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Deep Roots, Strong Branches: Raising Community with Suzan Bradford Kounta
73 Plays29 days ago
This month's guest is Suzan Bradford Kounta. Suzan is a dancer, choreographer, educator, and cultural leader dedicated to the preservation and celebration of West African traditions. She is the first African American woman to serve as Executive Director of Columbus’s historic Lincoln Theatre, where since 2009 she has guided its vision and operations while championing its role as a cultural anchor for the community.
As co-founder and Artistic Director of the Thiossane West African Dance Institute—now celebrating 25 years—Suzan has built a nationally respected company and educational program devoted to passing on the dance, music, and cultural heritage of West Africa to future generations. Her work emphasizes not only cultural preservation but also physical and mental wellness, youth empowerment, and community building.
Suzan’s artistic and academic contributions extend into higher education and public life. She has served nearly a decade as adjunct faculty in The Ohio State University’s Department of Dance, previously taught at Antioch College, and is regularly invited to share her expertise at universities, conferences, and community gatherings across the country. Her dedication to the Central Ohio arts community spans more than 25 years of nonprofit leadership, arts advocacy, and intergenerational mentorship.
Having studied extensively in Senegal, Suzan continues to travel biannually to deepen her knowledge of traditional West African dance and culture. She has taught and choreographed for countless schools, community centers, treatment programs, and professional stages, fostering spaces where the arts are a constant source of resilience and connection.
Forward-thinking and committed to collective action, Suzan embodies the belief that “as the world turns, the arts remain the constant variable for humanity.”
OhioDance A State of Dance is a six-part series coming out the fourth Friday of each month through November 2025. This podcast is driven by the OhioDance mission to secure the foothold of dance in Ohio through increasing visibility, firming viability, and elevating the position of dance in Ohio.
In 2016, a five-person team set out on a mission to capture the achievements of persons and institutions who have shaped the intricate diversity of dance history and practice within the state of Ohio and weave them together in an easily accessible digital format. This we call the OhioDance Virtual Dance Collection. As of 2025 we have highlighted 42 individuals and institutions. The team has traveled over 5000 miles and interviewed hundreds of individuals in all five regions of Ohio. vdc.ohiodance.org
If you like what you are listening to and are not a member of OhioDance, you can go to ohiodance.org and click the membership button to join and receive the many benefits that come with your membership. You can also donate through our purple donate button.
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Transcript
Introduction to A State of Dance
00:00:07
Speaker
Welcome to A State of Dance, sponsored by OhioDance and hosted by independent choreographer and interdisciplinary artist, Rodney Veal.
00:00:22
Speaker
Welcome to A State of Dance, sponsored by Ohio Dance and hosted by Rodney Veal, an independent choreographer and artist. The podcast is partially based on the Ohio Dance Virtual Dance Collection, an interactive website that documents and preserves the achievements of individuals and institutions who have shaped the diversity of dance history and practice in Ohio.
Early Influences and Community Impact
00:00:44
Speaker
Today, I would like to welcome our guest, Susan Bradford-Kunta, co-founder and artistic director of Shasan West African Dance Institute. She is a dancer, instructor, and choreographer of traditional West African dance and all-around legend.
00:01:02
Speaker
So, Susan, welcome to the podcast. Thank you, Rodney. You, your love for dance began at an early age in Columbus. Can you take us back to those early memories and what first inspired you to pursue traditional West African dance?
00:01:18
Speaker
So that story is really still holds such a great space for me as a as I look back as a young person. But I do have to say that my first love of dance came from my mother.
00:01:32
Speaker
She's social dancing. and And in the African culture, when we're cleaning houses on Saturdays, there's music accompanying that. And so she would stop us, me and my brother, and hand dance with us and show us you know the latest line dance of that era.
00:01:47
Speaker
And so we just began to just embrace movement air all the time in our household. From there, as I lived in the King Lincoln District, I was able to go to a number of cultural arts centers that was in the community, one of them being the Lincoln Theater, one of them being the Paul Luns Dunbar Cultural Arts Center.
00:02:06
Speaker
Wow. Dayton, Ohio. Paul Lauren Stumbart. Exactly. And just begin to just become a sponge and be able to embrace all the genres of art and art making.
00:02:16
Speaker
And so that was my first tap into. After that, all through high school, just dance in the community with some friends at the community centers. And then i sort of after I graduated, my mom knows what's best.
00:02:29
Speaker
I don't think a lot young people want to admit that, but I will. We have to admit. They do know best. They do know best. yeah And knowing her understanding of who I am and my personalities, she gifted me a trip to West Africa.
00:02:42
Speaker
Yes. That's a mother really knowing. she knew. And I didn't think she knew at the time because I went with nothing, no language, no understanding of the economics of moving around, but had been totally immersed in the culture all of my life because she was one that would bring African students who were coming to study here in Ohio.
00:03:04
Speaker
Their way station to before they went to school was our house. So I was able to just engage people and have dinner with folks from Senegal and Mali and Kenya and Tanzania and Ghana and all of that. So my world was exposed deeply into the culture as I was growing
Community Support and Giving Back
00:03:22
Speaker
up. And of course, we danced in the house after dinner. It's what's the new thing?
00:03:26
Speaker
So that's where my love for that and where my immersion first came. Oh, that is, that's really special. When it's tied to family, It's rooted. It's so rooted. It is so rooted. That is the best phrase for it. Absolutely. So you admit did mention that you spent your entire life in the King Lincoln neighborhood.
00:03:44
Speaker
How did that community shape you as an artist and as a leader? Because that's important. You are a leader. Thank you. Went to school there from elementary to high school. The community was that sense of total engagement.
00:03:59
Speaker
We have so many definitions of community now, right? And all of them really centered around the essence of that community. How does that community support young people?
00:04:10
Speaker
How does that community support seniors, right? And how that community supports families. And so I was able to witness that and be a part of it. The reflections of community happened for me there, not just in the educational piece, but in the cultural piece, also in the small businesses that was there. I was able to work in a lot of those small family businesses and learn about business management and finances and all of those kind of things, which sparked my interest when I went to college to study business management.
00:04:45
Speaker
And so I walked back and forth to all these places in my neighborhood. So I was able to work there, play there, grow there, everything. And so it shaped me to to that point. And then again, you hear me say about my mom all the time,
00:04:59
Speaker
Just the things that she put me in front of, the people that she put me in front of, really did shake me. Which hence, when I came back from school, I knew I wanted to be back home. Sometimes people stay where they study. Or they go other places. Or they go other places. But there's something special about Yeah. And so I honored the representation of my community.
00:05:21
Speaker
And so I thought at that time it was time for me to give back. I love the fact this notion of giving back. Was that always, is that something that was rooted in something your mom instilled in you or that did you just naturally gravitate towards that concept?
00:05:33
Speaker
I was able to witness that, Rodney. So there was a plethora, a plethora of people in our community that we could see as mentors from the political realm to the health area to social work and all those, every area that is considered occupation in our community that is needed, I was able to see that and witness it. And so the kindness, the immersion, the welcomeness, the growing, the mentors that was in my community made me want to come back.
00:06:06
Speaker
And I didn't think at that time that I really wanted to do that. That's understandable. Yeah. But again, that trip that my mother gifted to me helped me because she said, when you get back, you need to figure out what you're going with yourself. That is such a mother move. And as she knew, i did come back with this whole plan that I wanted it to be around youth and I wanted to be around culture. So I began to just develop my strategies and my curriculum and my thought around that because I honored my youth so much.
00:06:38
Speaker
Not that I really wanted to duplicate it, but I wanted to give the same exposure that I had to the other ones who were in the community.
Founding of Chassan and Its Vision
00:06:46
Speaker
And that's really important, especially for communities where people might not have access to that sort of a vision. We lead by vision.
00:06:52
Speaker
Like we embodied the vision and you embodied the vision. and They're going to pick up on it. This leads me to the question. you co-founded Chassan in 2000 with your husband, Abdu Gunta. What was your vision for the company then?
00:07:05
Speaker
And how has that evolved over the years? Because you have been had this in a beautiful way. 25 years, I still pinched myself and we're still sitting in this year, 2025 for that celebration. And so I've had a lot of memories and a lot of pictures saying, oh, wow, I remember this. I remember that.
00:07:25
Speaker
But when we decided to start the company, I was at another organization and we had two youth programs. One was the competitive double dutch.
00:07:36
Speaker
And the other one was that yes competitive double dutch and African dance. ah So I was to lead the African dance program. And so I just remembered how am I going to do this? Right. So I started out with the names ABCDE.
00:07:53
Speaker
the basics, and I called it African Beginnings Children's Dance Ensemble. And so in that, I was able to really just take them on these imagination trips to Africa.
00:08:08
Speaker
for what I had seen and what I had learned and what I had exposed to. And I knew that the social development was important for those kids who were underexposed and overlooked.
00:08:20
Speaker
And so I began to take that into their communities. and then was able to bring them out of their communities to downtown areas and to other places so that they could practice those social and personal development skills.
00:08:34
Speaker
It's more than dance. Right, more than dance. It is truly Yes. So I began to find ways to do field trips to Washington and New York and Atlanta and Detroit.
00:08:45
Speaker
and take these young people with us because I was exposed to that as well. In the meantime, i hear a certain sound and it was coming from my husband's drum. I wasn't married to him at the time, but that sound resonated with me.
00:08:58
Speaker
ah ah ah Hence, his introduction to me to his other friends who were from Senegal, Malagheny. And I began to bring them to the community here in Columbus. and from that is where we began to think about Chassan.
00:09:17
Speaker
So we there's a certain dish in Senegal called chebu gin, and he was making this dish, and he was a seasoned musician, international. So we're eating this very seasoned international dish, right? Me, very hungry. And also just wanting to see how I can bring that vision more to life.
00:09:39
Speaker
And hence we started Chassan. Chassan refers to the rich customs, traditions, and heritage of the African diaspora. Institute is because it's ever learning. No matter where people enter, no matter where they are their interest lies, it can be an institute for ever learning.
00:09:56
Speaker
Oh, that is so cool. Let's talk about that as an institute and a learning hub beyond just dance and culture. It's multifaceted. Why is it important to make traditional ah West African dance accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds? Yeah, so for my thought and my journey of bringing that and having it present in young people's lives, again, it's just a sample of what I see. Like I said, my my mother's house and our house was that way station for all those people.
00:10:25
Speaker
different ethnic groups coming through our house. And so if I was amazed and just sat on the stairs and listened, then all the things that I gained from it, I wanted to have that opportunity for the other young people.
00:10:36
Speaker
So then it becomes to broaden the horizon and they become global. in their thought. They become understanding more in that, and they don't see the world just on downtown Columbus and those surrounding spaces. It's larger. you are We are all global citizens. We are, and we wanted them to do that because when that happens, then their brains expands and you can push more into.
00:10:59
Speaker
So we began to think about social etiquette and how to be in the community, how to speak, power public speaking, how to sit, how to engage and not just with their friends of their same sex, but also with their counterparts. And so how do we grow together as units, as male, females, and then as people? And we pushed a lot into humanity.
00:11:21
Speaker
So that's where the educational piece comes in. But I used purposely African dance and drum to do that because the music and the dance is threaded through the culture. Yes. That rhythm. The rhythm. Yes. And they know why they were doing these dances. They understand the ceremony significance to these dances.
00:11:42
Speaker
and They had to practice it. They learned songs in different languages. And then if the grades were great, Then I would take them out of school to go do due performances to their other peers in schools.
00:11:52
Speaker
And so that gave them a sense of accountability to their academics. It gave them a sense of belonging, accepting, love. There we have human needs addressed. And then they are began to be global thinkers.
00:12:05
Speaker
And that's where that part comes out. But then in turn, of course, we practice. they become these fantastic dancers, just free. of energy and life. Full of energy and life. Vitality. Exactly. On top it. On top that. And so in these 25 years, Rodney, we have graduated 100% school graduation.
00:12:19
Speaker
and so in these twenty five years rodney we have graduated one hundred percent high school graduation There are school districts that would love for that percentage.
00:12:30
Speaker
Your passion for it translates into, you you said it, planning and curriculum and a design that was intentional. Do other schools that are not dance related come to you and say, can we borrow some of your mojo?
00:12:43
Speaker
Yes, they do. We're open to residencies for them. And we have done a number of residencies in and around Columbus and also in a lot of rural areas in Ohio for that. And the acceptance and the welcoming from those students is just overwhelming because they just, ah,
00:13:00
Speaker
ah, we've been waiting for this. We need something new, something young, and they see their peers doing it as well. So yes, that it is growing inside those 25 years, our consistency and this pedagogy has made our program more popular and more relevant right now to
Authenticity in Traditional Dance
00:13:18
Speaker
what we're doing. I love it.
00:13:19
Speaker
So we're going to take a bit of a break. Okay. And then we're going to come back and we're going to continue conversation. Great, great. Thank you. Thank you.
00:13:33
Speaker
We want to remind you that if you like what you're listening to and are not a member of OhioDance, you can go ohiodance.org and click the membership button to join and receive the many benefits that come with your membership.
00:13:45
Speaker
You can also donate through our purple donate button.
00:13:58
Speaker
And we are back with this lovely conversation with Susan Bradford Kunta. Susan, okay, you're doing all this good, great, amazing things, but what are some of the challenges and also there are are rewards to this of maintaining the authenticity in traditional dance while engaging contemporary audiences? Yeah. so the authenticity, let me just start there. Oh, yes. Because growing up, even as a young person, the world would love to change your mind for what they want you to believe.
00:14:29
Speaker
But I had so many mentors and people around me that encouraged to be your own person and to be comfortable in who you are and whose you are. Oh, yeah elaborate on that.
00:14:42
Speaker
Whose you are is your lineage, where you come from, the family, the history of your family. I was fortunate to find out that my lineage comes from Guinea-Bissau in West Africa.
00:14:57
Speaker
and those were the people who resisted conformity. That's not a trait that runs through you, Susan, not at all. Not at all, right? And I was i discovered this information around 2000, I don't know, maybe 2005 or 2006 as I was caring for my 95-year-old grandfather. Wow. And so he lived in the house with four generations at that time.
00:15:19
Speaker
And so my mom is really, again, gung-ho about that. And so that just continued to reiterate throughout my life to be your authentic self. And so physically people can give a judgment or opinion. I love wearing African clothes, right? African print clothes.
00:15:36
Speaker
And that's just what I do. So now they expect for me to wear that. But it was a statement about who I am and who I belong to. And I carry that with such honor. And it's just not that in the African-American community. It's in any cultural community that says, know your history, love your history, preserve your history. And so that's what I'm saying when I say who whose I am.
00:16:00
Speaker
So I know that I have a sense of belonging to something. And so when people have that, they have less challenges about fighting for who am I and where do I belong and that kind of thing.
00:16:11
Speaker
As I talk about that part and who I am, you know, so my maternal and paternal sides are very important and they played a very strong role in my life. so yeah And so it those are the parts that shape me as well. So I'm saying to these young people,
00:16:26
Speaker
as you are, but give me your best person, right? As you are, but give me your best academic student, as you are, but give me your best thinking person, right? And so when that's encouraged, they wanna come into that space and guess what I learned today, Mount Susan? and Guess what I, and I did this and I did that.
00:16:44
Speaker
So they're understanding that their own success It's something that can be sustained yeah and authentic in how they learn and how they practice and how they get to their success. And it's not an opinion of others. When I say to the parents, let them find their interests. Let them guide them, encourage them, put some parameters around them, right? And say no sometimes. Nose, nose matter. Nose matter. They work.
00:17:10
Speaker
But so as we talk about that part and the authenticity part of it, I think that's very important for young people to see those models of authenticity. And so as I'm moving through this pedagogy and growing in it, African dance was not always popular, Rodney.
00:17:27
Speaker
Oh, I know. Right? It still had a very primitive thought Well, that's a Western civilization thought of what this represents. Exactly. yeah So we're not going to give it that much validity and we're just going to say it's entertaining.
00:17:44
Speaker
But it's more than And it's way more than that. Way more. And so those were some of the challenges of speaking. um Not convincing because we are who we are.
00:17:55
Speaker
And when we say we do traditional West African dance, that's what we do. Do we say that the other forms and genres of dance, we can pull from that and show where African traditional dance has influenced the other forms.
00:18:10
Speaker
so And so when we see the movement of the other forms, we can give them a step out of the any ceremonial dance to say that's what it is. So then we help build connection between that. Not that it trumps all, but we always have to think about the origin and the history of what we do.
00:18:27
Speaker
It puts it in context. It allows for it not to be encased in amber and sit on a shelf. This is not that. This is living. This is a living art. That to me is the most important part. It's living. It's breathing. It's growing.
00:18:40
Speaker
yeah So one of my challenges, one, to just i make that identity be consistent and that it is a valid dance form that can sit with any other form haves of of academia or of a culture or history.
00:18:54
Speaker
And of course, we all have avenues for young people to learn their culture through that. And so this is no different.
Artistry and Cultural Relevance
00:19:01
Speaker
This is no different than those other things. And so I learned through my travels to West Africa and through sitting and having these wonderful in-depth conversations with my husband and his friends who are still around the country about performance dance, because you have the ceremonial dances in the different ethnic groups.
00:19:23
Speaker
And then you have performance dance. Yeah. And so how do you translate those things or restage it for that message of the traditional forms and the ethnic groups to be put on stage without watering it down and without glamorizing it, but really put it in its true form.
00:19:40
Speaker
Its true form. So there's not a misconstruing of its intentionality, its weight, its purpose, all of those things. And removing that westernized thought that is just entertainment. Right. That is such a Western thing to think everything is entertainment. It is, especially with with what's happening in dance. And so trying to just grow that preliminary thought about people's opinion about that.
00:20:01
Speaker
And so it has sustained me. You know, the company's 25 years, but I've been doing this for about 45 years. Wow. See? Yeah. That dedication. yeah It's in there. It's in there. And and now I see it turning and I see it being shared because we're in many universities now.
00:20:21
Speaker
Chassan is in many universities supporting curriculum, supporting pedagogy, supporting lectures, demonstrations, youth orientated programs. And we are that. This is African proverb, that well be the well that others drink from.
00:20:37
Speaker
And so Chassan is that. And we are the village because we have this 100% graduation. And it's not necessarily this notion of the life leads to dance. It's about the culture. It's about it influences visual artists, musicians, yes poets, yes writers. You are your ground zero of this ripple effect.
00:20:57
Speaker
That is massive. Right. We talk about dance as the overall, but as you mentioned, and this prompted my thought from what you said, is that, yes, we have to have the storytellers. You know, we have the griots.
00:21:10
Speaker
And so we understand in history what that means. But what about our contemporary griots who are bringing both the past and the present together and telling these stories to this generation in an innovative way?
00:21:22
Speaker
Oh my gosh. And so we're doing that inside an institute when we talk about musicians. Our graduate who graduates yesterday, his love sits in traditional music, but he's also on the drum line.
00:21:34
Speaker
And so those two together brought him a full scholarship to college. Wow. So that's that's the impact. Of the ripple effect. Exactly. because Because we never consider the things that could be the possibilities and unless we are presented with all the possibilities. Exactly. And I call it the banquet table. I need to see it all. yeah Experience it all. yeah You're giving the experience to your students. that And that's happening even in fashion.
00:21:58
Speaker
Oh, i know. One young girl, she's like just one of many of our stories to tell. She said, when I was on my African outfit when I was four years old and I had to line up on the line, it taught me spatial awareness. It taught me that I needed to be in my African attire. And it told me that if I complete this, I can have my snack.
00:22:16
Speaker
ah But what it's taught her is that if she has completion, then she gets the rewards of her completing things. Completing. And now she's been to Asia, she's in Korea, she's in South America.
00:22:29
Speaker
And she says in her statements that it all started when she was four with Chisong Institute. just See? There you go. So although we have those challenges, we have much more joy joy and results. To say the authenticity of our pedagogy and our exposure for these young people turned them into global citizens.
Personal History and Leadership Role
00:22:52
Speaker
Some of the people who are in Chassan now, their children are coming through. Their children are graduating college yet. So this year we have a mom who started the 100% and her son now is the check mark for the 25th. That's got to be. Oh my gosh. The heart is just so full.
00:23:10
Speaker
so full. So full. Yes. um yeah Now, you were instrumental in restoring the historic Lincoln Theater, which is a fabulous space, and people have not seen it. They need to be there. Yes.
00:23:22
Speaker
What did this project mean to you personally and culturally? Because talk about brick and mortar. That's a heavy lift. It is a very heavy lift, and it comes full circle. And so now I'm in this thought of the circularity of my journeys and how they are just...
00:23:38
Speaker
coming back and coming back and they are rotating around and each time they rotate around there's a high school graduate each time I turn around there's a program for artists each time it turns around there's a new theme or an African problem that just defines the circulatory of that right so as I said earlier I was able to remember going up the steps of the Lincoln Theater the second floor into the ballroom Yes. And with my skirt, we have a lapa that wraps around the waist.
00:24:09
Speaker
But I remember having that on, going up there to take class. I remember that. And then as I went into the building, I took those same steps. I had to stop on the steps for a second, gather myself.
00:24:21
Speaker
Yes. I've been here before, right? Yes. And so, again, you know, the timing of things. And my girlfriend it reminds me that it's not my fault.
00:24:32
Speaker
It's my time. And so all of these things that are coming to fruition from the labor, from being authentic, for being consistent, is evolving. I was looking for a home for Chisad because we had just been throughout the community renting spaces. And so I wanted to become a resident arts group of the Lincoln Theater.
00:24:52
Speaker
So I'm in these spaces and places of conversation for that. And then it just... And I must have said some right things. here You are. Can you come to this meeting? Can you be in the space? Can you be in the space? and that is That's a real lesson for new anyone that's out there. It's that staying within your authenticity. The reward's coming. Don't look for the rewards.
00:25:14
Speaker
The authenticity is the reward. Have some goals inside of that, of course. ah But don't so much script and define and harness and boxes it Boxing Boxing because you don't have time. You don't give it time to grow in its authenticity.
00:25:30
Speaker
But after that meeting, here I am appointed to be the general manager, 2009. two thousand and nine And I had to say, whoa. had to with my husband. Whoa.
00:25:41
Speaker
Did we talk about this? Did we think this was going to happen? Was this on the list of plans? Was this one of the plans? So I had to bring in really my personal board, my family, my mother, my brother, all of them to say, hey, what do you think I can bring to this position? And we went down the list. And so there I was, accepted it. And the fortunate thing, and I think that one of the best things that happened is that I was given a blank canvas.
00:26:07
Speaker
and I could create what I wanted to create with full autonomy. that's yeah That's rare. than so is It is very rare. Very rare. Yeah. So I held onto that and all of those things in my creative brain, we know how we are, right? Yep. We pin ideas all over the place like a sketchboard, right? And we're going to pick this one out and do that.
00:26:30
Speaker
And then I just started, you know, taking a pin down and cultivating that and listening to the community and remembering the community and how it was for me and wanting to have those spaces be redeveloped in that space, knowing the history of the Lincoln Theater.
00:26:46
Speaker
Yes. Yes. So this year, it's 96 years old. Wow. It was built in 1928. So I did a deep dive into the history, who was there, what was there, who were the with the businesses that was in that community, the housing that was going on, all of the political things, all of the urban demolishment that was happening at the time when it closed, everything.
00:27:09
Speaker
So I have that sitting because I like a history and I'm an avid student. So I just I wanted to know all of those so I can understand how best to create programs for the community.
00:27:21
Speaker
And since 2009 to our present, I have 10 signature programs under the Lincoln that support artists. Have open spaces and hold spaces for local musicians and different vocalists, all the genres.
00:27:37
Speaker
training sessions, incubation programs, backstage, wind down Wednesday. I have utilized every space in the Lincoln. And then some. And then 2018, 333 days of operation in that building.
00:27:53
Speaker
Even in COVID, I took that artistic chance Not risk, artistic chance. Artistic chance, not a risk. Right? And held summer camp for families. Wow.
00:28:05
Speaker
Yeah. Because the community needed it. Community needed it Families needed Children and artists needed a space to create. So I opened different spaces up in the Lincoln with all of the protocols in place so that artists had a chance to respond to the protests, to COVID, to all of those things that charges us, as Toni Morrison says, the time is now to create.
00:28:30
Speaker
And so I did that. And here we are in our 15th year. We have a stellar board and a very active team members for the, I call them my R-Star staff.
00:28:42
Speaker
And they are, too, from the community. And so gave them a few pins and let them have their creative way with those programs. And so we are growing nationally now.
00:28:52
Speaker
Yes, you are. And we are just continuing to move on 2028. The Lincoln will be 100 years old. So if you haven't been to the Lincolns. I encourage you to get there in the next two years. I'm telling you people, need to go. Because the planning, of course, for that celebration happens now.
00:29:08
Speaker
And we're so excited about the all the collaborations that we have. We have a very supportive group of organizations that support the Lincoln, Ohio Dance being one of them. Oh, my gosh. Yeah, we have to. We have to, right? And so that's just where I began.
00:29:28
Speaker
to look at organizations when i came into that position and joined Ohio Dance and also did some work there and listening and finding out where needs are so that I can help support that.
00:29:39
Speaker
And so now as an advisory board member still doing that, after these years. Of course, some of our other arts organizations who are sound supporters of the Lincoln. And the board chairs at the Lincoln and again, even though we had Larry James in the beginning and we had Marlon Moore, now we have Peter Herschel on our board for the Lincoln. They all have given me total autonomy to continue what we're doing there. And very proud of the Lincoln Theater. Very proud that I'm a community product that is running the Lincoln Theater as executive director now. The richness of your journey, an journey, let's put that in the right frame of context.
00:30:19
Speaker
What's your final thought? Like you're in this beautiful place of accomplishment, connectivity, seeing the birthing new energy and new foot in young folks.
00:30:30
Speaker
What's next? What's that thing? What's that one thing you need to do? It is such a beautiful place to be in right now. i don't pinch myself to say, oh my God, look at this. I just pinch myself and say, your work is being recognized and respected.
00:30:45
Speaker
And so that is what really gives me the joy. When I see those children grow and graduate, oh my gosh. We talked about that before we got on air. Yeah. When I see the branches,
00:30:59
Speaker
of the Institute now growing their own branches. That's a space of joy. When I can sit and have these still have these conversations with my mom and quite ironically, she asked me this morning, so what you gonna do next?
00:31:13
Speaker
Then here you say, what are you gonna do next? yeah And I said, I think I'm just gonna sit in it. I think I'm just going to sit in this beautiful space and be able to just inhale all of it, embrace all of it, and take those stories. And when I see people who have been impacted by the Institute or at the Lincoln and what we do,
00:31:36
Speaker
than just, yeah, you heard me, yeah. What you're thinking about that you don't think other people have that impact and they remind you 10 years ago of how you impacted their life. It's just a good place. And so I think I'm just gonna just sit in it and take it all in and smile about it and do these things. My two daughters,
00:31:55
Speaker
have been lifers to Chasson and my life at the Lincoln. They call the Lincoln their little sister now because, Mom, you're always there. What's up? But now they see that they're and they are professional women themselves now with with the creative eye and lens about how they want to be in Chasson, not for us, but what they want to do.
00:32:17
Speaker
So you see that as well. So yeah, I think I'm just going to sit here in it and that the naturalness of creativity and the creative process guide me to to my next steps.
00:32:28
Speaker
I'm not surprised because you're a beautiful soul inside and out. That's why you're legend. Thank you, Susan. Thank you, Rodney. It's my pleasure. Absolutely. Yes. And thank you, Ohio Dance.
00:32:40
Speaker
A State of Dance is produced by OhioDance and hosted by Rodney Veal, Executive Producer Jane D'Angelo, Editor and Audio Technician Jessica Cavender, Music Composition Matthew Peyton Dixon.
00:32:55
Speaker
OhioDance would like to thank our funders, the Ohio Arts Council, the Ohio State University Dance Preservation Fund, the Greater Columbus Arts Council, the Columbus Foundation, and the Akron Community Fund.