95: Our People is Our Work — Kevin Iega Jeff

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This week on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra speaks with Kevin Iega Jeff — Artistic Director, Executive Director and Cofounder at Chicago’s</span> <a href= "https://www.deeplyrooteddancetheater.org/"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Deeply Rooted Dance Theater</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Throughout his career, Jeff has collaborated on a wide range of professional and community-based projects, including Spike Lee’s</span> <em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">She’s Gotta Have It</span></em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">; The Academy Awards; and</span> <em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Wiz</span></em> <span style="font-weight: 400;">on Broadway. Kevin has received countless accolades for his work, including being named one of Julliard School’s top 100 Outstanding Alumni. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For Kevin, a dance company is only as good as its people. And, as an artist in dance leadership, it is his responsibility to look after the good of those that fall underneath him — and to do anything less would risk losing his organization. On the podcast, Kevin dives deep on his philosophies as a dance leader and gets “in the weeds” on how to build the foundation for a successful dance company that keeps its people at the center.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Moving Quotes:</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"If my company was just about dance, we might have folded during the more difficult times. But that never crossed our mind because growing people is at the core of the work. To grow communities."</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"In a capitalistic-focused society, we can tend to lose the spiritual value of how we engage with each other."</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"If you can support people through their errors, on the other side of that, you build an incredible amount of trust. You build an incredible amount of visioning and a safe space for you to collaborate."<