65: Finding Good in the Time Away — Alicia Graf Mack

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra speaks with Alicia Graf Mack — a veteran dancer, the director at the world-renowned Juilliard School, and the co-founder of the</span> <a href= "https://www.dnaartscollective.com/"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">D(n)A Arts Collective</span></a><span style= "font-weight: 400;">, which seeks to enrich the lives of young dancers through master classes and intensives. Graf Mack’s accolades include being named American Innovator of the Arts and Sciences by</span> <em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Smithsonian Magazine</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, receiving the Columbia University Medal of Excellence, and delivering the keynote address at the Columbia University’s School of General Studies graduation ceremony.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Alicia is no stranger to adversity, as her thriving dance career was put “on pause” due to injuries and a newfound auto-immune disorder. However, in retrospect, Alicia now recognizes that all of these experiences — both positive and negative — put her on a path to arrive where she is today. On the podcast, Alicia reflects on her dance journey and discusses — among many other things — how we can find the positive in both the good and the bad, even if it takes us time to get there.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Moving Quotes:</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I think the time when I was not dancing actually informed me as an artist more than being a dancer could. Because I had the chance to ‘learn myself’ — myself not as a dancer or an artist — and also to really understand all of the mechanisms that shape the arts world, especially from a business perspective… I don’t regret having injuries or stepping away."</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It’s interesting. There are certain tenants that stay the same [between business administration and arts administration]. And that is culture, community, inspiration, passion — all of those things have to live fo