This week we’re talking with Anne Gaskins (she/ her): a therapist, Salsa teacher and a performer with Latin Fusion company BGC, here in Seattle, WA. Anne works as a therapist specializing in eating disorders and body image and is passionate about making dance accessible and fun for all bodies.Anne schools us with her pearls of wisdom about being a therapist and dancer and how these worlds collide and dovetail as inherently relational modalities. This interview blew our mind! Join us for the banter and the aha moments as we cover topics ranging from deep listening in social dance to body stigma in dance spaces🪩

In this episode Lou and Kate talk about one of the topics that sparked The Degender Dance Podcast to begin with: why learning to both lead and follow, even a little, makes you a better and safer dancer. We talk about the importance of ELEF, empathy and dismantling the idea that gender = dance role. Let’s get into it!

In YT Supremacy and Dance, Part 2, Kate and Lou continue their conversation with Tema Okun’s Characteristics of White Supremacy Culture, moving through the second half of the list and exploring how these patterns show up in partner dance spaces. How do these characteristics surface in teaching and dance community and what are the antidotes? How do they live in our bodies and relationships, and how do they shape learning, connection, and conflict on the dance floor?We explore what it means to dance, teach, and organize in ways that support shared power and care, rather than defaulting to habits that have been normalized but rarely named. Dismantling white supremacy culture is an inside job, and it begins with noticing just how pervasive these characteristics are.Join Degender Dance as we share lived experiences, open questions, and the sometimes uncomfortable nuance of this work.

References & Links• Shahem “5hahem” McLaurin: https://www.5hahem.com/• Tema Okun’s website: https://www.dismantlingracism.org/• Short video of Okun speaking: https://youtu.be/kJg2LJihb64• Easy-to-read handout: https://overcomingracism.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/HANDOUT-SHARED-Characteristics-of-White-Supremacy-Culture-original-1.pdf• Original list: https://www.whitesupremacyculture.info/uploads/4/3/5/7/43579015/okun_-_white_sup_culture.pdf