That's the one they're moving around the table. [00:19:49] Speaker D: There you go, right there. Jubilation, yeah. [00:19:56] Speaker F: Jubilation. Jubilation, yeah. Jubilation. Jubilation, yeah. [00:20:12] Speaker A: Very rhythmic. Who is the singer of that? Do you know? [00:20:15] Speaker D: The. [00:20:16] Speaker B: So the group is called Heritage Op. Okay. And they are a percussionist group that works with the Alvin Ailey American Dance School in New York. And they have so many CDs. I worked with them in 2002 at Jacob's Pillow, and that was the first time that I heard that song. And so they gave me the cd. And of course, you know, things have progressed since then, and now everything is on itunes and Amazon. La, la, la. But they have this entire work that's dedicated to contemporary modern dance. And this is a contemporary modern dance track that is played inside of a Horton Lester Horton dance classes and composition classes. So this is part of it. [00:20:55] Speaker A: Well, I'm going to ask Paul or Alex when they. When they fix our podcast. And then we end with that music. [00:21:00] Speaker B: Yes, yes. [00:21:01] Speaker A: That's a very vibrant music. So in honor of you guys, let's go back to Brianna and we'll go around the table. Also, what part of being the Jubilation Dancers has helped shape your college career? [00:21:12] Speaker C: I for sure would have been, you know, just class and just go home. But it Definitely forced me out of just, you know, just going out into the campus when we do our performances or, you know, just being aware of what is going on in and outside of the campus. Yeah, I'll say that. Definitely. Just being more in tune with self and be more in tune with others and what goes on around us. [00:21:45] Speaker A: Yeah, that's a great answer. Louis, how's it helped you what. What have you. How's it helped shape your college experience? [00:21:52] Speaker D: Well, it's helped me open up more. It's helped me really appreciate community and really appreciate everything that comes when making a community. I've just enjoyed all the. The opportunities and all of the things that we get to do outside of, not just here at the college has been just amazing. [00:22:17] Speaker A: So that's great. You guys get to do so many things. I see you at so many events and we may talk about that, Professor Murray, in a minute, but I think to your point, you know, because you guys are so visible out there, it's really great what you participate in. Stephanie, talk a little bit about when your college experience, how it was shaped by the Jubilation Dancers, if you would. [00:22:38] Speaker E: This program helps shape you for the real world. Gives you skills, knowledge, wisdom and love. A whole lot of love to embody and to share in vibration with everybody else. And what's love? Being at the center of it all, translating into community. So we really focus on community work and how to really treat one another and see one another. So it's not just dance work, but it's like how to be a human and lifelong work. And that work is never over. And it's the priority that we foster in the space. And without that, I don't think I would survive. And that's why 10 years later, I keep coming back, because that's really what is needed. And another thing I want to say is a lot of the work we do helps us understand who we are to. To where we are going and understanding our cultures and our backbones and our roots and our foundations. Because without that, we would float into oblivion and we might lose ourselves. So this work helps us ground in that center of love and purpose. So it's more than just dance steps. [00:23:55] Speaker A: That's amazing. Professor Murray. You should feel proud because I think what that says to me is that this is in their DNA and that it's going to be in their DNA when they're as old as you and I are older. And so I think you should feel proud of that. [00:24:07] Speaker B: I'm very proud. I want to reshape their DNA. [00:24:10] Speaker A: You did put a little science in this conversation. [00:24:12] Speaker B: I want to put some science in the conversation. I was actually a chemistry major before I was a dancer. [00:24:16] Speaker A: Is that right? [00:24:17] Speaker B: And I always tell them the dance is math. [00:24:19] Speaker A: There you go. It is music math. It is. Talk a little bit about what the semester in general looks like and how you motivate your students. [00:24:26] Speaker D: And. [00:24:26] Speaker A: And you mentioned the community that goes on. Just kind of give our audience a little bit of, kind of an advertisement for the program for jubilation dancers going forward. [00:24:35] Speaker B: So a semester looks like coming in at the beginning of the semester, which is interesting at Miami Dade because our culture likes to wait to the last minute to do everything. So the first week is usually very busy because we're organizing schedules. New people are coming in, shifting things around, particularly for dance majors. If they're seeing another academic advisor outside of our department, outside of the performing arts and industries department, we usually have to shift things around dance. Being a dance major is unlike any other major because there's a level, level of physicality that has to take place from the beginning all the way through the end. Essentially, I get a new student for two semesters before they have to audition to matriculate to the next program, which would be their bachelor's program. So they start the audition process in their third semester rather than graduating and just transferring. It works a little bit different as a dance major. So I have to bring them up to par quickly, which means that there are technique classes that need to happen every day. There's scholarly and academic information that they need about the philosophy and the history of the work that we're doing. Because if you're at a four year university, let's say you're at a Florida State, they're already ingrained inside of that quickly, so we have to do that as well. So a semester usually looks like two or three practicum dance classes and then a repertory, which is a performance class. We have one major performance every single semester. We have a dance composition class every single semester, either composition one or composition two. So we're constantly building in addition to working with other choreographers. Choreographers. And then we're also doing community performances on campus, other campuses and outside of the campus. So in the community. And sometimes, occasionally we travel. We go to the American College Dance Festival, or we go to iabd, which is International association of Blacks in Dance. Or we go to cad, which is at Duke University. So sometimes, depending on the budget, we have those things going on as well. And they also have their academic core classes that are Happening. And so, you know, there's an expectation to maintain the GPA because you're going to transfer and you need to maintain the GPA nothing lower than a 2.9. So all of that is going on. And then you have not just the performance, but you have all the things that surround the performance. If one of these students is taking a composition class and they need to create their music, work on their costume, work with their cast, create their rehearsal schedule. So all of those things are going on and we spend about 15 weeks just really solidly working hard. And then on that 16th week, we're doing our final self reflections, variations of all the various, you know, variations and testings and things like this. And then before you know it, we're at this point and the semester's over and it's time for the next one. [00:27:32] Speaker A: Well, that's a great discussion. I appreciate you going into detail like that. Let's talk about some of the funny things that have happened. What's the funniest thing that's happened to you with your students? And we'll go around the table, see if you guys have anything. Gosh. But you can tell us. [00:27:47] Speaker B: Yeah, that I can tell. It's all funny to me, if you ask me, but I don't enter with a lot of expectations. I actually look for miracles every day. So I'm always excited about the things that they think are funny in actuality are synchronized inside of time with divine energy for me. And I. I'll go for this semester. The funniest thing that happened was a story with Lewis. [00:28:18] Speaker A: Oh. [00:28:19] Speaker B: And I haven't shared this with him. Where Lewis told. [00:28:23] Speaker A: No. [00:28:24] Speaker B: Oh, yes. Where Lewis told me that he had an injury. And I was like, okay, so we're going to take it slow and not push your body and allow time to do what it needs to do with the body. Allow your body to heal. And so two weeks before the show, I said to Lewis, are you going to be dancing in the performance this year? Are you going to be dancing this semester? And he said, I'm going to try. And I said, okay. So I told the other dancers that he was working with. I said, okay, all of you need to prepare in case Lewis is not dancing. And miraculous. Lewis came in and one day he said, I'm healed. And I sat back and I said. [00:29:06] Speaker A: Laughed inside. [00:29:07] Speaker B: I laughed inside because to me, that was really funny. And I don't doubt that he was injured, Right. But the way that his body connected with his mind to say, I am healed and I'm going To do this thing was like, okay. And for me, that was a funny thing. [00:29:25] Speaker C: That was. [00:29:25] Speaker B: That was funny. I was like, okay, that's great. [00:29:28] Speaker A: Louis, you want to go first? [00:29:31] Speaker D: This was one of our. This is during rehearsal. I was obviously injured at the time, so I was just recording for the other people that weren't at rehearsal. And so we're going over the piece. It's towards the end, Briana's going through the last counts, and just. She's tired, she's winded. Also, counting while dancing, it's not easy. And next thing you know, she says, party. And that's been our favorite slogan for everything. [00:30:01] Speaker A: Helps you get through things. That's great. All right, Brianna, what do you. What do you remember? [00:30:07] Speaker C: Okay, this is one of my rehearsals for Art of Dance for my choreography, and I asked the cast, oh, can you do a forward role? One of them, her name is Anna, she attempted to do the forward role, but somehow she, like, threw her body over and just, like. I don't know, just slammed. [00:30:35] Speaker A: Her belly flop? [00:30:36] Speaker C: No, her back. [00:30:37] Speaker A: Her back. [00:30:37] Speaker C: Oh, she was okay. She's okay. But that was just hilarious how. Yeah, that was. That was very hilarious. [00:30:44] Speaker A: Well, that's a good story. [00:30:45] Speaker C: She definitely improved. [00:30:47] Speaker A: Stephanie, anything funny that you recall? [00:30:52] Speaker E: Yeah. So our last show, the Art of Dance, it was in my choreography. There was a glitch in the music. There was this silent section, and then they played the wrong track, and then the music stopped, and the dancers were confused and didn't know what to do, but they just kept going, and they kept going for a long, long time. So this funny mistake became something else, and nobody really knew what to do, and they just had to be in the moment, be present, and stay with each other. But as me, knowing what the dance is supposed to be was funny for me, because what do we do? What do we do in this moment? How do we fix this situation? I can't get up there in time. I don't. In the sound booth. How do I. How do we fix this? But it was just like, oh, there's no fixing. It's just like being. Being in that moment and being with each other and waiting for the music to come on. And then it became something else. So this funny moment became magic. [00:31:53] Speaker A: It's one of the things. The show must go on. [00:31:55] Speaker E: The show must go on. [00:31:56] Speaker A: Well, that's a great story. All right, my last question. If you could perform anywhere in the world, where would you choose and why? [00:32:02] Speaker C: This is a hard pick, because I want to be everywhere. [00:32:07] Speaker A: Well, that's a good Answer. [00:32:08] Speaker B: I do. [00:32:11] Speaker C: I just envision myself maybe, like, outside, just support, love, nature, maybe big stage, like, outside, indoors, it really doesn't matter. As long as, like, there's support, there's love, and, you know, I feel achieved and accomplished. [00:32:30] Speaker A: Yeah, that's a great answer. [00:32:32] Speaker D: Louis, could you repeat the question? [00:32:34] Speaker A: If you could perform anywhere in the world, what would you. [00:32:36] Speaker B: Where. [00:32:37] Speaker A: What would you choose? [00:32:38] Speaker D: For me, I would say New York. [00:32:41] Speaker B: Okay. [00:32:41] Speaker D: And the reason why is because of all of the opportunities, the. The people there, different cultures, just everything there is different. And obviously, being living in Miami my whole life, I would love to travel and visit different parts of the world and experience different experiences. [00:33:00] Speaker A: I've been to New York many times. It's a really cool place, especially Times Square and everything down there. So that's a great answer. Stephanie, what about you? And maybe you've performed in that place. I don't know. [00:33:10] Speaker E: Oh, yeah. This question's always hard for me because I want to be everywhere, but I love the stage. I do. I would love to be on Broadway. I would love to see my name in lights. I would love a star moment. I would. [00:33:25] Speaker A: That's a great answer. [00:33:26] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:33:27] Speaker A: All right, well, thank you guys for being here today. We. We have a tradition here at the Kindle Speaks is to turn the microphone around on me. So if you'd like, it started with our very first podcast with students. They asked if they could ask me a question. So if you'd like, you can ask me any question you want, and I'll do my best to answer it. [00:33:45] Speaker C: Okay, let me think. What is the greatest achievement you made being president? [00:33:53] Speaker A: Wow, that's a really tough question. No one's asked me that. You know, I've been. I was at the medical campus for six and a half years, and I've been here a year and a half. You know, I think the greatest thing that I've done is just meet people, meet students, meet great faculty. That's been my favorite thing, just to discover how amazing this campus is and how, you know, Professor Murray is an example of many of the faculty we have that have been on this very podcast. And so I don't think it's me that's done it. I think I've just been the conduit to help students, to work with students, connect with faculty. And I just can't wait to see what the future holds, because Kendall's where it's at, as far as I'm concerned. I think we have a variety of things across the board that can help almost any student. Thank you for that question, Louis. [00:34:42] Speaker D: What has been the greatest experience since becoming president here at the Kendall campus? [00:34:49] Speaker A: Well, that's an easy question, because a week and a half ago, I got to go to Tennessee with our volleyball team, and we won four games in a row and are now national champions. And so it's really hard to be the national champ, because that means we're the number one team of all 50 states. And so to be there and see those girls win it and get to go on the floor and be a part of it, that was just really amazing experience. And that's just one example. You know, there's so many other great examples of this campus and things that people don't realize that occur here. And so that's what the purpose of the Kendall Podcast is, is to get students and faculty out there so the world knows what's going on here. So that's an easy one, because it just occurred about a week and a half ago. All right, Stephanie, you got one for me? [00:35:37] Speaker B: Okay. [00:35:39] Speaker E: Have you shifted or what has shifted? After talking with a group of dancers, what are you walking away with? [00:35:45] Speaker A: Well, that's an outstanding question. First of all, I think I knew how athletic you guys were because I've watched you guys perform, but I didn't really think about all the other aspects of. Of nutrition and the mental aspects and all those things. And to Professor Murray's point of how it really is an athletic, and it really fits well with what we do at Kendall. And so that, to me, has kind of been the aha moment that, you know, when you're in my seat, you have so many things that come around, and sometimes you don't get to focus on them. And I think you guys have helped me think a little bit more about how. Not that I didn't think dance was valuable. It is. It's amazing because it's. It's one of those other opportunities students have here at Kendall. But I think there's some connections that we can make that maybe I hadn't thought of until after we had this conversation. All right, Professor Murray, you have a tough one for me? [00:36:34] Speaker B: Well, they asked some really good questions. [00:36:36] Speaker A: They did. They really did. [00:36:37] Speaker B: Yes. [00:36:38] Speaker A: So you can give me an easy one? [00:36:40] Speaker B: No, I don't know if I do anything that's easy. I will try. I'll definitely try to make it smooth, let's put it that way. So smooth. So you've heard from the dancers and you've seen our work. You know me, we have a connection because we're from Texas, and I know Tyler, Texas. Yes. Yes, yes. What is it that you would like to see from the program? [00:37:12] Speaker A: Wow, that's a really. That's a great question. You know, I don't know if you know this, but the first time I was exposed to the Jubilation Dancers was as a basketball game we had when I was at the medical campus. We had Medical Campus Night here. I think it was a women's game. And you guys performed at halftime. And I didn't know what Jubilation was. And that's been about three years ago. So I think one thing I would love to do, you know, I've been to drama productions this semester. I've been to a band production. I've been to see our band and our choir sing Beatles songs earlier this year. I've tried to go to everything I can. I would love for us to have kind of a holistic performance with all of our. And we may do that. If we do, then correct me, but where we have all of our fine arts performing, and we're going to have 62, 10 or 60, 60, 120, 6120 back online in the spring. I would love to have some performance in there that would show off all of our programs. One of the things on my list is to redo that lab, by the way, that. And get new seats, new lights, new everything, because that's such a great room to do that in. So that would be my wish, is to kind of pull all of our fine arts together if we could do we do that. [00:38:23] Speaker B: We haven't done it to that capacity in quite a while because 6120 is. It's in deficit. [00:38:28] Speaker A: It is. [00:38:29] Speaker B: And so we need to pull it together to update, you know, refurbish, do some things so that we can make that happen. And it takes planning and organizing. [00:38:39] Speaker A: Yeah. And maybe we have alumni come back that day, too, if we don't get it done in time. Well, this has been a great conversation. Paul, cue the music here that we heard earlier. I want to thank Professor Murray for being here, president of the organization, Brianna. Thank you, Louis. Thank you, Stephanie. Thank you for coming back. It's been a great conversation. I really have learned a lot today. I'd like to thank our head writer, Christine Saenz, our executive producer, Paul Klein, and Alex Bellows, our producer. Thank you all for being here, and goodbye for now. [00:39:08] Speaker B: Thank you. [00:39:09] Speaker D: Thank you. [00:39:10] Speaker F: Jubilation Jubilation, yeah Jubilation Jubilation, yeah Jubilation Jubilation, yeah Jubilation.