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The Dance Narrative Within: Cat Willis & Mischa Scott at TEDxSantaCruz

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Danielle
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Cat Willis of the Tannery World Dance & Cultural Center explores why activating the dance within each of us is a vital part of living. Followed by a dance performance from Micha Scott.

This TEDxSantaCruz talk is one of 22 surrounding our theme of "Activate" at the third full-day TEDxSantaCruz event held March 8, 2014 at the Hotel Paradox in Santa Cruz, CA.

Cat Willis is the founder and director of the Tannery World Dance & Cultural Center. She has lived in Santa Cruz for over 13 years. She is originally from Rochester, N.Y., where she was encouraged from a small age to express herself through the arts. She began her formal dance education with Garth Fagan Dance, with whom she studied extensively for six years. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Dance from SUNY Brockport. Her passion for cross cultural understanding, dance arts research, study, and performance has led her to Central America, the Caribbean, and West Africa. She has taught dance throughout Santa Cruz, including two years with Mountain Elementary School as resident choreographer. Cat has served on the Cultural Council of Santa Cruz Grants Advisory Committee, the Cultural Council of Santa Cruz grants panel, SC Fringe Festival Advisory Board, and was the 418 Project's 2009 Artist in Residence and the Theatre Bay Area's CA$H grant recipient in Dance. Her work through her dance company, DIASPORA, has been shown throughout Santa Cruz and the San Francisco Bay Area.

A 13-year senior member with Garth Fagan Dance, Micha Scott has performed and taught master classes worldwide. She has been a soloist with Tandy Beal & Company, and a featured dancer in the PBS special "Griot New York" with famed composer and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis. Micha has taught dance at SUNY Brockport, Rochester School of the Arts, SCU, UCSC, Cabrillo College, public schools, and private studios. Her choreography has been commissioned by Santa Clara University, Cabrillo College, and Monterey High School. Micha is co-artistic director of Diaspora Dance Company, resident choreographer at Mountain School, dance instructor at Mount Madonna School and Dancenter, and artistic director of children's programming at Tannery World Dance and Cultural Center.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)
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