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Guest: Julia Harnett
Performer / Producer / Coach / Educator

This beautiful conversation covers a range of topics including the influence of ballet training on other dance styles, the importance of lead and follow in dance, the therapeutic nature of movement, and the impact of stagnation on the body. Julia Harnett shares her personal journey through the dance industry, from transitioning out of ballroom dancing to pursuing acting, yoga, and musical theater. She discusses the challenges of shifting from a dancer to an actor and the impact of body image on her career. The conversation also delves into the Eurocentric aesthetic in dance and covers everything from the impact of different dance styles to the importance of self-care and mental well-being to the importance of rest and the need for new work in the industry to aging and the empowerment of dancers to advocate for change with an emphasis on the significance of storytelling and the need for celebration and recognition of dancers at all stages of their careers.

Julia (she/her) is a dynamic triple threat who began performing at the age of four. Early training consisted of exclusively ballet (Royal Academy of Dance), whilst later adding jazz (Jack Cole/ Fosse), Scottish highland dance, musical theatre, contemporary, and competitive dancesport (ballroom and latin). ​
Never one to shy away from her emotions, Julia was also involved heavily in the drama department of her high school and local theatre community, and went on to work for theatres across Canada and the United States, with principal and ensemble roles in Guys & Dolls (Kennedy Center), A Christmas Story (Center Theatre Group -The Ahmanson), Chicago (The Fulton Theatre), and In the Heights (Arts Club Theatre - Vancouver).
It wasn’t long before the television and film industry started calling her name, and Julia soon began working national television commercial spots as a principal actor, choreographer, and dancer for Glade, Hershey’s, Scotiabank, Lexus, Nikon, Party City, Del Taco, and Time Warner Cable...read more here.

Follow / Learn More:
IG: @juliaharnett
Website: IMDB / Jack Cole Dancers
Mentions:
Misty Copeland
Article: Regrets of the Dying

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M.O.V.E. with Eileen + Amy is a Kaia Evolutions Podcast.
New episodes air on Wednesdays when in season.

To learn more about Eileen + Amy, be sure to follow them on IG at @ekielty + @amyreah and keep up to date on the podcast at @movewitheileenandamy. For more information about Kaia Evolutions, a culmination of Eileen's life's work and a love letter to her sister, Katie, who died by suicide in 2019 - visit https://www.kaiaevolutions.com/ or follow on IG at @kaia.evolutions

If you want to share part of your dancer / movement artist journey with us, email us at movepod@kaiaevolutions.com

*If you or anyone you know is in need of support, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800.273.8255 OR text 988. You are not alone.