-Tonia Shimin

Dancer, Choreographer, Teacher and award winning dance filmmaker Tonia Shimin has had an extensive career in modern dance. Currently she is Professor Emerita of the Department of Theater and Dance at the University of California, Santa Barbara and continues her creative work in the USA and abroad. Most recently she has curated, edited and with Mercury Press International published the award winning book, The Art of Symeon Shimin, on the remarkable work of her father, whose fine art is here shown in a collection for the first time.

Connect with Tonia
SymeonShimin.com
@Symeon_Shimin on Instagram
Symeon Shimin on Facebook

Timestamps
00:03:46 Welcome, Tonia!
00:08:58 The Longevity of Art
00:12:53 Where Our Inspiration Stems From
00:16:34 Symeon’s Work in Children’s Literature & in Hollywood
00:21:26 Dancing as an Art Form
00:24:49 The Art of Symeon Shimin
00:29:35 Finding an Artistic Starting Point
00:34:52 Symeon Shimin’s Childhood
00:44:19 The Role Art Plays in Cultural Revolution
00:48:47 Artists Who Inspire Tonia
00:55:30 Resources Tonia is Looking For
00:57:41 Tonia’s Life-Changing Book
00:59:33 Tonia’s Personal Call to Action
01:00:45 Connecting with Tonia
01:01:31 Thank You, Tonia!

Tonia’s Life-Changing Book(s)
“I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou
“Technicians of the Sacred” by Jerome Rothenberg

Books Mentioned
“A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeleine L’Engle
“Dance in the Desert” by Madeleine L’Engle
“How Big is Big?” by Herman and Nina Schneider
“The Tao of Pooh” by Benjamin Hoff
“Of Water and the Spirit” by Malidoma Patrice Some

Additional Resources
Mural by Symeon Shimin, Contemporary Justice and the Child
Gone with the Wind
Solomon & Sheba
Royal Ballet School
Martha Graham Dance Company
Jose Limon Dance Company
1929 Vanity Fair Cover
Lester Horton
Eiko and Koma
Maya Angelou
Isak Dinesen (Karen Bixen)
Joseph Campbell
Jack Kerouac
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

Words of Wisdom
“The contemporary can do no less than to dedicate the power of his spirit and the flame of his art to bring light to the dark places.” —Jose Limon
“One is in a divine state of unrest continuously.” —Martha Graham
“Artists are the editors of the world. Long after the centuries pass, it will be the works of art that will tell the people what we were.”