141: It’s a Privilege to Lead — Joseph Morrissey

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra interviews Joseph Morrissey, Director of Dance at</span> <a href="https://www.interlochen.org/"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">the Interlochen Center for the Arts</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Prior to this role, he served in a similar role with the Hong Kong Ballet. As a professional dancer, he danced with the Bavarian State Ballet in Munich and the Boston Ballet II.  He’s a seasoned choreographer and also has instructed for various dance companies, including the American Ballet Theatre Studio Company. He also currently serves on the juries for the Youth America Grand Prix, the International Baltic Ballet Competition, and the Japan Grand Prix.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Joseph’s resume is impressive, but above all else, Joseph is a leader — a calling that he considers a privilege. And one of the things that Joseph most tries to do in his work at Interlochen is to use arts to impart leadership skills to his students. On the podcast, Joseph talks all things Interlochen but deep dives on what makes for good leaders, the challenges and joys of leadership, and how he’s raising up the next generation of arts leaders.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Moving Quotes:</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"It's a privilege for me to lead. Thankfully, that calling aligns with what my 'job' is."</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"There's no one way [to arts leadership] ... Recognizing that truth makes for a better leadership style."</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"I always encourage dancers to think 'outside the box' of just the career as a performer ... There really is no 'one way street' to the ultimate destination of how dance will be a part of one's life."</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"Making tough decisions is not always fun. But it's important that there's always something in hindsight or something to look forward to."</spa