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Southern Theater in Minneapolis presented Candy Box Dance Festival in May. Dancers, Julie Marie Muskat and Betsy Schaefer Roob join me today for an interview.





Julie Marie Muskat (pictured above)

Betsy and Julie, what was your preparation for the festival?

We have been developing this material since 2016, and performed the first section of it in 2017. We began expanding the work and creating the work you saw (with two sections added) this past January. Part of the work is in the studio working on choreography, and other parts of our work are spent on working with costumers and composers on the other elements of production.

I think if I were an audience member seeing our show, I would want to know exactly how the ‘collaborative’ choreography was created, since it is a more unusual approach to choreography than single-choreographer work. Betsy and I spent a lot of time in the studio experimenting and trying to find a new common vocabulary and voice together. In the process of creating our work, we ‘played’ a lot of games in order to generate phrases, such as the ‘picnic game,’ in which she would improvise a step, then I would repeat it and improvise the next step out of it, and she would add the next step, and we would continue switching off the creation of every step so that we were always pushed out of our personal movement habits and patterns. We are proud to say our work is truly collaborative!


Is there anything you're working on now?

We are currently applying to festivals for teaching and performing, and are hoping to expand and deepen our work in In Time from here. Otherwise, we are each doing some individual projects outside of faux pas. Betsy dances with Mathew Janczewski's ARENA DANCES. Julie Marie dances with Threads Dance Project, and this summer will be performing her solo work and teaching at Southern Vermont Dance Festival in Brattleboro, VT.


Of all the dancing you've done the past, what has been your favorite performance?

Julie Marie: What a hard question! I’ve had a lot of crazy and fun performances…I think some of my favorite performances would be the ones I did as a dancer in Israel. I had the chance to work with some incredible choreographers, and the repertoire was exhilarating, challenging, and very fulfilling. Honestly, though, my favorite performance would be this performance of In Time that Betsy and I just did! It was our first show that we were in charge of hosting as well as performing in, and even if it was an informal showing, it was a big test of vulnerability and bravery in terms of putting new work on stage that I am very passionate about.


Betsy: I agree, this is a tough one! I have loved many performances for very different reasons. In recent history, ARENA DANCES’ 20th Anniversary performance stands out to me; we reset Matador and Not So Good At Standing Still, which were both extremely fulfilling to perform. I loved getting to dance a range from powerful, explosive movement to easeful, released movement in the course of the same show. However I also have to agree with Julie that this performance of In Time was entirely unique, and I feel incredibly proud to have created and performed this duet together. We took risks and it was magical to experience all the elements coming together.


Last question, if you could give advice to a younger dancer, what would it be?

Julie Marie: Soak in everything you can get your hands on. Your classes in school will inspire your dance education, and your dance classes will teach you valuable life skills that will translate to anything you do in life. But question everything. Question your idols, question the information you are given, do your own research, and be ready to upend the institutions you are raised in if needed. Never stop searching.


Betsy: Bring your entire self to your dancing and work hard while also being open to moments of joy, curiosity, and surprise. Find ways of moving that feel like home to you, and challenge yourself to regularly step outside your comfort zone and try on new ideas. Pay attention and learn from all you can- your teachers, fellow students, and your own instincts. You will likely have times of great inspiration and times of burnout/doubt. Befriend your fellow dancers and lean on your community.

Thanks for joining me.

Thanks for having us.